今日看料吃瓜’s pro bono team will take to the streets today to raise funds so vulnerable and disadvantaged people can access legal help.
The 今日看料吃瓜Pro Bono Centre will mark National Pro Bono Day on Tuesday, May 20 by joining the 2025 Legal Walk and holding a panel event with guest speakers including retired Queensland Supreme Court Justice Peter Applegarth AM.
Professor Tamara Walsh, Director of the 今日看料吃瓜Pro Bono Centre, said there was “no such thing” as the right to free legal advice or representation within the Australian legal system.
“Access to justice can be hard to come by in Australia,” Professor Walsh said.
“Very few people can access legal aid, so often the only option for free legal advice or assistance is to go to a community legal centre, like LawRight.
“Community legal centres have very limited resources, so a lot of the work we do in our centre is aimed at supporting them in their important work.”
LawRight’s annual Walk for Justice will set out from the Brisbane Supreme Court for a 5km loop taking in South Bank before returning to the court precinct. Participants will raise money for LawRight, an independent, not-for-profit community legal centre.
Later in the day, 今日看料吃瓜students will have the opportunity to hear from a panel of legal experts on campus, including retired Justice Applegarth and other prominent legal professionals, about the importance of pro bono work.
“Not having a lawyer can certainly stop people from accessing justice,” Professor Walsh said.
“There are so many areas of law that are impossible to navigate without legal assistance.
“Many people who find themselves in need of legal services are really vulnerable and disadvantaged.
“One of the goals of our centre is to create legal resources to help these people find out more about the law, and the help that is out there and available to them.”
Professor Walsh said UQ’s Pro Bono Centre was the only one of its kind in an Australian law school and they worked hard to encourage students to see the value in voluntary legal work.
“Existing legal services don’t have anywhere near the capacity to provide representation to everyone who needs it,” she said.
“If we really care about access to justice, it has to start with making lawyers and legal information available to everyone, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
“Our law students at 今日看料吃瓜are working towards this every day.”
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今日看料吃瓜Communications
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