Legal Services
We provide women experiencing relationship breakdown and family violence legal support advice and representation.
We understand you might need more than legal advice to take the next step, so we also have a team of social workers and financial counsellors to support you.
Our services are free.
We can help with:
Family violence and separation
We provide free legal help about family and domestic violence, separating from a partner or spouse, divorce, making arrangements for your children and financial matters after separating from a partner.
We understand how domestic and family violence can affect you circumstances and legal matters. We can support you to reach an agreement or obtain court orders about where your children will live, spend time and how big decisions will be made about them. We can also work with you to ensure a fair division of assets and debts following separation.
If you are considering separation or divorce, we can explain legal processes and what the likely outcomes will be.
Child protection and care
We can help when Victoria’s Child Protection Service are involved with your family.
We provide legal advice and assistance to make sure you understand the process and your rights. We aim to keep children connected to their families or kin where possible.
Migration law
We can advise and support you if you do not have a visa or are on a temporary visa if you are experiencing family violence.
We know that being on a temporary visa or not having a visa while escaping family and domestic violence is very challenging. We can provide migration advice and legal assistance.
We can also provide information and referrals to support you to address other legal issues and practical needs that arise when leaving an abusive relationship.
Compensation and assistance for victims of crime
If you have suffered injury or loss because of a crime then we can assist you to get financial assistance or compensation.
We can advise and assist you to access financial assistance or compensation through the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal.
Support in court
We have lawyers on ‘duty’ at some courts to help you if you do not have a lawyer before you come to court.
If you are at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for a Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) hearing, our lawyer can give you free legal advice and represent you in court.
On the day of go to Level 6 and ask to see the Women’s Legal lawyer.
A social support worker is also at court who can give you non-legal support.
If you are at the Children’s Court at Moorabbin Justice Centre for a Child Protection hearing, our lawyer can give you free legal advice and represent you in court.
On the day go the Victoria Legal Aid counter and ask to see the Women’s Legal lawyer.
We prioritise support for people who are experiencing family violence and face other barriers to justice. This may include:
- having no or low income or access to money
- having limited access to other legal support
- not having a home
- being Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
- not speaking English or having English as a second language
- being on a temporary visa or not having a visa
- living with disability
- caring for children with disability
Where we cannot help, we will always try to find another service who might be able to help.