Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, Bairnsdale, VIC

Each of the VALS’ offices can provide basic legal information. Initial legal advice is the provision of legal advice or information that is not provided as part of duty lawyer work or casework. It includes referrals, preliminary assistance, the writing of short letters and completion of forms. Minor assistance is helping with phone calls or letters and advocacy in dealing with other services. A VALS’ staff member will use his or her professional judgement in making an appropriate referral having reference to the lists of appropriate sources of referral and assistance maintained by VALS. Duty Lawyers provide advice and/or representation in urgent matters to people who have not been able to arrange legal representation. For instance, all applications (i.e. for bail or adjournments) are performed on a Duty Lawyer basis where the matter is completed in one day. A matter not completed on the same day is called a Casework matter.