Ma'ata Solofoni recognised with NSW Attorney General's Award

Ma'ata Solofoni, senior insurance solicitor with the Disaster Response Legal Service, took home the NSW Attorney General’s Award for Leadership in Social Justice at a red-carpet ceremony in Sydney last week.

Following a video address by NSW Attorney General Michael Daley at the at Inaugural Legal Aid NSW Awards, Ma'ata was presented with the honour in recognition of her leadership of a team committed to providing high quality legal advice and support for individuals and communities impacted by disasters.

Over the past five years Ma'ata has overseen the delivery of legal services to communities impacted by bushfires and floods, as compounding, catastrophic disasters have created an unprecedented demand for legal help, particularly in insurance, an area of law in which Ma'ata has invaluable specialist knowledge and experience. Since 1 January 2020, the service provided helped 5,500 individuals from across 106 Local Government Areas, providing over 10,000 legal services, plus over 3000 calls answered on the 1800 helpline.

Ma'ata has led the team in achieving life-changing results for people experiencing disadvantage, while at the same time using her casework experience to advocate for our clients on systemic legal issues. Ma'ata is a dedicated consumer advocate with an eye for issues that have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable or disadvantaged members of the community. She advocates passionately for law reform on issues that affect Legal Aid clients impacted by disasters. In January and August 2024, Ma'ata gave evidence to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics inquiry into insurers’ responses to 2022 major floods claims, again demonstrating her commitment to social change through law reform.

Ma'ata continues to work with local community services and Government agencies to help clients rebuild their lives following devastating disasters.