LSB July 2022 LR

LAW IN THE COMMUNITY
What motivates you to do so much
community work?
I haven’t really thought about this
before – it’s just something I’m drawn
to – probably reflective of my upbringing
and values I have seen around me
including from my Mum and Nana. It is
important to recognise the privilege you
may have, and not everyone is so lucky –
we need to recognise that and help others
but also listen to them and ask them what
they need.
How do you manage your work and
volunteer commitments (and other
commitments)?
I think it is about deciding what are the
priorities in your life and making time for
those priorities.
Is your firm supportive of you being
so heavily involved in community
organisations and activities?
They definitely are – we are all
encouraged and are active in the
community in various ways and roles, and
we recognise the importance of this and
of giving back.
What would you say to people thinking
about putting their hand up to
volunteer in the community?
Everyone has a lot going on in
their lives, with work, family, and other
commitments, however even if you can
spare an hour a fortnight or even a month,
you can still contribute and help the many
good causes around your community and
even interstate and internationally. There
is such an amazing network of volunteers
who do an amazing job and if everyone
puts a little time in it’s amazing what can
be achieved.
Will Gray (right) at the SA Racquetball Championships.
WILL GRAY
How did you get involved with
Salvation Army’s will drafting service?
Through my previous employer,
Camatta Lempens, who were a long-term
supporter of the service. As a junior in the
Wills and Estates team at the time back in
2015-16, I had the opportunity to assist on
several occasions, and have continued to
do so ever since.
Can you tell us a bit about the
experience of writing pro bono wills,
The most common clients are older
couples who are cash poor, and for whom
the service provides an opportunity to
access a lawyer when they otherwise may
not have been able to do so. We also do
assist single parents, those without stable
housing and other struggling people.
What makes the pro bono wills service
such a valuable service?
Many of these clients would not have
accessed Estate planning services without
such an offering, and the first meeting
occurs at a Salvation Army venue, which
can be a safe space for some of the people
we meet. It makes the law accessible.
Would you recommend other lawyers
consider being involved in services like
the Salvation Army’s?
Absolutely, and the man to contact is
John Tobin, who would love to hear from
lawyers keen to be involved. I also assist
with the Cancer Council on a pro bono
basis and they too are often in need of
volunteer Solicitors. My new firm, Gray
Matters Legal, has signed up to the National
Pro Bono target of 35 hours per year year
which really is a minor commitment in the
grand scheme of things, given it is less than
1 hour per week. I certainly intend to better
that by some margin and am hopeful of at
least 100 hours per year, which still doesn’t
seem enough!
What does your role as President of
Campbelltown Squash Club involve?
A little bit of everything. We field over 25
teams in the Squash SA Pennant competition
and have over 150 members, we run regular
events both competitive and social, and I
assist with coaching and refereeing. I’m very
lucky to have a fantastic Committee behind
me doing most of the work. We also regularly
meet with key stakeholders in an ongoing
effort to continue to grow and improve what
we offer. The Campbelltown Council and
the “ARC” (our facility) are fantastic and
very supportive of us. Particularly in smaller
sports, finding committee members is tough,
and I think people from a professional
environment add value to any committee and
I certainly encourage lawyers to help out with
their local sports club.
Have you been able to put your legal
skills to good use as President?
Perhaps more so quasi-legal skills:
active listening, patience and mediating
potential disputes are certainly of
assistance when volunteering in sport.
I have also assisted Squash SA with
Disciplinary Tribunals and a legal
background certainly assisted with this.
How did you get into coaching and
what has that experience been like?
I was captain of squash in year 12 at
school, and was asked by the coordinator
to come back the following year to look
after the division 1 boys the following year.
I’ve never looked back and am now in my
15 th year of coaching. It’s a great way to
give back and I keep saying I’ll only stop if
I don’t enjoy it, which hasn’t happened yet!
I understand you play squash as well.
What is it about squash that you
particularly enjoy?
Initially it was just to play with friends,
and I suppose I accidentally became a good
player by enjoying it so much and wanting
to play all the time, and now in a selffulfilling
prophecy one of the reasons I love
it is because I can play it well and I’ve had
the opportunity to play a few professional
tournaments in SA and even managed a
(lucky) win against a player then ranked in
the top 250. I love the high intensity and
the split-second tactical decisions, but more
importantly I have formed so many close
friendships through the sport. It’s a fantastic
community to be a part of.
How do you manage your work and
volunteer commitments (and other
commitments)?
With great difficulty! I have been
fortunate to have always been supported in
my sporting and volunteering endeavours
by my employers and now running my
own firm allows me to commit more time
to these other commitments. I like to
be busy - a good day for me will always
consist of some form of exercise and
something social. B
July 2022 THE BULLETIN 21