Promoting prosperity in our communities

For over ten years, our Board has set an internal target of at least 52 pro bono hours per lawyer each year. In 2024, we recorded over 65,000 pro bono hours.

We consider pro bono as a stand-alone legal practice. This results in quality legal services for our pro bono clients, provided in accordance with our established pro bono criteria which states that pro bono is the provision of legal assistance free of charge to:

• disadvantaged and marginalised people of limited means;
• non-profit organisations and social enterprises assisting people who are disadvantaged and marginalised; and
• in matters for the public good of broad public or community concern.

Our global pro bono practice has five priority areas including:

1. Citizenship & displacement;
2. Gender rights & diversity;
3. Modern slavery;
4. Racial justice; and
5. Climate change.

Our Social Impact Programme focuses on increasing access to opportunities for those experiencing marginalisation and disadvantage, financial exclusions and/or hardship.

Our work centres around utilising the professional non-legal skills of our people to support communities in need as well as our partner community organisations across our global network.

Our Global Social Impact Programme has five priority areas:

1. Social inclusion and mobility: supporting young people in their education and career journeys, by opening up access to Ashurst and the broader legal profession and positively impacting the lives of First Nations youth and young people experiencing marginalisation, disadvantage, financial exclusion and/or hardship.
2. Citizenship and global displacement: supporting local and global non-profits working with displaced or stateless communities. We also work in partnership to support refugees and asylum seekers through a range of employment/work readiness support.
3. Racial justice: working to highlight and eliminate all forms of racial injustice. We also seek to increase opportunity and access to the legal profession for people from diverse cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds. In Australia, we have a history spanning back to the 1970’s of working with First Nations individuals and organisations that support First Nations communities. Please see our First Nations page for more information.
4. Gender rights and diversity: partnering with non-profits to increase opportunity and empower women, girls and people of all genders facing marginalisation and disadvantage due to their gender identity. We also work in partnership with LGBTI+ organisations to remove barriers and drive social change – particularly for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.
5. Modern slavery: working to eradicate all forms of modern slavery through a committed Modern Slavery Action Plan and partnerships with leading community organisations.