Client Enquiry Admin (INTERNAL ONLY)

Enquiry date

If we are calling the client back: "Hi [name], It is [WLSV NAME] calling from Women’s Legal Service Victoria about the enquiry you made through our website."

If the client has called us directly and hasn't told us their name: "Can I have your name please?" Otherwise please enter the client's first name here if we know it.

"Thank you [Client name]. I need to ask a few basic questions to work out if we are the right lawyers to support you. Where we cannot help, we will always try to find another service who might be able to help. Please note that we are unable to assist you if you 1. Earn more than $1,200 a week from salary and/or benefits; OR 2. Have been or were in a relationship with the other party for 7-10 years or more AND there is more than $500,000 equity in the family home; OR 3. Already have a lawyer"

"Are you comfortable to give me information now over the phone or would you like me to send you a link so you can complete an online form?"

If the client is happy for you to send a link to the online form: "Great. Can I please have either your email address or your mobile phone number to send you the link"

Add email or mobile phone number here. If the client refuses to provided any contact details to send the link, please write 'Client refused to provide contact details' here. The link to send to the client: https://www.womenslegal.org.au/referral/

Did you send the client a link to the online form?

If you sent the client a link to the online form, please select ‘Yes’ If you are completing this form over the phone with the client, please select ‘No - information provided over the phone’ If the client refused to provide information over the phone so you can send a link to the online webform please answer this question as ‘No - client refused to provide contact details’.

If the client does not want to provide information over the phone so you can send a link to the online webform: "I am sorry that you do not want to share this information with us. Unfortunately, this means we cannot help you today. Would you like me to give you the names and phone numbers for any support services?"

If the client says no, or after you provide the information about support services: "Please call back or submit an enquiry through our website when you are ready to talk about your legal matters." Then finish the call. If you have not asked this question at this time, please select 'Question not asked at this time'

What information about support services did you give to the client?

If you did not ask whether the client wanted this information because you did not need to, please select 'None - Not required at this time'

If the client is happy to provide information over the phone to compete this form: "Before we start, I need to let you know that any personal information you provide to us including and similar to your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address will not be released, sold, or rented to any entities or individuals outside of Women’s Legal Service Victoria. Women’s Legal Service Victoria will only use the personal information provided by you for the purposes for which it was collected, and any other authorised use. The information Women’s Legal Service Victoria collects may also be used for its own planning and research purposes to improve its services. Are you happy to continue?"

If yes: "You can let me know if you want to stop at any time." If no: "Would you like me to send you the link to our online enquiry form to complete when you are ready?" If no: "That’s ok. You can call us back when you are ready or submit a request for help through our website." If the client would like the online enquiry form, please go back to the earlier question - If the client is happy for you to send a link to the online form: "Great. Can I please have either your email address or your mobile phone number to send you the link"

"Thanks for your time so far. Are you able to tell me what you need legal help with?" If the client is having trouble expressing this: "Would you like me to ask you about the legal areas we can help with?" If no: Let the client speak. If yes: "Do you need help to make sure you are safe because you have experienced family and domestic violence? Do you need help seeking compensation and assistance because you have been a victim of crime? Do you need help making arrangements about the care of your children because you have or want to separate from your partner or spouse? Do you need help making financial arrangements about things you own and debts you have with your partner or spouse because you have or want to separate from them? Do you need help divorcing your spouse? Do you need help because child protection are involved with your family? or Do you need help with your visa or residency status?"

Please hold down the 'ctrl' button if you need to select more than one area that the client needs legal help with. If the client does not need help with an area of law that we can help with, you can refer the client to another CLC that practices in the area of law they need - a list of Victorian CLCs can be found here https://www.fclc.org.au/find_a_community_legal_centre, Victoria Legal Aid Help Line on 1300 792 387 or to the Law Institute of Victoria's Find a Lawyer Referral Service on (03) 9607 9550

Please provide details of any referrals given to the client at this time, including general (i.e. Law Institute of Victoria Referral Service and VLA Helpline) or specific (i.e. to a particular CLC or firm you know practices in that area)

This box is for when we do not practice in the area of law the client needs help with

"Thanks [Client name]. Now I need to ask a few details about you. What is your last name?"

"Do you have a preferred name?"

"What is your date of birth?"

"Now I need to ask about the other person involved in your legal issue. What is the first name of the other person who is involved in your legal issue

"What is the last name of the other person involved in your legal issue?"

"What is the date of birth of the other person involved in your legal issue?"

"What is your relationship to this person?"

What is the first name of your current partner?

If the client does not have a current partner, please write 'NA' This information can be skipped when the webform is processed.

What is the last name of your current partner?

If the client does not have a current partner, pleaae write 'NA' This information can be skipped when the webform is processed.

What is your current partner's date of birth?

If the client does not have a current partner, please enter "1/1/1900". This information can be skipped when the webform is processed.

Please provide the first name, last name and dates of birth for all of your CHILDREN (including any step-children) here. If you do not have children, please say "not applicable".

"Is there anyone else involved in your legal issues?"

Please provide the first name, last name, date of birth and information about your relationship to the person, for any other people involved in your legal issue. If there is no-one else involved in your legal issue, please say "not applicable". This may include other family members or people who are not related to the client

Complete the conflict check now, confirming you have done so by checking this box.

Please record the outcome of the conflict check below

Unable to identify conflict: This box is for non-lawyers who cannot determine whether or not there is a conflict. Where you are unable to identify a conflict, please select this box and then submit the form. No further details are to be completed.

"Unfortunately I am not sure if we can help you. Can I please get your phone number and someone will give you a call back and let you know." Please enter phone number into the field below.

Conflict identified - unable to assist: Where a conflict is identified, please select this box and then submit the form. No further details are to be completed.

If we have a conflict and the client HAS NOT identified as a victim of crime or needing victims of crime assistance: "Unfortunately, we are not able to help you. Please contact [appropriate referral - Victoria Legal Aid Help Line on 1300 792 387 or to the Law Institute of Victoria's Find a Lawyer Referral Service on (03) 9607 9550 or to a lawyer on our WLSV lawyer referral list - WLSV lawyer referral list 2020.docx]" If we have a conflict and the client HAS identified as a victim of crime or needing victims of crime assistance: “Unfortunately, we are not able to help you. Please contact the Victims Legal Service Helpline at Victoria Legal Aid on 1800 531 566 (toll free). This is a dedicated service for victims of crime.“ *If the client asks why we can't help, you can say "the system has told me that we cannot assist you. I don’t have any other information about why"

No conflict identified: Where the is no conflict, please select this box and continue filling out the rest of the form

This box is for when we have a conflict

"I have a few questions about how we contact you. What is your address?"

If the client is homeless or in refuge, please write that in here

"Which suburb do you live in?"

If the client is homeless or in refuge, please write "undisclosed"

"Which state do you live in?"

"What is the postcode for where you live?"

"What is your phone number?"

"What is your email address?"

If the client does not have an email address, write "client does not have one"

"Is it safe for us to call you on the phone number you have given us?"

"Is it safe for us to leave you a voicemail?"

"Is it safe for us to send you an SMS?"

"Is it safe for us to send an email to you?"

"When is a safe time to call you? If it is not safe to call you, we can email you to make arrangements to speak to you"

"Now I have a few questions about you. How do you describe your gender?"

If the client self-describes their gender, please put the details in here

"What are your pronouns?"

If the language the client needs is not in the list, please record the language the client needs

"Do you need an interpreter?"

"Are you working at the moment?"

If the client is not working, please skip the next question.

"Are you receiving Centrelink payments? If you are, what type of payment/s are you receiving?"

If the client is not receiving any Centrelink payments, please select 'No'. Otherwise please select the main payment the client receives. You can only select one option, so if the client is receivng multiple payments, please include this information in the bottom box on the form

"How much money do you recieve each week? This can be from from Centrelink or if you areworking, from Centrelink and your work." If the client is unwilling to provide this informaiton: "We need this information as it forms part of our intake assessment. We understand that you may not want to share this information with us, but if you don't we cannot help you."

Guidance notes about eligibility for an appointment: If the client meets any of the following criteria then a referral must be made to a private practitioner or CLC UNLESS the client identifies as a victim of crime or this is a referral for a victims of crime or bushfire/natural disaster matter (through worker calls): 1. Earns more than $1,200 a week from salary and/or benefits 2. Has been or was in a relationship with the other party for 7-10 years or more AND there is more than $500,000 equity in the family home 3. Already has a lawyer If the client does not meet any of the above criteria, then an appointment may be made. If you are not sure if an appointment should be made for any reason, please speak with a managing lawyer.

"Do you have a support worker?"

"If you have a support worker, what is their name and which organisation are they from?"

"Now I just need a little bit more information about your legal matter. Do you have any legal matters in Court at the moment?"

If the answer is no, please skip to the last question

"When is your next Court date?"

"Which Court do you need to go to?"

"Do you know what type of hearing it is? If not that is ok"

If the client doesn't know what type of hearing it is, please write "Unsure"

"Is there anything you would like us to know at this stage?"

"Thank you for all of that. I will pass this on to our legal team. One of our lawyers will be in touch with you in the 5 business days to talk to you about your legal matters. The call will come from a private number. If you don’t answer the lawyer will leave a message for you to call back." Once you have finished completing the web form with the client, click ‘submit’.

Client Enquiry Admin (INTERNAL ONLY)

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