Growth, inclusion and accessibility
One of the AISN’s stated goals is to continue to make membership of the AISN available to all members of the firm.
There are currently 43 members of the AISN, which represents approximately 15% of the firm.
In 2024, 9 new members joined the AISN.
The AISN also seeks to engage with seasonal clerks during their clerkship program by:
- scheduling events during their program (for example, book clubs, excursions and other external events); and
- continuing to inform seasonal clerks of the AISN’s purpose and activities, and ways in which they can become involved as Law Graduates, including by the co-chairs of the AISN running a session with each cohort of seasonal clerks addressing these matters.
The AISN continues to reach out to new starters at the firm to connect and provide details and resources about the AISN. There were 45 new starters at ABL between the months of January and October 2024. 17 of the new starters were law graduates who commenced in March 2024 and the AISN co-chairs ran an introductory session with those law graduates to provide details regarding the AISN and membership in March 2024. This session was followed by an email including information about the AISN and membership. The AISN sent emails to the remaining 28 of those new starters in February and November 2024. A priority for the AISN in 2025 is to implement a process whereby every three months, the AISN connects via email to new starters for the preceding three month period.
“One of the main reasons I joined Arnold Bloch Leibler was to be involved in its leading public interest work – particularly relating to First Nations advocacy. ABL’s long history of supporting important Indigenous causes, such as native title law, is well known. The AISN is a welcoming and inclusive forum which allows everyone at ABL to work towards deepening our engagement with First Nations communities, history and culture. Having the opportunity to participate in the AISN during my graduate year has allowed me to further develop my understanding of the challenges confronting Indigenous peoples, and the important role and responsibility that all lawyers have in improving and facilitating access to justice for Indigenous peoples.”
AISN newsletter
The AISN circulates quarterly newsletters to provide information to Arnold Bloch Leibler staff on recent legal and policy developments, to share relevant upcoming events and to increase awareness and firm-wide engagement with Indigenous social issues.
Each newsletter generally includes the following sections:
- news and law updates;
- a spotlight on a current Arnold Bloch Leibler client;
- a spotlight on an Indigenous supplier that Arnold Bloch Leibler has engaged;
- upcoming events;
- a collection of podcasts, music, movies and other entertainment by Indigenous artists or focused on Indigenous issues/culture; and
- events/reading materials for children.
| Distribution date | Newsletters sent | Newsletters opened (% open rate) | Links clicked |
| April 2024 | 323 | 282 (87%) | 5 |
| October 2024 | 303 | 256 (84%) | 3 |
Beyond the AISN Co-Chairs, the broader AISN also made significant contributions to the AISN newsletter over the last 12 months. The Marketing and Business Development team continue to provide invaluable assistance with producing the newsletter, particularly Claire Tedeschi and Stacey Parker.
Other internal communications
AISN members and other staff regularly circulate emails to provide updates on current legal and policy developments or opportunities to attend both internal and external events. This informal process further strengthens the AISN’s efforts to increase firmwide understanding of, and engagement with, current affairs and issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In 2024, these emails have included:
- invitations to attend events, including a private viewing of Paddy Bedford’s GOUACHE Exhibition at the D’Lan Contemporary Gallery, and the Tarwirri annual gala dinner;
- news and legal updates;
- client spotlights, including a profile on ABL client Worawa Aboriginal College and Burrumbul Mirring Ltd;
- supplier spotlights, highlighting different suppliers that ABL has used over the last year, including Pawa Catering and Events and Uncle Charlie’s Tastes of Country; and
- various book, podcast and film recommendations.
During the period October 2023 to October 2024, a total of 8 emails were circulated by the AISN. Of those 8 emails, 4 were to AISN members only and 4 were firm-wide or to a broader group of recipients (e.g. specific practice groups).
Intranet
In 2023 in the lead up to the Referendum on the Voice, a large number of resources were made available to members of the firm on the AISN intranet, including links to articles and other commentary, videos and interactive question functions to allow Arnold Bloch Leibler staff to request additional resources from the AISN.
The AISN is committed to ensuring that current and useful information is easily accessible by all Arnold Bloch Leibler staff via the intranet. However, over the course of 2024, the AISN has found that the AISN page on the intranet was not being accessed by staff as frequently as anticipated and was not being used as the primary source of information or contact with the AISN.
Accordingly, the AISN co-chairs have ensured that the AISN page on the intranet contains useful and accurate information, but have determined that it will remain a static resource. Relevant articles, upcoming AISN events and general updates will instead be communicated to staff via email and other means.