According to an internal Bell Gully report, nearly 50% of partners at the firm undertook pro bono work in 2010.

The Bell Gully Helping Hand report shows 43% of partners and a total of 91 legal staff were involved in the pro bono work undertaken at the firm last year, equating to 2,627 hours and the fee equivalent of NZ$713,741. The firm worked on a total of 90 pro bono matters for 30 organisations last year, including the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Wellington Community Law Cente and The Salvation Army.

Bell Gully's formal pro bono program began with a plan to grow its pro bono spend from NZ$330,000 (fee equivalent) in 2009, to NZ$670,000 in 2010. In 2011 it will seek to donate NZ$1m fee equivalent in pro bono legal services.

A committee of six partners and four senior associates oversee the program. Committee member, partner and litigation department head, Ralph Simpson says the program has not only provided much-needed support to the not-for-profit sector, but also offers tangible benefits for staff. "Our lawyers are gaining expertise in areas of law they might not otherwise be exposed to, and it is a genuinely rewarding for them to assist those who cannot afford legal assistance,” he said.

In addition to the NZ$1m target, business support staff are becoming involved in the program, offering support and resources to Bell Gully's pro bono partner organisations.

“As we enter the third year of our formal pro bono program, our focus remains on providing legal advice to those who can’t afford to pay for it, and on supporting not-for-profit organisations that support our communities,” said  Roger Partridge, Bell Gully Chairman. “Bell Gully’s contribution to the not-for-profit sector now sees lawyers across all of the firm’s practice areas becoming involved in the programme. The benefits are tangible too. At the same time as our lawyers gain valuable experience with aspects of the law they wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, they get an opportunity to make tangible differences in individuals’ lives,” he added.

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