Industry plaudits for Salvos Legal
William Kontaxis is a finalist in the ‘Young Gun’ category of the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards (Credit: Photo courtesy Salvos Legal).
Salvos Legal is one of six finalists vying for ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards, competing against Australia’s top law firms.
The awards also throw the spotlight on three dedicated members, past and present, representing the Salvos Legal team in their nomination. William Kontaxis and Elizabeth Lathlean are two of only six finalists in the ‘Young Gun’ category, and Salvos Legal intern Genevieve Woods is one of six finalists in the ‘Law Student’ category.
The prestigious awards, first held in 2001, recognise individual excellence in law, highlighting the industry’s high achievers and most promising young stars.
For several years running, the awards have also recognised the work of Salvos Legal. The service, which began four years ago as a one-man operation, now has 26 staff and over 150 volunteers across two states and 15 offices. It has also assisted in 10,000 humanitarian cases for free, and with no government funding.
Peter Juchau, Head of Retail Facilities Management and Operations, Group Property Financial Services at the Commonwealth Bank nominated Salvos Legal for 2014 ‘Law Firm of the Year’.
“What greater law firm could there be than an organisation which has access to justice, and not personal commercial gain, as the sole reason for its existence?” says Mr Juchau.
“In what started off as a pie-in-the-sky concept in early 2010, twin firms Salvos Legal and Salvos Legal Humanitarian have achieved the unthinkable and set the benchmark for pro-bono legal service providers in Australia – and for social enterprises in the professional services sector.”
In 2013 Managing Partner of Salvos Legal and Salvos Legal Humanitarian, Luke Geary, won the Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards ‘Managing Partner’ award, and in 2012 the ‘Pro Bono’ award. Sophie Roberts, of Salvos Legal, won the ‘Young Gun’ Award in 2013.
Mr Geary says in many ways it is astonishing that Salvos Legal has received such industry recognition.
“Many of the Australian firms nominated beside us are household brands and have been established for 100 years or more. Many have revenue in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with many hundreds of employees and the largest companies in the world as their clients. There are also global firms nominated – leading law firms in the US and UK that have now entered the Australian market through mergers,” he says.
“And we simply are a four-year-old start-up law firm, owned by a church.”
Mr Geary commends the commitment, professionalism and skill, “significant sacrifice” and “steps of faith” made by staff, supporters and volunteers to establish and expand Salvos Legal.
He says the industry recognition of the professionalism and ethos of Salvos Legal “shows the legal profession and particularly these awards are recognising things which are of value, such as integrity, commitment and community service”.
The awards ceremony will be held on 8 August in Sydney.
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