Pro bono response to disasters

Justice Connect is responding to disasters impacting people, small business owners, and not-for-profit organisations.

 

What we’re doing

Justice Connect is coordinating the delivery of pro bono legal help to disaster-affected communities across Australia.

We’re also receiving referrals from frontline services and disaster recovery hubs for people, small business owners, and not-for-profit organisations who have been impacted. These requests for pro bono assistance are allocated via our Pro Bono Portal, designed to quickly and simply match and refer clients to our network of over 10,000 pro bono lawyers using built-in algorithms.

We’re working closely with other organisations like legal aid commissions, community legal centres, and law societies to ensure that people can access legal help as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

   We’re responding to the 2022 floods across Eastern Australia

In the wake of disasters and extreme weather events, people, small business owners and not-for-profit organisations can face unexpected legal problems. If left unresolved these legal problems can have serious consequences for people’s financial stability, relationships, health and wellbeing.

Are you a pro bono lawyer?

To provide urgently needed pro bono assistance to people affected by the 2022 floods, get in touch. 

Express your interest

Are you a support worker?

To refer people affected by the 2022 floods to Justice Connect for pro bono legal help, make a referral.

Refer someone

Over more than a decade, our team of expert lawyers have played a central role in the legal response to disasters and crises, including:

  • 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria
  • 2017 Bourke St Massacre in Melbourne
  • 2019-2020 bushfires across Victoria and NSW
  • 2020-2021 COVID-19 pandemic

Register to provide pro bono for disaster-affected communities

We’re accepting applications from law firms who can be available to provide free legal help if demand exceeds our current capacity to support people, small business owners, and not-for-profit organisations. Please note that you won’t hear from us if demand for pro bono legal help does not exceed our current capacity to support affected communities.

My firm is an existing member of Justice Connect

If your firm is an existing member of Justice Connect, you can update your firm profile by selecting the ‘Disaster response’ project if you are interested in receiving any related referrals.

My firm is not an existing member of Justice Connect

To register your practice to provide natural disaster pro bono assistance, please select one of the below forms.

Expressions of interest from NSW Expressions of interest from VIC
 

What to do if you need disaster legal help

If you’re an individual or small business owner:

Make a quick and easy online application for free legal help.

Apply for help

If you’re a professional or support worker:

Refer people affected by disasters to Justice Connect for pro bono help.

Make a referral

Other places to get legal help:

If you’re in Victoria, call 1800 113 432 or visit Disaster Legal Help Victoria

If you’re in New South Wales, call 1800 801 529 or visit Disaster Response Legal Service NSW

Read about Justice Connect’s response to previous disasters

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Strengthening legal responses to disasters

Disasters and crises cause legal problems and increase vulnerability.

We’ve seen first-hand how legal need shifts during disasters and crises. We’re using our evidence, and the experiences of the people we’ve helped, to call on all levels of government to act.

See our campaign
 

Become a member

Join the Justice Connect community

Justice Connect’s commitment to the power of pro bono, and to providing dignity for those left behind by the legal system, attracts excellence from all corners. We’re proud to count well over fifty of Australia’s best law firms as members of our pro bono community.

Become a member

Our stories

Read the stories of people who have received justice through free, pro bono legal help.

 

We help bushfire affected farmers

James was thankful to be connected with local lawyers who could better understand and support him.

Read James's story