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Our people in the community

At MinterEllison, we take great pride in developing genuine, long-term relationships with our community partners. We aim to innovate, collaborate and inspire when working with our clients, and these same guiding principles underpin the services we deliver in the community sector.

We have a strong record of staying connected to the communities in which we live and work. Our pro bono legal work and our broader community partnerships are part of our culture at MinterEllison.

This report is dedicated to the many people and organisations with whom we collaborate to achieve change. It is also a tribute to the incredible collective effort of our people who have dedicated so much over many years towards building opportunity and justice. 

FY18 - a year of milestones

Every year we provide assistance to people and organisations 'below the radar' – it is work that will never make the headlines:

  • resolving unpaid fines for a homeless person

  • preventing the eviction of a vulnerable tenant

  • negotiating a debt waiver for a person living with mental illness

  • mentoring secondary students on goal-setting and study habits

  • reading with primary students to build essential literacy skills

  • serving on a not-for-profit board in a voluntary capacity

  • getting behind our people who go the extra mile to raise funds for a great cause

  • establishing a new charity or social enterprise to address a long-term social issue

  • advising an existing charity or social enterprise on a challenging legal problem

  • matching our staff donations through our payroll giving program

     


All these things happened this year, without fuss or fanfare. And through our long-term commitment to community issues, we also recorded some major milestones:

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The head of our Community Investment Program in Brisbane, Robert Reed, was recognised in the Australia Day honours list with a Medal in the Order of Australia (OAM). MinterEllison is immensely proud of Rob's long-term contribution to the community, including access to justice and the campaign to end domestic and family violence.
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The annual Darkness to Daylight Challenge, founded by Rob Reed and supported by MinterEllison, raised over $110,000 this year for domestic violence charity Australia's CEO Challenge.
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Four of our Partners – Virginia Briggs, Nathan Deveson, Chris Kinsella and Keith Rovers – took part in the 2018 Vinnies CEO Sleepout and raised $42,000 thanks to the support of staff, clients and MinterEllison's matching support.
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One of the firm's most dedicated pro bono lawyers, Noelia Boscana, was promoted to Partner effective 1 July 2018, demonstrating that great commercial lawyers can also make time to give back to the community (which Noelia has done consistently for more than 15 years).
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One of the social enterprises we helped during its start-up phase, Virtual Psychologist (a winner of the Optus Future Makers start-up initiative), is now proving online support to isolated farmers in drought-stricken areas of Australia.
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We advised ATEC, an Australian social enterprise providing clean cooking technology in Cambodia, on a major capital injection from social impact investors. The result: cheaper, safer cooking fuel for rural families – and a huge reduction in carbon pollution.
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We have partnered with the Westpac Foundation to assist social enterprises including Good Cycles (VIC), Muru Mittigar (NSW) and Vanguard Laundry Services (QLD) deliver social change.
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We launched our Reconciliation Action Plan and continued to strengthen our long-term partnerships with Indigenous communities and organisations across Australia.
View our RAP

In short, it's been another year to be proud of. Read on to discover more about what we do in the community and why we do it.

Our work in the community

Insight

Access to justice
Insight

Changing lives
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Disadvantaged youth
Insight

Homelessness
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In their own words
Insight

Social enterprise

FY18 CSR report

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