Last month at Legal Aid - December 2019

In December 2019,

  • We provided preventative legal services to 123,033 people to help them resolve their legal problems.
  • 3,064 people received early intervention services such as receiving legal advice and minor assistance from our lawyers over the phone, via videoconference or face-to-face at one of our offices.
  • We provided dispute resolution services to 290 people to help ex-partners work out their family law problems without going to court.
  • Our criminal law duty lawyers guided 4,623 adults through their appearance in the Magistrates Courts.
  • 197 children were represented by our duty lawyers in the Childrens Courts.
  • Our family law duty lawyers helped 262 unrepresented people get through their day in the family law courts.
  • We approved aid for 262 children and adults to be represented by lawyers in the family courts.
  • We approved aid for lawyers to defend 1,587 people charged with criminal offences.
  • We helped ensure decisions made in 114 child protection proceedings were in the best interests of the children involved.
  • Our consumer protection lawyers helped 372 people sort out their money problems.

These statistics are reported in line with the National Partnership Agreement on Legal Assistance Services.

*The number of people = the number of matters.

**Preventative services includes referrals, information services, DV court assistance workers, information sessions and referrals, call centre and counter information services and referrals, CLE attendees, FLDL referrals and publications.

Media contact: Amanda Catania or Caroline Page (07) 3917 0407 or 3917 0457

Last updated 7 February 2020