Ebborn Law has been recognised by a group of 40 organisations – who support people who live with family violence – for the contribution it made to the sector in 2015.

The award, presented by the Ministry of Social Development’s Canterbury Regional Commissioner, John Henderson, at a meeting of the Canterbury Family Violence Collaborative, recognises the work Ebborn Law has done to keep Canterbury families safe.

Last year there were 3,875 urgent applications for protection orders made in New Zealand, while Police investigated over 100,000 allegations or incidences of family violence.

According to Ministry of Justice figures Ebborn Law acted in 21% of all legal aid domestic violence cases in Canterbury in the year to July 2015.

However, it is not the volume of work that attracted this accolade. The Family Violence Collaborative indicated the contribution the firm’s staff and management had made in supporting the sector with innovative solutions, educational opportunities and services to the community were key deciding factors.

Ebborn Law’s adoption of VLaw™ to deliver legal services over the internet has drawn praise from the Ministry of Justice. Currently Battered Women’s Trust and Marlborough Refuge both have video conferencing equipment installed at the firm’s cost so they can urgently access legal assistance for victims of family violence.

In 2015, the staff supported or delivered free family law workshops to over 500 social service and government professionals from Southland to Hawke’s Bay and it plans to continue these through to 2016 along with umbrella organisation Social Service Providers Aotearoa.