The DibbsREACH Program

At DibbsBarker, we believe that just one person can make a difference in our community. Our commitment is to provide pro bono legal advice to individuals and charitable organisations and contribute to the community through donations of time, expertise or money depending on the need.

To do that, we have in place the initiative REACH. It is our Pro Bono and Community Involvement program. As a firm, our stated focus areas are supporting community needs and healthcare (including research charities and mental health). The long term and ongoing objective is collective and effective contribution particularly in our identified areas.

Our program is structured in three parts:

Dibbs Pro Bono + DibbsGiving + Dibbs in the Community

As part of our policy, all staff members are encouraged to participate in the program and their participation is recognised as a key criterion in our people & development framework.

Dibbs Pro Bono

Not surprisingly, we believe that one of the most important fundamental achievements in a community is equal access to justice. We take pride in the fact that we use our knowledge and expertise to assist people and organisations to achieve their goals and protect their rights when it might not have otherwise been possible for them to do so. From setting up charitable organisations to providing advice and legal representation, our staff members play a valuable role in this area.

Our major pro bono client is the Starlight Children's Foundation, with whom we have partnered for a number of years now. We will also consider matters referred to us from independent referral networks or our own staff member referrals.

Our policy sets a target for each of our full-time partners, lawyers, graduates and paralegals to aim to undertake 24 chargeable hours of approved pro bono legal work per calendar year (pro-rata for part-time). That work can take the form of pro bono files or legal services at various community legal centres.

DibbsGiving

DibbsGiving is based on fundraising activities arranged by the firm from time to time and on individual donations to nominated charities from within our focus areas. Those charities benefit from donations throughout the financial year and at the end of the year, the donations raised will be matched by DibbsBarker.

Dibbs in the Community

ACT for Kids is an Australian charity that works to treat and prevent child abuse. They provide free counselling and therapy services to children and their parents to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. Originally known as the Abused Child Trust, they’ve been helping Australian families keep their children safe for more than 20 years. More than 60,000 individual children are affected by child abuse in our country every single year. That’s an average of one child every 10 minutes. A small few of these children find themselves at an ACT for Kids centre, where they get the skills, care and confidence they need to turn their lives around.

Greening Australia

 

Greening Australia is passionate about conserving and restoring healthy and resilient ecosystems to reconnect landscapes and recreate wildlife corridors. They deliver practical hands-on solutions that conserve and restore biodiversity, improve river health and support sustainable agriculture. They aim to engage with local communities and partners to empower involvement and deliver real and sustainable environmental outcomes.

Lawyers Encouraging and Assisting Promising Students (LEAPS)

LEAPS is a mentoring program established a number of years ago jointly between the legal community and the Department of Education. The program is aimed at 14-15 year olds (year 9 students) who are at risk of not continuing their education or who would benefit from interaction with a mentor who is not their parent, teacher or counsellor. Our staff “mentors” meet fortnightly with their students to discuss different issues and it has certainly proven to be a valuable interaction for both the mentor and the student.

Penpal

Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) is one of Australia’s largest and most successful medical research institutes. Their 700 full time researchers, visiting scientists and students investigate the genetic and environmental causes of nearly 50 diseases, as well as develop new diagnostics, better treatments, vaccines and other prevention strategies. The Institute has a diverse research program that extends from tropical diseases to cancer to indigenous health, obesity, dementia, HIV and asthma. Their broad research capability also enables them to run research programs from discovery through to drug development and clinical trials.

The Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House Incorporated (QPILCH) is a not-for-profit community-based legal organisation that co-ordinates providing pro bono legal services for individuals and community groups. DibbsBarker is a member of QPILCH and a participating firm in QPILCH’s Self Representation Service at the District and Supreme Courts complex and at QCAT.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland Incorporated (RSPCA Qld Inc) is the state’s oldest, largest and leading animal welfare charity, dedicated to improving the welfare of all domestic, farmed and wild animals throughout the state. With an annual operational budget of $24 million and receiving less than 2% in recurrent government funding, RSPCA Qld is heavily reliant on community support and donations to continue its life-changing work helping animals, enlightening people, changing lives.

Telecross is a program for the elderly in which staff members telephone one elderly person, living alone, each morning for a week. It is aimed at allowing the elderly to maintain their independence, have some additional conversational interaction and to alert carers if there is anything wrong.

The FSHD Global Research Foundation

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