Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.

With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.

Behind every pro bono hour is a person who might otherwise have faced the legal system alone. From individuals shut out of legal help by cost, to community organisations carrying the weight of unmet need, lawyers across New Zealand are quietly stepping in, not for profit, but because access to justice matters. 

The national Framework for Collaborative Pro Bono is now bringing that work into sharper focus, revealing not only the scale of the participating lawyers’ contribution, but a growing collective commitment to making legal support more accessible, connected and intentional. 

Two years on from its establishment in 2024, the Framework is exceeding aspirational targets for pro bono services with participating firms delivering more than 17,500 hours of free legal work in 2025. 

People who don’t qualify for legal aid, but can’t afford a lawyer, are benefiting from the growing number of lawyers willing to provide their services on a free ‘pro bono’ or reduced fee basis. Lawyers find that pro bono work is a positive way to give back to their community and help those in need. 

Te Ara Ture was established in 2021 to help connect clients in need with pro bono lawyers. Te Ara Ture is the pro bono clearinghouse service within the Community Law Centres Aotearoa and leads the Framework for Collaborative Pro Bono in Aotearoa New Zealand. 

The New Zealand Law Society Te Kāhui Ture o Aotearoa supports the Framework as part of its broader commitment to improving access to justice and strengthening public confidence in the legal profession. By helping facilitate national collaboration, supporting the collection and reporting of pro bono data, and working alongside Te Ara Ture and participating firms, the Law Society is helping to create a more coordinated and sustainable approach to pro bono legal services for people who may otherwise struggle to access legal representation. 

Te Ara Ture works with participating law firms to bring structure, efficiency and shared momentum to the delivery of pro bono legal services across the motu, in ways that complement existing community services and respond more effectively to unmet legal need. 

The Framework’s first annual performance report covered pro bono services delivered in 2025 and reports: 

• lawyers averaged 27.6 hours of pro bono work per full-time equivalent across the six participating firms, exceeding the Framework’s aspirational 25-hour target. 
• two in three lawyers (67%) at participating firms undertook at least one hour of pro bono work during 2025, and among those who participated, the average was 41 hours. 

Sabrina Muck, Director of Te Ara Ture, says “the legal need in our communities is real and it’s growing. Community Law Centres across New Zealand are working in this space every day. Pro bono support via Te Ara Ture and the Framework helps us to respond to this need in a way that is structured, sustained across the industry and built to last”. 

“The firms that signed up to the Framework did so voluntarily, and the 2025 performance report shows they more than delivered.” 

“Behind the hours are people and organisations in genuine need: individuals who don’t qualify for legal aid but cannot afford a lawyer, charities, not-for-profits and community groups seeking legal assistance to further their work. The Framework offers a structured and identifiable pathway for lawyers to engage in pro bono legal work. In facilitating high quality pro bono legal advice, we’re able to walk alongside clients who would otherwise have nowhere else to go, with the aim of providing access to justice to those who need it most.” 

The participating law firms are DLA Piper, Gilbert Walker, Holland Beckett, Luke Cunningham Clere, Russell McVeagh and Simpson Grierson, with open door encouragement to any other law firms who wish to sign up to the Framework and endorse its principles. 

For the Law Society, Te Ara Ture and the participating firms, there’s a strong belief in a professional responsibility to promote access to justice through pro bono work and that this must be reinforced, safeguarded and promoted and the Framework provides a mechanism to do so. 

You can read the Framework’s performance report on the Te Ara Ture website. 

Pro bono work is a rewarding aspect of a lawyer’s career 

Lawyers who take on pro bono work consistently report it as among the most rewarding work of their careers. It exposes them to the full breadth of issues in society, gives junior lawyers the opportunity to take the lead on matters earlier in their careers, and builds skills that make them more effective across all their work. 

For law firms, a genuine pro bono culture is increasingly important for staff satisfaction, retention and attraction. Many emerging lawyers are drawn to firms that are committed to using their skills for public good, and pro bono provides a structured, meaningful way to deliver on that commitment.

Pro bono work in practice 

Pro bono case keeps single dad in home 

For Senior Solicitor Brooke Clifford, taking on a pro bono case allowed a single father and his two young children to stay in their home. 

The case came to Simpson Grierson through the firm’s ongoing support of Community Law Centres Aotearoa, with the matter referred via Te Ara Ture from the Manawatū Community Law Centre. Together, the organisations help connect people facing barriers to justice with lawyers able to provide pro bono support. 

Brooke successfully appealed a Tenancy Tribunal decision evicting the man from his tenancy on the basis that there were errors of fact and law in the original decisionmaking process. A further appeal challenged the Tribunal’s refusal to grant a rehearing, arguing that procedural errors had not been properly addressed. 

Brooke, who prepared written statements and appeared in the District Court on behalf of the tenant, relished the opportunity to make such a tangible difference in someone’s life.  

“As my role typically involves working with commercial clients, I really value the opportunity to be able to engage with members of the community on issues that are of real importance to their everyday lives,” she says. “Assisting pro bono clients to achieve positive outcomes is not only incredibly rewarding but also reminds me of the positive difference we, as lawyers, can have on individuals.” 

The outcome had a significant practical effect. Had the eviction proceeded, the family would have faced serious difficulty securing appropriate housing at short notice. 

Mo Shomade, solicitor at the Manawatū Community Law Centre, said Brooke’s commitment to her client was commendable. 

“It was clear she put in as much effort as one would expect in a fee-paying claim.” 

“The case also highlights the broader value of pro bono work not only in achieving positive outcomes for individuals, but in reinforcing the role lawyers play in supporting communities and upholding fairness within the justice system.” 

Tenant wins Healthy Homes case with pro bono support 

Helping a pro bono client challenge his landlord showed senior solicitor Aneesha Dahya from Luke Cunningham Clere (LCC), the personal impact of her legal skills. 

Facilitated through the Framework for Collaborative Pro Bono, the case involved direct contact with an individual client, rather than the law firm’s usual Government agency and public sector clients. 

The tenant had initially succeeded in the Tenancy Tribunal and was awarded $5,700 for breaches of Healthy Homes Standards. The landlord appealed the decision to the District Court, at which point LCC was able to step in, and Aneesha assigned to conduct the proceedings. 

“The tenant had been having a really tough time dealing with the condition of the property and the property manager,” she says. 

“It is easy for tenants to become disincentivised from standing up for themselves in these situations, because landlords and property managers often have a lot of power behind them. So, it was really nice to be involved in something like this, and to see how we could use our skills to help someone who might not otherwise have access to legal support.” 

LCC advised the client on a possible cross-appeal and represented him at a court teleconference. The landlord was ordered to pay the tenant under the Tribunal’s original decision. The appeal was ultimately discontinued by the landlord. 

Pro bono partner at LCC Steve O’Connor says the case was the first the firm had taken under the Pro Bono Framework and presented an opportunity to put its offering into practice. 

“We accepted it as a referral from another Framework law firm, Gilbert Walker, on the basis that it was something where we could readily involve solicitors and senior solicitors, and that, on its face, it appeared to present an immediate opportunity for our solicitors to engage their specialist litigation skill set.” 

“From the Framework’s perspective, the goal is greater access to justice. Here, that would not have happened without Framework participants cross-referring to each other.” 

Aneesha treated the case as she would any other and encourages other firms to get involved in pro bono work. 

“We have a lot of expertise, and legal fees aren’t cheap. Often, people just need someone to clearly explain and articulate their position. We’re used to working with other (in-house) lawyers, so the way we communicated with the client was a bit different. But that kind of advice can make a real difference to an individual, and it’s a good reminder of the value of our skills.” 

“What is routine for us can make a world of difference to an individual.”

Checklist for lawyers undertaking pro bono work 

The professional and ethical obligations in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (LCA) and the LCA (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 apply to pro bono work that is legal work. 

• Consider if the pro-bono service you are providing is “legal work” under section 6 of the LCA. 
• Provide your pro bono client with the same client care information you would provide a paying client. 
• Be clear that all parties understand who is responsible for the services being provided and what happens if something goes wrong. 
• If you are practising as an in-house or employed lawyer, ensure the arrangement meets your regulatory obligations. Make sure there’s no conflict of interest and get consent from your employer. 
• Consider if you need professional indemnity insurance, and if you do have professional indemnity insurance, check that pro bono work is covered. 
• Check if the work triggers obligations under the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act regime, such as conducting customer due diligence. 
• If your firm has a pro bono policy, check that the work complies with that and your reporting requirements. 

For more information  

Read the Law Society’s guidance for lawyers providing pro bono work.