Specialist insurance law firm HBA Legal has marked the opening of its new Sydney office by raising funds for the Arts Law Centre of Australia, the national community legal centre providing free or low-cost legal advice to Australian artists and arts organisations.
The event saw around 80 people, including NSW Governor Margaret Beazley (pictured), gather in the firm’s new space within a heritage building on Pitt Street for a “fancy cocktail party with a substance.”
An indigenous artwork by Ngaanyatjarra artist Elizabeth Holland, valued at around $4,000, was put up for raffle by HBA Legal, with all the money raised donated to Arts Law.
“It was never going to align with our values to put on a fancy cocktail party without substance: doing that, frankly, seemed self-indulgent” said Nathan Hepple, HBA Legal co-founder. “While we wanted to celebrate moving into our beautiful new space, we also felt it was important to do something community spirited that had a connection to our business.”
“Marking our office opening celebration by supporting a community legal centre that does valuable work nationally is a clear demonstration of the values-driven culture we strive to foster, and our commitment to social inclusion via our four core values of being collaborative, creative, genuine, and generous,” said Andrew Lu, HBA partner and member of the board of Arts Law.
