Police matters
Advice and representation for people navigating an interaction with police or the criminal justice system.
The humanitarian firm
Free legal help, for the matters that can't wait.
Our humanitarian firm acts for people who need a lawyer and cannot pay for one — reached through phone advice lines and advice bureaus held in community venues, not a single head-office address.
Who we help
Four areas where a lawyer changes the outcome.
Family & children's law
Support through separation, parenting arrangements and family safety matters, at a point where people are often at their most vulnerable.
Migration & refugee law
Advice for people navigating visa pathways, protection claims and the asylum process, including a dedicated clinic for people seeking asylum.
Human rights & public interest
Broader advocacy work where a legal question affects not just one client but a whole group of people in a similar position.
How help reaches people
Advice where people already are.
Advice bureaus
Community-based sessions
Rather than one central office, our lawyers and volunteer solicitors hold regular advice sessions at community venues across NSW — libraries, community centres and Salvation Army corps — so people can get help close to home.
Phone advice
A line for people who can't get to a bureau
A phone advice service gives an alternative for people who can't reach an in-person session — whether because of distance, work, caring responsibilities or simply not knowing where else to start.
Illustrative, not literal
The kind of difference this work makes.
The vignettes below are composite illustrations, built from the general pattern of matters our humanitarian firm handles. They do not describe any specific, identifiable client, and no names, dates or case details here refer to a real person.
Composite example — migration
A woman arrives in Australia on a temporary visa, escapes a violent relationship, and is left unsure whether reporting it to police could affect her migration status. An advice bureau session untangles the two issues, connects her with a caseworker for safety planning, and a volunteer migration agent lodges the visa application that lets her stay and rebuild independently.
Composite example — family law
A father with limited English struggles to understand a parenting order after separation and risks losing contact with his children through a simple miscommunication. Phone advice explains his rights in plain terms, and an advice-bureau lawyer helps him prepare for mediation without the cost of private representation.
Composite example — police matters
A young man is questioned by police after being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and doesn't know he's entitled to have a lawyer present. A duty solicitor from the humanitarian firm intervenes early, the matter is resolved without charges being laid, and a caution that could have shaped his record for years is avoided entirely.
Two more ways the model extends its reach
An in-house pro bono desk lets corporate and government in-house lawyers contribute volunteer hours directly to humanitarian matters. A paid, on-demand continuing legal education product lets other lawyers earn their required CPD points while the proceeds flow straight back into funding free advice.
Be part of the reach.
Support the work
Donations help the bureaus and clinics reach further than fee income alone allows.
DonateVolunteer your time
Solicitors and migration agents are always welcome at our advice bureaus.
Volunteer or work with us