24 September 2024

FLS Life Member reflects on 46 years of community service

His Honour Reserve Magistrate Brian Wright recently shared his experiences from over 46 years of service with Fitzroy Legal Service with the strong message that volunteering needs to be viewed as more than a line on the CV.

Speaking to some 40 new and ongoing FLS volunteers recently, Brian said that the impact of volunteering with the organisation had been extensive.  

“Certainly, volunteering has been an invaluable experience to me,” Brian adds. “(It) is a learning experience as much as a giving experience.”

“There is no substitute for years of interviewing and advising people from all walks of life. It certainly helped me in my career as a lawyer and gave me experience in many areas of the law that I would not otherwise have been involved in.”

Acknowledging that volunteering with FLS’s free after-hours Night Service for 26 years was at times challenging and frustrating, he describes the experience as ultimately immensely satisfying.

“It is important from my point of view that you see volunteering as not something that you do simply to put on your CV or something for your professional life.”

His Honour Reserve Brian Wright

“Rather, look at it from the point of view as to what you can contribute to others in the community needing help. There’s certainly many of them.”

Joining FLS in 1978, Brian was active advising clients each week through the Night Service up until his appointment as a Victorian Magistrate in 2004.

“We had a very close-knit group on Monday nights, and that’s why we all volunteered for more than 20 years,” Brian adds referring to peers who went on to become an Australian Government Solicitor, County Court Judges and Magistrates.

“At the end of the night, we’d all go out for a meal and a drink. We certainly helped each other with legal problems in the areas we did not know much about.”

“I’ve developed friendships and professional relations with many people that I would not have done otherwise.”

“Over the years, Fitzroy Legal Service has grown incredibly into the professional organisation that it is today,” Brian reflects. “However, I believe it is still faithful to those founding principles, including the provision of free professional legal advice and access to justice.”

“Despite the growth in legal aid and pro bono schemes, there is no less need for community legal centres these days. Poor funding is, or has always been, an issue and is continuing to be an issue.”

Bringing with him a wealth of knowledge about workers compensation, common law and personal injury matters, Brian continues to contribute to three chapters of The Law Handbook under Section 10: Accidents, insurance and compensation.

Find out more about FLS’s volunteering program and how you can make difference.

Brian is a leading specialist in workers compensation, common law and personal injury matters in Victoria, and was appointed as a Victorian Magistrate in 2004 where he was responsible for the WorkCover jurisdiction. He is also a Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal Member and served on the Victorian Law Foundation Board from 2018-2021 as the Victorian judicial nominee. Brian completed his articles with Slater and Gordon in 1974 and went to the Bar in 1978.