The Top Job At Pro Bono Legal Resource Centre
13 September 2002 at 1:09 pm
Lawyer, Gordon Renouf has the top job to steer the much-awaited National Legal Pro Bono Resource Centre which had its official launch in Sydney recently.
The centre is one of the Federal Government’s major initiatives for encouraging and developing pro bono legal assistance but it has taken almost two years to get it off the ground.
The Centre’s primary objective is to promote and enhance the delivery of these much needed services across Australia and was initiated through a landmark national pro bono law conference in Canberra in August 2000.
The Government is providing $1 million over four years to help develop, expand and co-ordinate these services.
The Centre is being operated through the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) working with its project partners and a nationally-represented steering committee.
The newly appointed Director, Gordon Renouf has worked extensively on access to justice, consumer and law reform issues and the Federal Government has described his experience in working with community organisations as a great benefit in ensuring the success of the Centre.
Renouf has worked extensively in relation to access to justice, consumer and law reform issues. Over the past 15 years, he has worked for the NSW Law Reform Commission, community legal centres and as Director of the North Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service.
He has been a consultant to the NT Legal Aid Commission on improving access to legal services in Tenant Creek and to the Australian Securities Investments Commission in relation to Indigenous consumer issues.
From 1995 to 1997 he served as convenor of the National
Association of Community Legal Centres and has represented consumer interests on the Board of the Finance Industry Complaints Service and the Australian Securities Investments Commission’s Consumer Advisory Panel.
More recently, Renouf has been involved in pro bono efforts to provide support to the fledgling East Timorese legal profession and is currently exploring ways in which community development initiatives can facilitate access to justice.
He took up the position on 1 August 2002 and will be based at PIAC for the next few months working with PIAC staff involved in the establishment of the NPBRC.
