The firm has partnered with UNICEF to boost charitable giving in wills in Australia
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A global law firm is urging Australian lawyers to be goodwill champions as it launches a project with UNICEF that targets legal professionals.
DLA Piper has helped launch the GoodWILL project in Australia, where only 7.5% of people who make wills leave a gift for charity. The firm said that a significant portion of people would consider leaving a charitable gift if asked by their solicitor when preparing a will, according to research.
Lawyers who participate in the project will prepare simple wills at no cost for will writers who leave a charitable bequest, no matter how small, to the UNICEF. Lawyers who partner for the project will be provided with resources – including logos, signage and social media collateral – to promote their support of the GoodWILL project ahead of the public launch in September.
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The project also includes a directory of participating lawyers featured on the GoodWILL website. Visitors to the website can also view resources and information about the importance of professionally preparing a will and the impact to children made by charitable donations to UNICEF programs.
UNICEF spokesperson Melanie Verges said that the organisation is very excited about the project that aims to bring a greater awareness of what impact gifts in wills can have on children around the world.
“Partnering with DLA Piper means that we can help shape the Australian conversation around this topic, and have an impact for children,” she said.
Nicolas Patrick, pro bono partner, said DLA Piper knows many individual lawyers and some firms find it hard to establish a sustainable pro bono cause that connects with their day-to-day business.
“My hope is that many will see the benefit of partnering with a UNICEF project on a pro bono basis while contributing to the levels of will making and charitable giving in Australia,” he said.