About Legal Aid Western Australia

Who are we?

Legal Aid Western Australia is an independent statutory body set up by the Legal Aid Commission Act 1976.

History

The first legal aid scheme in WA was started by the Law Society in the 1960's. It relied heavily on private lawyers working for free. In 1974 the Commonwealth government set up the Australian Legal Aid Office (ALAO). ALAO provided legal aid on Commonwealth matters like family law and bankruptcy and also helped members of the armed forces and war veterans. In 1978 ALAO was replaced by the Legal Aid Commission of WA as we know it today. This is funded by both the Commonwealth and State governments.

Our Services

We provide information, advice and other legal help. The type and amount of help you will get depends on your finances, your legal problem and our resources.

Information services: through our telephone information line, community legal education, this website and a range of publications and kits.

Legal advice: through our duty lawyers at court or legal advice sessions, either face to face, over the telephone or by video conference to people in remote areas.

Minor assistance: through solicitors or paralegal advisors who can help you negotiate, write letters, draft documents or prepare to represent yourself in court.

Legal representation: through lawyers working for Legal Aid as well as private lawyers. Only people with incomes and assets below a certain level get their own lawyer.

We also provide specialist services through our:

• Child Support Legal Unit
• Domestic Violence Legal Unit
• Immigration Service
• YouthLaw Unit
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Unit
• Corruption and Crime Commission Representation Fund
• Children's Court (Protection) Services

Click here for more detailed information about Legal Aid Services. We also work closely with private lawyers, community legal centres and other groups in the community.

Legal Aid aims to provide services for people who are disadvantaged in accessing legal help.

Where are we?

We have eight local offices as well as the main office in Perth. Where to find us.

Our Aims

We aim to:

• help people to resolve their legal problems as soon as possible
• make it easier for people to get legal help especially if they belong to a disadvantaged group
• help people find alternatives to going to court
• give a high quality legal service.

To find out more about Legal Aid WA, see our annual reports.

Last Reviewed: December 2009