Inroads to Access to Justice Issues expected from National Conference

Queensland Law Society President Peter Eardley recently said the conference, organised by the Queensland Law Society, Law Council of Australia and National Pro Bono Resource Centre, represented the profession’s commitment to a cornerstone of our legal system.

“Our legal system operates on the essential belief that everyone is equal before the law, and it follows logically that there must be equality in access to the law, which is why access to justice and pro bono play such important roles in our professional life,” Mr Eardley said.

“The conference will examine many issues associated with this basic right, including how the process can be funded, strengthening our commitment, what other countries are doing, and ensuring that equal access to justice extends to all parts of our community. Of particular relevance will be the role of Legal Aid and Community Legal Centres, and the way in which they are resourced and supported.”

Law Council of Australia president Glenn Ferguson said the conference underlined the fact that access to justice was fundamental to the rule of law and to the stability of the Australian community in general.

“This conference provides an excellent opportunity to explore how various groups can collaborate in projects and programs that will address access to justice issues and the Law Council would like to thank the Queensland Law Society for the work it has put in to organising and hosting this important conference,” Mr Ferguson said.

The conference will also feature United States ambassador Jeffrey L. Bleich, who will deliver an address examining the Obama Administration’s response to the widening justice gap in the US.

Esther Lardent, the president and chief executive officer of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington DC, will also speak on the need for strategic planning in determining the direction of a viable pro bono practice.

“This session will consider whether high participation rates in pro bono activities are more important than the focus and depth of those activities,” Mr Eardley said.

Sessions at the third National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference will address issues such as legal aid funding, the role of pro bono and access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Professor Frank Brennan of the Institute of Legal Studies, Australian Catholic University, will explore the case for government funding of legal assistance services from the human rights perspective.

Alan Kirkland, CEO of Legal Aid New South Wales, is among those speaking on the role of the legal assistance sector in promoting social inclusion.

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda will chair a plenary session titled ‘Closing the gap on access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’, which includes Kym Duggan, Assistant Secretary for Indigenous Policy and Service Delivery at the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department; Professor Larissa Behrendt, director of research at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, University of Technology Sydney, and Professor Chris Cuneen, professor of criminology, The Cairns Institute, James Cook University.

The conference, which will be opened by Queensland Chief Justice Paul de Jersey AC, has four distinct streams covering criminal justice, pro bono, civil and family law and working together/emerging needs. A full program and registration is available at www.a2j10.com.au.

Sponsors of the National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference 2010 include law firms Allen Arthur Robinson, Clayton Utz, DLA Phillips Fox, Freehills, Gilbert+Tobin, Henry Davis York, Mallesons Stephen Jaques, MinterEllison and the Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.