Our legal information is available to all Victorians. Unfortunately, other services and legal advice are limited to people who need them most. We follow guidelines to try and make our legal help as fair as possible.
If we can’t help you, we may be able to refer you to other services that can.
Free legal information available to everyone
Anyone can get free information by:
- searching I need legal information about ... Each topic has information about the law and who you can contact for more help
- ordering our free publications and resources
- visiting our public law library to access legislation, case law and other legal materials
- using our online legal help chat.
You can also get legal help over the phone, but there may be a wait time.
Legal services for people who need it most
Depending on your circumstances, we may be able to:
- give you free legal help – in person, online or over the phone
- help if you are at court without a lawyer.
To get a lawyer to run your case, you must be eligible for a grant of legal assistance. To decide whether you are eligible, we look at:
- what your case is about
- the likely benefit to you
- if helping you can benefit the public
- your financial situation.
If you are going through a separation or divorce that involves family dispute, you may be able to use our Family Dispute Resolution Service instead of going to court. You will only be able to take part if you or the other parent in the dispute is eligible to get a lawyer to run your case.
Legal issues we don't give advice about
There are some things we don’t give legal advice about. We may still provide links, information and referrals to other organisations. Legal issues we don’t give advice about include:
|
Legal issue |
Other organisations and information |
|---|---|
|
Building contracts and disputes |
Domestic Building Legal Service, Justice Connect |
|
Business and commercial matters – including commercial tenancy |
Indigenous Business Australia 1800 107 107 Our business and commercial issues topic |
|
Consumer law |
Koori Helpline at Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 66 15 11 Our consumer complaints topic |
|
Employment law (except discrimination matters against workers) |
For employees:
For employers:
Our employment law topic |
|
Fencing and trees |
Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria Private lawyer referral from the Law Institute of Victoria |
|
Landlords with tenancy issues |
Private lawyer referral from the Law Institute of Victoria Our renting topic |
|
Migration visas related to business, skilled migrants, students, tourism |
Migration agent (Migration Agent Registration Authority can provide referral) Our immigration and migration topic |
|
Organisations seeking advice |
|
|
Wills and estates |
Private lawyer referral from the Law Institute of Victoria Probate Office of the Supreme Court of Victoria Our Wills and estates topic |
Other legal matters we don’t give advice about
You can find a private lawyer near you through the Law Institute of Victoria’s Legal Referral Service. All law firms included in the Legal Referral Service provide a free 30-minute interview. You can use this interview to understand more about the legal issue and discuss the available options and how much they will cost. Note that the free interview is not 30 minutes of free legal advice.
- consumer scams and cybercrime
- energy disputes
- environmental law
- financial planning/asset management/trusts
- horse agistment
- intellectual property (copyright, patents, trademarks) queries
- insurance and income protection queries
- motor vehicle accidents
- occupational accreditation (except working with children checks)
- owner’s corporation (body corporate) queries
- personal injury (medical negligence, motor vehicle-related injuries, public liability, occupier’s liability, workplace-related injuries)
- privacy
- product liability
- property disputes and conveyancing (adverse possession, easements, subdivision disputes, caveats)
- superannuation claims and appeals
- taxation matters, including disputes with the State Revenue Office (except criminal offences)
- town planning, development and environment disputes.
Updated