How can the Family Law and Domestic and Family Violence Service help me?
Caxton Legal Centre’s Family Law Service and associated Duty Lawyer Services can assist with a wide range of problems including legal advice for:
- parenting issues, including urgent recovery applications and parenting plans
- grandparents’ rights
- separation and divorce
- spousal maintenance
- property settlements involving small asset pools
- safety planning
- assistance to draft protection order applications.
Legal advice is provided by appointment.
The duty lawyer services assist self-represented clients on the day they attend court and no appointment is needed.
The duty lawyers can provide:
- legal advice
- help with negotiations
- help with drafting documents
- in very limited circumstances court appearances for people who have court that day
- referrals to intervention programs.
In urgent family law matters, assistance may also be provided if you do not have a court case that day but need to file an urgent court application.
How to access the Family Law Duty Lawyer or Family Advocacy and Support Service
Family law duty lawyers and the Family and Advocacy Support Service are available at the Brisbane Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. These services provide you with more in-depth duty lawyer assistance and with additional support from a social worker if the family law matters also involve family and domestic violence.
To obtain assistance from either service, you should attend the family courts at Tank St in Brisbane and proceed to Level 1 to register with the intake officer who will allocate the client to a duty lawyer. You should bring along all court documents (e.g. applications, affidavits, family reports, court orders) and supporting evidence (e.g. letters from doctors, emails/Facebook screenshots, school records, financial records).
How to access the Domestic and Family Violence Duty Lawyer
Domestic and family violence duty lawyers provide legal advice, assistance with negotiations and representation at court mentions at the Brisbane Magistrates Domestic Violence Court.
To obtain assistance from a duty lawyer, you should register with the Court Network staff outside the Domestic Violence Court on Level 6 in the Magistrates Court building prior to your hearing.
Community legal centres may also directly refer clients to the services by contacting Caxton directly prior to the court hearing date.
Social Work Programs
Court Plus for Men
Court plus for Men is a project funded for 12 months that supports men who use violence, abuse and coercion within intimate, family or informal care relationships.
Our goals
- keep women and children safe by working directly with consenting males who use violence, abuse and coercion within intimate, family or informal care relationships
- hold men accountable for their offending whilst addressing a pattern of behaviours and associated needs or issues
Who can refer
- specialist services
- courts
- police
- community and government agencies
- self-referrals
What we offer
Timely case management support by a social worker for individual men in the greater Brisbane area to both reduce the risks of committing domestic and family violence and the risks of reoffending. This may include flexible assistance over several months with:
- homelessness, substance misuse, mental health services
- access to behaviour-change programs and other programs that support change behaviours.
How to make a referral
Client consent must be provided and referrals can be made by:
- emailing courtplus@caxton.org.au (the client name, date of birth, phone number and other party’s name and phone number must be included)
- submit this referral form.
This program is funded by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
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