Guy Donovan

Expertise

Guy’s experience in private legal practice and the community legal sector means that he is well placed to manage Holding Redlich’s pro bono program and conduct pro bono casework. During his time at Holding Redlich, Guy has acted in a number of cases of significant public interest, including legal actions taken on behalf of:

• refugees seeking evacuation from Nauru to Australia for urgent medical treatment
• asylum seekers in Afghanistan seeking protection visas in Australia
• asylum seekers seeking judicial review of decisions to reject their applications for protection
• Aboriginal organisations and individuals seeking to protect cultural heritage
• parents claiming that the provision of Special Religious Instruction in Victorian public schools was discriminatory, leading the Victorian Department of Education to respond by ensuring that parents are required to a make a positive election for their children to attend these classes, and guaranteeing meaningful activity for children not attending
• traditional land owners in Maningrida and the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation in a High Court of Australia challenge to some elements of the Northern Territory intervention legislation.

Guy is also the chair of our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and the Holding Redlich Social Justice Fund (workplace giving program).

Experience

Guy commenced at Holding Redlich as an articled clerk in 2005 and was admitted to legal practice in 2006. He then worked as a lawyer and senior associate in the firm’s personal injury team. Between 2012 and 2016 Guy worked in the community legal sector at both Youthlaw and Justice Connect before returning to Holding Redlich as its National Pro Bono Manager.