Support Us
Since launching in mid-2009, JusticeNet has handled more than 1,000 enquiries from people seeking legal assistance in South Australia. We are delighted to announce that as of December 2011, a total of $1 million in free legal services have been provided by our members to low-income and disadvantaged clients referred by JusticeNet.
“That’s an exceptional commitment by our members to helping the less well-off in our community” says Mr Tim Graham, Executive Director.
Like medical emergencies, legal problems can occur suddenly and impose high financial and emotional costs on individuals, particularly those on low incomes. In addition, unresolved legal issues can entrench poverty and social exclusion, exacerbating pressure on families and individuals already facing significant disadvantage.
JusticeNet harnesses the capacity of the private legal profession to provide pro bono assistance to eligible applicants. Over our first 18 months of operation, the average value of legal assistance provided to clients was around 40% of their average annual income. Over the same period, 73% of our clients relied on a government benefit of some sort as their primary source of income. Clearly, our clients would be unable to afford the high-quality legal assistance that JusticeNet is able to facilitate.
Who we help
‘John’ and ‘Sally’ had lived in a refugee camp for 15 years before coming to Australia. Soon after their arrival they were persuaded by a door-to-door salesman to purchase what they thought was tuition for their son. It turned out to be a computer education product. Neither spoke English well, and neither had ever used a computer. The product was useless to them. After terminating the payment arrangement, John and Sally were pursued by the company for breach of contract. Kain C+C (one of JusticeNet’s member law firms) negotiated with the company, persuading them to aban the proceedings.
In a similar case, JusticeNet recruited the services of Michael Doyle as counsel, who along with Piper Alderman (also acting pro bono), persuaded the vendor to aban legal action. Michael Doyle (Barrister, Mitchell Chambers) says “This was a worthy referral, as I believe (Tom) was the victim of unfair trade practices... In the circumstances I consider that JusticeNet has served (Tom) very well.”
There is no doubt that JusticeNet plays a vital role in facilitating access to justice for low-income and disadvantaged South Australians.
And with your support, we can ensure that JusticeNet will continue providing this important service for many years to come.
Membership subscriptions are currently our most significant single source of income. However, these cover less than 50% of our annual operating costs. Nor do we receive government funding.
How you can help
|
