A new guide for public access to free legal information and a new chat line for online contact with a paralegal have been unveiled by Legal Aid ACT.
Chief Executive of Legal Aid ACT, John Boersig and ACT Attorney-General, Gordon Ramsay launched the resources saying the new ACT Law Handbook and the Legal Aid Chat Line would provide Canberrans with a range of options when seeking legal assistance.
Dr Boersig said the Legal Aid website had also been revamped.
“The Handbook and Chat Line embody Legal Aid’s commitment to providing holistic, appropriate legal assistance, which enables Canberrans to understand and assert their legal rights, as well as resolve their issues,” Dr Boersig said.
“Legal Aid ACT has updated its website to improve accessibility, with users able to choose from over 100 languages.”
He said the Chat Line will allow website visitors to ask questions and receive answers in real time during business hours.”
Mr Ramsay said there had been a strong increase in demand for legal assistance in civil law matters and the Handbook was developed as a response to the need for accessible, up-to-date and relevant legal information.
“The Handbook provides Canberrans with information on a wide variety of legal topics, with sections on specific issues, as well as a ‘contacts and resources’ component,” Mr Ramsay said.
“This provides easy access to legal services people can contact to deal with their specific inquiry,” he said.
“We understand that a legal problem is usually only one part of a person’s difficulties and that’s why the Handbook and Chat Line go one step further to provide key referral points to social services in easy to use formats.”
Mr Ramsay said the Legal Aid Chat Line was a free and confidential service.
The ACT Law Handbook currently consists of 38 chapters, with contributions from over 50 experts and experienced practitioners, including academics, lawyers, and subject-matter experts from the ACT and across Australia.
Dr Boersig said Legal Aid ACT had worked with the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII) and collaborated with other community legal service providers to develop the Handbook.
