Victorian Bar Foundation

The Victorian Bar Foundation was established to progress the interests of justice in Victoria and further legal education and training in our community. The Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which enables the Bar and Bench to contribute to the community and causes outside the Bar itself.

The Honourable Justice John Digby (Chairman, Victorian Bar Foundation), Hume City Mayor Geoff Porter and Hume City Councillor Leigh Johnson with the winning legal studies students from schools in the City of Hume, who were awarded a $1,000 prize in recognition of their academic excellence, as part of the Foundation’s Student Achievement Award and Mentoring Program.

About the Foundation

The Foundation acts as a trustee of charitable trusts. Working through the Board of Directors, the Foundation seeks donations, administers funds and evaluates and makes grants.

Grant recipients will include law students, lawyers continuing their legal education and organisations promoting training to lawyers and legal institutions in Australia and overseas. The Foundation will foster and promote an understanding of the legal system and the role of law in our society and will promote the Victorian Bar’s benevolent involvement in the community.

 

Chairman The Honourable John Digby KC
Treasurer The Honourable Justice Stewart Anderson KC
Director John Karkar KC
Director Neil Young KC
Director Philip Crutchfield KC
Director Claire Harris SC
Director Eugene Wheelahan KC
Director Angela Lee
Director Nawaar Hassan
Director Kateena Anna O'Gorman
Director Georgie Coleman
Director Justin Hooper
Honorary Secretary David Colman
Company Secretary Amanda Utt
Patron The Honourable Justice Michelle Gordon AC

 

Our aims and activities


The aims and activities of the Victorian Bar Foundation are:

Investing in our future 

Promoting education in the legal area through grants to create opportunities.

A unified justice system

Bringing together the different arms of the legal profession to promote the interests of justice in Victoria through seminars and fundraising activities.

Increasing public awareness of the Justice System in Victoria 

Through media contact and promotional activities.

Raising funds for grant making purposes  

Through direct solicitation and fundraising activities.

 

Policies

The current grant making policy is:

“The Directors of Victorian Bar Foundation Limited, as Trustee, have resolved, with agreement from the members, as of 2 February 2011, when making grants to item 1 DGRs in accordance with the trust deed, to seek donations, applications for grants and to provide the grants for one or more of the following purposes:

  1. providing support for law students to assist in their education;
  2. providing support for lawyers to assist in their continuing education;
  3. providing scholarships to those in need for promotion of education and diversity;
  4. assisting lawyers and law graduates who are in need due to disadvantage or disability to undertake the Victorian Bar Readers' Course;
  5. supporting the provision of educational and training programmes to community organisations, schools and other educational institutions;
  6. supporting the provision of education and training programmes to lawyers and legal institutions in other countries;
  7. supporting the provision of information including educational programmes to members of the public regarding the legal system, the role of barristers in the legal system and the role of law in society;
  8. promoting and assisting in the involvement by members of the Victorian Bar in the work of charitable and other community based organisations;
  9. supporting the maintenance of historical records and other memorabilia, relating to members and former members of the Victorian Bar and the Victorian Judiciary for the public benefit.

The Directors, with agreement of the members, may replace, add to, remove or otherwise vary this grant making policy.”

 

Grants - How to Apply

Applications should be in the form of a written submission, outlining:

  • The opportunity a grant would give you and why that opportunity might not be otherwise available to you
  • How your access to the grant will contribute to the Justice System in Victoria
  • Your conformity to the purposes of the Victorian Bar Constitution 
  • Your educational background as well as any applicable experience and accreditations

Applications should be forwarded to:

     Amanda Utt

     The Victorian Bar Foundation Limited
     ACN 143 603 927
     Level 5, 205 William Street, Melbourne 3000

     T  03 9225 7111

     E  foundation@vicbar.com.au


Donations

Donations are sought from all members of the Victorian Bar.

All donors will be acknowledged on this website unless otherwise requested.

Click here to make a donation to The Victorian Bar Foundation by credit card. Alternatively, please complete and return the donation form below:

All donations are tax deductible.