Community Partnership
Australian Criminal Law Group prides itself on being part of the communities it serves. We appreciate the people from those communities who shape our lives, share our ideals, and stand with us through hard times. We will never forget where we came from.
Joseph Correy
Joseph Correy, who grew up in and still resides at Redfern, heads Australian Criminal Law Group’s Community Partnership.
In the past 12 months (as of 28 September 2024), the Community Partnership has provided pro bono legal services to 30 clients from or connected to Redfern and Waterloo.
Our representation of First Nations clients does not stereotype. We focus on our clients’ personalities and individual circumstances. We also communicate to the court the strength and beauty of Indigenous culture, traditions, and kinship while recognising the devastating effects of intergenerational trauma and the ongoing harm it causes.
The Community Partnership initiative works with the Redfern/Waterloo and the wider First Nations community to provide youth with cultural, educational, and sporting opportunities.
In February 2024, the Community Partnership joined the First Nations Warriors to take 30 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teenagers to Thailand for the Bangkok International Rugby 10’s Tournament. Joseph Correy and Deng Adut travelled with First Nations elders and leaders to mentor the teenagers on their journey. The First Nations Warriors will return to Thailand in February 2025, with the Australian Criminal Law Group as their major sponsor.
Australian Criminal Law Group sponsors the Redfern All Blacks rugby league team and supports other communities based in Redfern and Waterloo.
Deng Adut
Deng Adut is a former child soldier from South Sudan who came to Australia on a humanitarian visa when he was 14 years old. He firmly believes that access to education changes lives, having obtained a law degree after overcoming significant adversity.
Deng’s contribution to the legal profession and community has been recognised through his receipt of the NSW Australian of the Year, Human Rights Award, and Law Society President’s Medal.
In 2016, Deng founded the John Mac Foundation to provide people with refugee and humanitarian backgrounds access to higher education.
The John Mac Foundation operates a Scholarship Fund. Recipients are supported by a national network of mentors who guide, support, and encourage them academically toward successfully completing their studies. The Foundation assists recipients in finding further opportunities, including internships and employment.
The Foundation supports the fledgling legal justice system in the young nation of South Sudan. Its planned projects in South Sudan include establishing a law library at the University of Juba, hoping to endow annual scholarships there. We also plan to facilitate skills exchanges between legal community members in our two countries so that South Sudanese lawyers and judges can benefit from Australian knowledge of best practices in their fields.
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