Legal Services
SERVICES FOR WOMEN
If you are at risk of harm please dial 000.
Legal Advice Line
If you need legal advice due to a relationship breakdown or family violence, our Legal Advice Line provides free advice, information and referrals to other services two nights a week.
Our lawyers provide legal advice on family law (such as property settlement and parenting arrangements), family violence (intervention orders) and child protection matters. We don’t give second opinions.
Advice is provided to women only and all our lawyers are women. Interpreter services are available.
Before calling our Legal Advice Line, please:
- Write down your questions
- Write down important events that have happened
- Have relevant documents handy so you can refer to them
Please call:
Melbourne: 8622 0600
Regional: 1800 133 302
Hours of operation:
Tuesday 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Thursday 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
If you need urgent legal advice outside these hours please call Victoria Legal Aid.
Court Services
Duty lawyers are available to assist with Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) cases at most Magistrates' courts across Victoria. We provide duty lawyer services at Melbourne Magistrates' Court.
If you have an FVIO case being heard that day at Melbourne Magistrates' Court, our lawyers can provide free advice, representation and referrals. Please go to Level 6 and ask to see the Women's Legal lawyer.
There is also an Applicant Support Worker at court who can provide non-legal support.
You may be at court all day, so please arrange childcare if possible.
SERVICES FOR COMMUNITY WORKERS
Legal Advice for your clients
Family violence practitioners, financial counsellors and other support workers assisting women who have experienced violence can call a Women's Legal lawyer on behalf of their clients during business hours from Monday to Friday.
We provide preliminary advice and referrals on family law, family violence law, child protection and victims of crime assistance. In some instances, your client’s case may be referred to our legal casework team for more in-depth assistance.
Please call our reception on 03-8622 0600 and our lawyer will return your call within 24-48 hours.
Education & Training
Our education team delivers practical and accessible legal training programs specifically designed for support practitioners.
From learning how to identify when your clients need legal help to understanding the laws around child protection, our courses will equip you to better support your clients.
We can also tailor a training session for your organisation – please contact us to find out more.
What's News
Our reponse to family law review
18 September 2019
Women and children escaping violence will be the casualties of yet another review into family law. See our full statement here.
Starts With Us report released
30 April 2019
Today we released our Starts With Us report, looking at sexism and gender discrimination in Victoria's legal and justice sector. Click here to find out more.
2018 Impact Report
19 December 2018
As we wrap up for the year we would like to share our annual Impact Report, which outlines our key achievements over 2017/2018.