Services

Our Family Violence Lawyer can provide legal and non-legal support to clients who are currently (or recently) experiencing family and domestic violence.

To be eligible for this service, a client must be referred from an organisation within the Fremantle area including:

• police
• hospitals
• victim support services
• refuges
• Fremantle Magistrates Court
• government departments.

We can assist clients with:

• legal advice in relation to family law and family violence
• applying for a Family Violence Restraining Order
• safety planning
• court representation.

Where appropriate, referrals can be made to other services including:

• counselling and/or financial counselling
• emergency accommodation providers
• family support services.

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 a regular duty lawyer service at the Fremantle Magistrates Court for restraining order matters.

Our lawyers can:

• provide legal advice
• represent clients with initial restraining order hearings
• represent clients in further procedural hearings
• negotiate on a client’s behalf to resolve a matter.

We do not generally assist with:

• respondents
• misconduct restraining orders matters
• at trials (final order hearings)

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 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.

Mediation is a form of dispute resolution. An impartial mediator may be able to assist parties to reach an agreement, where issues are in dispute.

We offer a mediation service a fixed rate. Please see our Fees section for more information.

We can provide mediation for issues such as:

• family law property and financial disputes
• community disputes including:
  dividing fences (erecting a new fence, damage and repair of dividing fences)
  encroaching roots and branches (overhanging branches, roots that extend underneath your property, cutting of roots and branches)
  dog ownership (dangerous dogs, dog control, persistent barking)
  public nuisance (cars/parking problems and high noise levels).
• commercial disputes including:
  small businesses
  associations
  workplace arrangements.

We are not Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners and cannot issue s60i Certificates for parenting matters.

Before mediation, we will meet with both parties separately. This is so that we understand the nature of the dispute and can explain the process involved.

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.

Depending on capacity, our solicitors can draft or review legal documents:

• Family Court WA documents
• criminal injuries compensation application
• family violence restraining order application

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.

Community Legal Education (CLE) is designed to educate people about their legal rights and responsibilities. Our office holds information sessions for community members on a range of issues.

Our community sessions can cover topics such as:

• useful legal information for young people
• wills, enduring power or attorney/guardianship
• property

Make an enquiry

If you would like to find out more about our workshops, please send an email to fclc@fremantle.wa.gov.au with CLE in the subject line.

In addition to our legal support services, we assist with non-legal issues.

How we can help:

• assist in case management, attending police meetings with clients, helping with safety planning and Strong Families meetings.
• crisis intervention through refuge and counselling referrals; and
• other client referrals to required services including medical, counselling, accommodation, legal and financial.
• provide information on a wide range of topics, as well as provide referrals to organisations that may be able to help.

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.