FAQS

Sometimes with legal matters the problem may be complex and require an appointment, but often you just need advice on what to do next to sort out your legal issue.

Youth Legal Service provides free legal telephone advice to young people up to the age of 25 years.

How does our free legal advice work?

When you phone, you will speak to a staff member who will ask you a number of questions such as whether you are living at home, if you are employed, if you have any mental health or disability issues.  They will also ask you for a brief outline of your legal problem. 

Why do we ask these questions?

Youth Legal Service is funded from the Government to provide you with free legal advice.  As part of our funding agreement with the Government we have to provide reports on the number of young people who are seeking legal advice.  The questions we ask are collated and the total numbers are reported on. 

Will I get free legal advice at the first phone call?

No, unfortunately we cannot provide legal advice straight away.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  Legal advice must be given to you by a lawyer.  Often the lawyers are in Court, representing clients and not available to give you immediate advice.  Also, for some complex matters the lawyers need time to research so they can provide you with the best advice possible.

When will I be given the advice?

We aim to respond to all enquiries for legal advice within 48 hours of your initial phone call.  It is important to keep this in mind and allow time to receive the advice before you need it.  For example, if you phone at 4:00pm for advice on attending Court the next day at 9am, we are not able to assist.

What areas of law do we provide free legal advice in?

We provide free legal advice on all criminal and traffic matters for young people up to the age of 25 years.  There are other areas of law we provide advice in, please click here to find out more.

Areas of law we do not provide advice in are family law matters, care and protection matters, immigration, tenancy and Centrelink matters.  We can provide referrals on matters we do not provide advice for.