Fremantle Community Legal Centre Specialises in a range of practice areas including;

  • Family law
  • Criminal injuries compensation
  • Criminal law
  • Social security (Centrelink)
  • Tenancy
  • Restraining orders
  • Protection and care
  • Other civil matters

Our Family Lawyers help clients resolve their family law matters, including disputes in parenting, financial settlements, spousal maintenance, child support, divorce and protection and care.

They assist eligible clients by providing legal advice, duty lawyer services, family dispute resolution, court representation, documents drafting and ongoing negotiations and casework.

Our lawyers can provide legal advice on a wide range of matters:

  • parenting arrangements
  • family and domestic violence
  • care and protection of children (Department of Communities – Child Protection and Family Support)
  • restraining orders
  • separation and divorce
  • property division and financial settlements

If our lawyers have capacity, we may be able to assist with:

  • ongoing legal advice
  • assisting with negotiations
  • attending mediation or dispute resolution
  • drafting court documents
  • representation at the Family Court of Western Australia
  • representation at the Children’s Court.

Due to strict funding requirements, each of our practice areas have their own catchment borders. The catchment for FAMILY LAW via the link below.

Open map

This is not a precise boundary, please contact the office if you have further queries.

 

For information about Criminal Injuries Compensation please contact the Fremantle Legal Centre:

T 08 9432 9790
F 08 9432 9794
fclc@fremantle.wa.gov.au

We provide limited legal assistance, a one-off appointment through our criminal law clinic in relation to:

  • traffic offences
  • minor criminal offences
  • applications for extraordinary driver’s licenses
  • applications to remove driver’s license disqualifications
  • pleas in mitigation.

What we DO NOT assist with:

No indictable offences

  • An indictable offence is an offence that is dealt with on indictment. That is at a very basic level a piece of paper which means it is heard in either the District or Supreme court.
  • They are the most serious of criminal offences.
  • The easiest way to distinguish whether an offence is an indictable offence is if the section of act that the person has been charged with say it is a crime. If it is listed as an ‘offence’ then it is a summary matter.
  • There are either way offences which can be dealt with on indictment or summarily. These will have a summary penalty option listed in the section of the code.

Please note that our criminal law service is therefore very limited. If we are unable assist you with your matter, we will provide you with an appropriate referral.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

Our Social Security Rights Advocate assists people who are having problems with Centrelink matters. Assistance can range from information and referrals to advocacy and representation.

Our Advocate encourages clients to try to resolve their own matters, but can assist with:

  • social security rights and entitlements
  • appealing social security decisions
  • the process involved in appealing decisions
  • advocating with Centrelink
  • appealing prior decisions (internal review process and Administrative Appeals Tribunal).

Please note that our Advocate only represents clients in limited circumstances.

Due to strict funding requirements, each of our practice areas have their own catchment borders. The catchment for FAMILY LAW via the link below.

Open map

This is not a precise boundary, please contact the office if you have further queries.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

 

Our Tenant Advocates provide advice on tenancy issues to clients who live within the City of Fremantle, City of Melville and City of Cockburn. Advice and assistance can be provided to public and private tenants regarding:

  • evictions
  • bond disputes/release of bond
  • breach of tenant rental agreements
  • advocacy and court representation
  • assessment and referral for any other tangential matters
  • general tenancy information.

A duty lawyer service is also provided at Fremantle Magistrates Court every Wednesday. Our Tenant Advocate can provide advice at the Court in relation to a tenancy matter and the court process prior to a tenant’s court hearing.

Please note that our service is not able to provide any assistance to landlords or commercial tenants.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

Our specialist Family Violence Lawyers help victims of domestic and family violence with their legal and social needs.

The Duty Lawyer provides advice on the day to eligible clients at their court appearance. The solicitor may go with client into court or may simply provide the client with assistance outside of the court, for example, with the completion of forms.

Generally, the duty lawyers act as an assistant to the court rather than the client’s personal legal representative. Extended representation is generally provided where the client’s matter is extremely complex, or the client meets one of FCLC’s vulnerability criteria.

Our lawyers can:

  • provide legal advice regarding restraining orders
  • represent clients in Fremantle Magistrates Court to obtain restraining orders
  • assist clients in the restraining order applications.

Family Violence Lawyers

FCLC partners with organisations to provide a holistic approach to meeting the clients legal and social needs by:

  • providing legal advice regarding restraining orders and protective measures;
  • representing clients in Fremantle Magistrates Court to obtain restraining orders;
  • engaging with services on their behalf to implement a safety plan for the client and their children.
  • representing clients in Family Court WA to formalise arrangements with the other parent and mitigate any risks for the children and vulnerable client; and
  • interacting with all necessary support service and refuges to prevent the client from having to repeat their story to numerous organisations and constantly relive the trauma.

This service is through organisation referral only.

Duty Lawyer Service at Fremantle Magistrates Court

The Duty Lawyer provides advice on the day to eligible clients at their court appearance. The solicitor may go with client into court or may simply provide the client with assistance outside of the court, for example, with the completion of forms.

Generally, the duty lawyers act as an assistant to the court rather than the client’s personal legal representative. Extended representation is generally provided where the client’s matter is extremely complex, or the client meets one of FCLC’s vulnerability criteria.

Our lawyers can:

  • provide legal advice regarding restraining orders
  • represent clients in Fremantle Magistrates Court to obtain restraining orders
  • provide limited representation for clients in Fremantle Magistrates Court with procedural hearings in relation to restraining orders
  • assist clients in completing restraining order applications.

This is one off service, and any ongoing legal assistance is based on assessment.

Due to strict funding requirements, each of our practice areas have their own catchment borders. The catchment for FAMILY LAW via the link below.

Open map

This is not a precise boundary, please contact the office if you have further queries.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

We provide:

  • advice about the role of DCP, and how orders work and DCP/Court procedures
  • advocacy in meetings with DCP prior to children being removed (for example, pre-birth meetings)
  • coordinating other services to support clients to comply with care plans
  • representing clients in court and related support
  • providing referrals and collaborating with other community services and supports.

Due to strict funding requirements, each of our practice areas have their own catchment borders. The catchment for FAMILY LAW via the link below.

Open map

This is not a precise boundary, please contact the office if you have further queries.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

Our lawyer can provide legal advice on limited areas of civil law matters, either in-house or through our Evening Legal Service.

We provide:

  • initial legal advice only
  • no document drafting
  • no representation.

We run an Evening Legal Service (ELS) to provide clients with legal advice on a range of different issues.

This service is by appointment only. We offer one-off appointments are for 30 minutes every second Wednesday evening, 5–8pm.

There is no eligibility criteria required to have an ELS appointment (except where there may be a conflict of interest). These one-off appointments are available to anyone residing in the Perth metropolitan area.

Our ELS lawyers generously work on a pro bono (voluntary) basis and can assist with issues such as:

  • criminal law (including traffic offences)
  • civil and commercial law (including debts)
  • inheritance, wills and estates
  • family law (including property law)
  • employment law
  • personal injuries
  • any other area of law (depending on the expertise of the lawyer).

Our ELS lawyers cannot:

  • review or draft any documents
  • draft any letters
  • provide ongoing assistance
  • provide more than a 30-minute appointment for advice.

Make an enquiry

There are exceptions to our eligibility criteria. If you are unsure if you would be eligible to access our service, please complete an online enquiry.

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