A major Australian law firm is ending its 50-year relationship with the Catholic Church amid reports some of its lawyers were uneasy with its defence of clergy accused of child sexual abuse.
Melbourne-based firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth, recently named Australian Law Firm of the Year in the 2022 Chambers Asia Pacific & Greater China Region Awards, says they are refocusing their direction and resources.
Corrs confirmed it would no longer represent the Church, saying it was “transitioning away from undertaking personal injury work” to focus on its core areas of commercial legal practice.
“We will be working with the clients affected by this decision to ensure the orderly transition of such matters to new legal advisers. In particular, the firm is committed to ensuring that we protect the interests of our clients and the interests of all parties involved in these matters through this transition,” the firm said in a statement.
“Corrs is working with all clients affected by its decision to transition away from personal injury work. This is an ongoing process which will take some time.”
The firm declined to comment further. However, the Australian Financial Review reported that the firm’s lawyers were increasingly uncomfortable with its work defending the Church against historic child abuse compensation claims.
Sources said Richard Leder, a veteran Corrs partner, was also leaving the firm. Leder and Cardinal George Pell established the Archdiocese of Melbourne’s response to complaints of sexual, physical and emotional abuse by priests 20 years ago.
The “Melbourne Response” was heavily criticised for its paltry payments which did not reflect the severity of the life-long damage inflicted on victims. In addition, it did not consider the Church’s ability to be financially accountable to victims, given that the value of its assets in Australia alone is estimated at around $30 billion.
In 2020, the Supreme Court of Victoria overturned a deed of release signed by a victim of child sexual abuse. The child was paid $32,500 by the Catholic Church in 1996 in exchange for his silence and no further legal action.
The landmark decision paved the way for victims to set aside previous agreements made with the church and sue for damages.
There are estimated to be about 500 victims who signed similar deeds of release, often for small financial payouts under the Catholic Church’s controversial “Melbourne Response”.
Corrs is one of Australia’s top-10 law firms by size, with 145 partners and 749 non-partner fee earners in its ranks according to The Australia Financial Review’s latest law partnership survey.
Sources
Related Posts:
News category: World.
