The Ways We Can Assist Our Clients
Caxton Legal Centre provides free legal assistance and social work supports to Queenslanders (or others if the legal issue occurred in Queensland) who cannot otherwise afford legal assistance and/or who are unrepresented in negotiations or court proceedings.
Legal assistance can consist of:
- information—general legal information that assists the client to take steps to resolve their legal issues
- referrals—contact details for other services that can assist the client
- advice—legal advice about your particular legal issue
- duty lawyer appointment at the Family Law Courts and Brisbane Magistrates Domestic Violence Court
- limited assistance—a task we do for our client such as draft a letter or court document
- ongoing legal assistance—multiple services ‘behind the scenes’ during a stage of a legal matter (the client is still self-representing)
- representation—we are representing our client in negotiations or in court proceedings.
Social work supports for clients accessing legal assistance can consist of:
- information—general information about services and supports available to meet the client’s needs
- referrals—contact details for other services that can assist the client
- brief social work support service—crisis counselling, safety planning, links to services the client needs
- court support—at the Family Law Courts and other courts
- limited advocacy—a task we do for the client such as writing or talking to a government department on the client’s behalf
- ongoing social work—support to solve problems and meet goals to reconnect the client with community and essential services
- help to coordinate when it seems hard to work out who does what.
The Legal Issues We Can Assist With
To see if we can help you with your specific legal problem and to find out if you are eligible for a certain service, please choose the relevant area of law below and read the respective criteria.
Family Law – Family Law Advice Service
Family Law – Family Law Duty Lawyer Services and Social Work Court Supports
Domestic Violence – Domestic Violence Advice Service
Domestic Violence – Domestic Violence Duty Lawyer Service
Consumer Credit and Debt (statewide)
Human Rights, Discrimination and General Law
Elder Abuse – Seniors Legal and Support Service and Financial Protections Service
Elder Abuse – Older Persons Advocacy and Legal Service
Queensland Retirement Village and Park Advice Service (statewide)
How We Assess What Help We Can Give a Client
First contact
When a client calls or emails Caxton Legal Centre they will speak to Client Services, a social worker or a lawyer, who will decide if the centre can assist with the relevant legal problem. They will also assess if the caller is eligible for that particular service and when the service is available.
First appointment
At the client’s first appointment, the lawyer or social worker will decide if the client is eligible for more assistance where required and what that will be.