Te Ara Ture is a pro bono clearinghouse. We refer legal work to volunteer lawyers.
Te Ara Ture means bridge to law. We connect legal need to volunteer lawyers. In this way, we bridge the gap between those in need and those who are willing to help.
Te Ara Ture is a division of Community Law Centres o Aotearoa Incorporated. We are not community law centres and we do not provide legal services.
We are funded by the Ministry of Justice.
Sabrina is a practising lawyer and was appointed as Director of Te Ara Ture in November 2023. She has been involved with the Community Law Network for six years, in her role as the Supervising Lawyer at Waitematā Community Law Centre, based in West Auckland. Prior to that, she worked at one of New Zealand's top-tier law firms for over 10 years. Sabrina is passionate about facilitating access to justice for marginalised and disadvantaged communities, and has seen first-hand the outcomes Te Ara Ture can achieve for vulnerable clients. She welcomes the opportunity to work on developing and growing the impact of pro bono work in Aotearoa.
Lee DiFilippo is the Referral Manager for Te Ara Ture. Lee manages the day to day operations of the referral service, including receiving applications and making placements with our volunteer lawyers. Lee is United States and New Zealand licensed lawyer who has a passion for using her legal skills to ensure everyone has easy and affordable access to justice. She is also a board member for Nelson Bays Community Law. Prior to working for Te Ara Ture, Lee helped develop the Litigant in Person Pro Bono Pilot at Auckland Community Law Centre. Lee’s legal experience in the United States includes international human rights advocacy before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, DC, and impact litigation to break down systemic barriers to justice in the Texas court system.