Winston Churchill said that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.
Law firm McCullough Robertson believes a strong commitment to pro bono activity benefits the firm, its people and the community.
Last year it appointed Tim Longwill as the firm’s Pro Bono Partner to lead their established pro bono program, as a clear and practical declaration of its values of generosity, commitment and being down to earth in the lead-up to its centenary in 2026.
Mr Longwill said, by having a structured, industry-focused approach to delivering pro bono legal services, there were benefits for the firm and organisations it supported.
“As well as helping worthwhile organisations, our pro bono work provides opportunities for our staff to broaden their experience and give back to those in need,” he said.
“This is something that our people really value.”
McCullough Robertson partners have been contributing to the community since 1926 with founding partners Robert McCullough and Jock Robertson holding many voluntary roles with community organisations.
Mr Longwill said he believed pro bono work should be part of every lawyer’s remit and was most effective when it was a strategic and logical extension of the firm’s expertise and values.
“We help a lot of organisations who, in turn, provide valuable community-based services,” he said.
“It can be anything from governance issues, employment issues, or providing advice around finance or start-ups. It is so broad. We have the capacity to provide services that can be the launching pad for initiatives that would otherwise not get off the ground.”
Mr Longwill said this support was provided to a wide range of community and not-for-profit groups, like the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland section), Hear and Say, Queensland Ballet, the Arts Law Centre of Australia, Opera Queensland and Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra Camerata.
Free support is provided for representation services at the Federal and State courts and Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
Work was also being done with Anglicare women’s housing services and the Brisbane Housing Corporation, where the public housing crisis is front and centre.
Personally, Mr Longwill has been at McCullough Robertson for 25 years and has actively participated in the firm’s pro bono program throughout his career.
He is a Management Committee member for LawRight, a not-for-profit community legal centre established in 2001 with McCullough Robertson as a founding member.
The firm has long been recognised for its commitment and contribution to the community through pro bono work, scholarships, support for a range of Community Legal Clinics, providing secondees, connecting organisations with shared purpose and creating conversations beyond the law.
Looking ahead to the firm’s 100-year celebrations next year, Mr Longwill is reflecting on their history of pro bono work, while staying firmly focused on the future.
“We have learned over the years just how important it is to continually assess and focus our efforts to where we believe we can have maximum impact and effect real change” he said.
Mr Longwill said an example of this was Australia’s community housing sector, where the firm is providing several community housing organisations with pro bono support to help streamline funding so that the current housing shortfall can be addressed.
“This is an area we continue to be deeply involved with as a firm given its broad impact on so many communities,” he said.
“We’re taking steps now to further evolve and broaden our support of this sector into next year and beyond, and it’s exciting to see that take shape”.
