The College of Law Community Service in Law Award
Winner: Hamilton District Community Law Centre
Ian Haynes, Chairman, The College of Law New Zealand and Sue Lane Chairperson, Hamilton District Community Law Centre
A deep desire to deliver access to justice, for all
By Craig Sisterson
On a spectacular night recognising lawyers throughout the country who’ve delivered excellence in client service, MC John Campbell of TV3 made special mention of the final accolade. “Law is only fair if everyone has access to it,” said Campbell when introducing the College of Law Community Service in Law Award. Sponsor Ian Haynes agreed, adding that “this award represents the professionalism of lawyers at its highest” before announcing the Hamilton District Community Law Centre (HDCLC) as the 2009 recipient.
A strong desire to provide such access to justice runs deep amongst the staff and volunteers at the HDCLC, says Managing Solicitor Rahul Sharma. “We want to help people who cannot help themselves or cannot access justice without us. And that’s something very, very close to our heart.” That passion for serving their community was recognised with the unique award, which is decided not by clients, but by an expert panel. Celebrating lawyers who contributed pro bono legal advice to community groups and charitable organisations or participated in voluntary humanitarian work, the panel commended several lawyers before singling out the HDCLC as a standout winner.
The judges were particularly impressed by the sheer breadth of HDCLC’s contribution to its community, evidenced by the fact that it also received nominations for a number of the specialist awards. “It was apparent that they were certainly fulfilling their brief to look after the unmet legal needs of the people in their community,” said the judges, who noted comments from HDCLC clients that the law centre had given them confidence to fight legal battles they would otherwise have given up on. “They spoke of the lawyers … as being tireless advocates, who battled for months on behalf of their clients, and who gave clients a voice when they couldn’t speak.”
The staff and volunteers work hard to give all members of their community such a voice, and were absolutely stoked with the award, says Sharma. As one staff member said on the night, “It’s awesome to see people appreciate what we do – it’s that appreciation that makes this [award] so special, and it’s just going to inspire us to work even harder.”
The HDCLC has grown from a one-lawyer operation 15 years ago, to four lawyers, three support staff, and around 90 volunteers (local practitioners and senior law students). “We serviced more than 5,000 clients last year,” says Sharma. “We’ve got evening clinics, day clinics, and outreach clinics each week throughout the year.” The HDCLC also has a strong focus on community legal education, running many popular courses (with volunteer speakers) throughout the year. From their Hamilton base, the HDCLC provides access to justice for communities throughout the Waikato. “We’ve outreached to places like Huntly, Tokoroa, Te Aroha, and Raglan,” says Sharma. The weekly clinic at Tokoroa was started two years ago to help address “a huge unmet legal need… That clinic has been keeping us quite busy”.
It’s a challenging role, but one that is of vital importance, says Sharma. “I think it’s extremely crucial, not only as a lawyer, but as a responsible member of the community, to give back whatever you have to the community, especially to the ones who would otherwise be deprived.”
NZLawyer, issue 127, 11 December 2009
Honourable mention:
Bell Gully
SPCA Pro Bono panel, Anita Killeen
Wilkinson Adams, Geoff Mirkin
Wynn Williams, Matthew Martin
FINALISTS:
Ann Maddox, Simpson Grierson
Bell Gully
Brookfields
Community Law Canterbury
Duncan Cotterrill
Dunedin Community Law Centre
Hamilton District Community Law Centre
Matthew Martin, Wynn Williams
Ngai Tahu Maori Law Centre
Rick Shera, Lowndes Jordan
SPCA Pro Bono panel
Wilkinson Adams
Youthlaw Tino Rangatiratanga Taitamariki
This is a special award which recognises the integrity underpinning every lawyer’s professional obligation to serve their community.
Criteria:
The winning firm/individual/group will have made outstanding contributions to the community by:
- providing pro-bono/not-for-profit legal advice or services to community groups and charitable organisations; and/or
- participating and/or applying their legal skills in voluntary humanitarian work
Award Sponsor:
The College of Law New Zealand is an accredited provider of the Professional Legal Studies Course, offering practical legal training leading to admission as a barrister and solicitor in New Zealand. The College’s Professional Legal Studies Course Online allows law graduates to complete their training through a combination of on-line learning and face-to-face onsites in several locations. The College is committed to the student and aims to maximise flexibility of study modes to best suit student and employer.
For more information visit www.collaw.ac.nz