Legal Aid

Legal Aid is a free government run legal service in each State and territory. Legal aid only helps with certain areas of law (these vary from state to state), although generally, Legal Aid can provide some basic help to most people (eg. some legal information over the phone).

Click here to find the Legal Aid Commission operating in your State or Territory.

Community Legal Centres

Community legal centres are independent, not-for-profit legal centres that provide assistance to people in their local area, or are specialist centres that provide their services to a particular group of people (eg. women, young people or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) or for a particular area of law (eg. tenants rights).

Click here to find your local community legal centre

Interstate Pro Bono Legal Services

There are pro bono legal services (similar to JusticeNet SA) in some other states:

ACT

ACT Pro Bono Clearing House

(02) 6274 0300

New South Wales

Justice Connect
(02) 8599 2100

Law Society Pro Bono Scheme
02 9926 0333

Northern Territory

Law Society NT Pro Bono Clearing House
(03) 6234 4133

Queensland

Law Right
(07) 3738 7800
Cairns office: 0439 625 334

Western Australia

Law Access
lawaccess@lawaccess.org.au

Victoria

Justice Connect
(03) 8363 4400

What if I can’t find free legal help?

If you are not eligible for assistance from a Legal Aid or a community legal centre (or you are not eligible for the level of assistance that you would like), you could consider paying for a lawyer. To find a lawyer that specialises in the area of law that your problem relates to, you can speak to the Law Society or Law Institute in your State or Territory. Some offer free 30 minute consultations with a lawyer.