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Central Queensland residents who “fall in the gaps” between the Legal Aid means test and the expense of a private lawyer are invited to make use of Everyday Justice’s new free service.
The charity’s managing lawyer Amy Burton said one of their early cases was helping a farmer who had signed a “dodgy” mortgage contract gain compensation.
“The risk was he could have lost his farm,” she said.
The pro bono team has about 80 interns in its Oxley offices, who are available via video chat or over the phone.
“The response has been steady from all over Australia,” Ms Burton said.
Mills Oakley launches new charity dedicated to pro bono
By Tony Zhang|12 January 2021
National law firm Mills Oakley has launched a new charity at the start of the year that will be dedicated to expanding its pro bono work across the country, as the firm takes its pro bono strategy to the next level.
The new charity, known as Everyday Justice, will provide free legal advice for the “missing middle.” This term describes the growing number of low to moderate-income earners in Australia who are ineligible for means-tested Legal Aid services but are unable to afford a private lawyer.
Mills Oakley found to access the legal system, the missing middle often must make a difficult choice between incurring substantial financial hardship, self-representing or abstaining from pursuing their legitimate legal claims altogether. Everyday Justice hopes to alleviate some of this undue hardship.