Telephone Advice Line (TAL)

The TAL is operated by volunteer penultimate and final year law students, under the supervision of a solicitor. Volunteers are trained to identify referrals and provide telephone Legal Advice Services. Utilising volunteers increases access to TAL as one solicitor supervises up to four volunteers a day increasing capacity to answer calls, provide referrals, take instructions and deliver advice. Volunteers and CCLS derive benefit from this arrangement. The client contact, training and supervision that volunteers receive from specialist lawyers is a career catalyst for law students. Conversely, CCLS benefits by not only increasing the capacity of its TAL but also by maintaining a network with its alumni of future community and private lawyers.

Legal Representation

Complex issues, trends, matters of public interest and Priority Clients are identified through TAL for further legal assistance, Dispute Resolution and Other Representation. Case files are run by specialist solicitors though internal dispute resolution (IDR) departments and external dispute resolution (EDR) schemes, predominantly the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). CCLSWA does not currently provide court representation. In our experience, we can achieve better outcomes for our Priority Client Groups through IDR and EDR. AFCA provides more accessible, timely, cost-effective and fair outcomes for our clients who are vulnerable and experiencing disadvantaged, than going through a court or tribunal process. We find that we can often achieve positive outcomes for our Priority Client Groups through AFCA without incurring costly legal and court fees.

Community Legal Education (CLE)

CCLSWA prioritises CLE provision for communities who are vulnerable and marginalised. Our CLE programmes start with the participation of the community in the definition of their CLE needs and adhere to adult education principles and practices. We use diverse and creative education methods to respond to participants’ varied learning styles and needs. We collaborate with other advocates and community service providers to extend our reach and add value to our CLE programmes.

Stakeholder Engagement

Emerging issues are identified through our TAL and representation services and brought to the attention of relevant stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement is predominantly undertaken by the CEO and Principal Solicitor who work to develop and maintain effective networks. Other solicitors and staff engage as appropriate in discrete areas where their expert knowledge and client experience add value to the engagement. Staff are involved in a broad range of industry and sector groups at a state and national level.

Law Reform

CCLS participates in law reform activities on matters directly related to our Priority Client Groups and Priority Law Type. The TAL and case files inform our submissions and provide case study examples to various government, industry and regulator consultations. CCLSWA often collaborates with other specialist CLC counterparts in other states to provide a WA voice to national submissions. In 2023 we launched our new website and fresh brand identity. We also relocated to new offices at 445 Hay Street in Perth and we are co-located with Women’s Legal Services WA and Circle Green. This has resulted in the development of a Hay Street Hub, a collection of some of the specialist CLC’s working together for better outcomes for consumers. This is evolving work and we look forward to providing more information about this as it progresses.