Research and Policy Committee

Research and Policy Committee

Program Plan 2017-2019

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Australian Pro Bono Centre

Background

The Australian Pro Bono Centre (APBC) Board has established a Research and Policy Committee as part of a renewed strategic focus on facilitating research on aspects of pro bono legal services.

The Committee is charged with developing a research agenda, developing research partnershipswith interested organisations including Australian universities, government, research organisations and the pro bono community, and facilitating research projects.

The Committee is currently comprised of:

• Prof Lesley Hitchens (Dean, UTS Law School and APBC Director)
• Dominique Hanson (Manager, Law Access WA and APBC Director)
• Monica Taylor (Director, University of Qld Pro Bono Centre)
• Amanda Alford (Director, Policy and Advocacy, National Association of Community Legal Centres).

Sue Hunt, the APBN’s Senior Policy Officer, is the Committee Manager.

This plan sets out the Committee’s program objectives for 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Purpose

The purpose of the agenda program is to facilitate the production of substantial research that:

• advances the understanding of pro bono legal practice in Australia
• facilitates pro bono legal work that is effective in providing access to justice for disadvantaged people
• provides an evidence base for advocacy to remove constraints to undertaking pro bono, and
• deepens the APBN’s relationships with universities, peak bodies, industry partners and research bodies.

Objectives

In 2017-2019 the Committee aims to:

• develop a staged research agenda, in collaboration with a community of interest which involves the academic and legal assistance sectors
• develop and facilitate research partnerships for the purpose of implementing the agenda, and
• facilitate voluntary and/or funded research projects according to the research agenda.

Approach

The Committee’s work will reflect the APBN’s values which promote:

• access to justice
• adequate funding for legal services
• collaboration
• client centrism, and
• professionalism.

The Committee has a national focus and recognises that, while pro bono legal work is focused primarily on the delivery of legal services, a multi-disciplinary approach to research may be appropriate.

Strategy

Developing a research agenda

The Committee has developed a preliminarylist of possible research topics, centering on practice issues and the impact of pro bono legal work in delivering access to justice: see Appendix 1. Some of these topics are broad and could potentially lead to several research projects on specific sub-topics.

In consultation with interested professionals in the legal academic sector, the legal assistance sector and the practising legal profession, the Committee will draw from the topic list a research agenda that indicates the APBN’s priorities for research projects over the next 2-3 years.

The Committee is developing a community of interest ina number ofways:

• conversations with relevant staff in law schools and university research strategy offices, to discuss the topics and raise awareness of the APBN’s research program
• writing and circulating a discussion paper seeking comment on one or two key topics and providing a literature review
• roundtable events, run by the APBN and/or in partnership with other interested bodies or persons
• an online forum to encourage visibility and discussion amongst interested researchers or practitioners.

Research partnerships

Through the initiatives listed above, the Committee is seeking to build a knowledge base of relevant and interested research partners, with a view to developing specific research partnerships.

Outputs

In the period to June 2019, the Committee aims to:

• build at least one research partnership
• conduct at least one research project, and
• build a knowledge base of information resources that support further work in the area.

Research may be undertaken in various ways, including, for example:

• in the context of undergraduate course units
• as an Honours or Masters theses
• comprising all or part of a doctoral or postdoctoral project
• in partnership with a law firm or industry partner
• with an industry or research grant.

In the longer term the Committee aims to leverage the research team’s credentials as the foundation for a larger scale grant application, e.g. ARC Linkage Grant application.

Programoutline

1. Develop research topic list

1. Consultation to develop research agenda and identify potential research partners

1. Finalise and prioritise research agenda

1. Initiate research project/s

1. Conduct research project/s and disseminate outputs

1. Develop further funding strategy

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[1]Note NSW LJF General Grants applications close 31 August.