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Legal help for young people

Lawyers

No matter how old you are, you have the right to go and see a lawyer if you think you have a legal problem or you need legal advice. A lawyer will listen to you and give advice about the best way to handle things. It is up to you whether you take that advice or not.

You can get free legal advice from a lawyer at Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), Youthlaw or a community legal centre. Any lawyer can ask VLA for money to help pay for your case.

If you have to go to the Children’s Court, a lawyer may be able to go with you and speak on your behalf. Always try to see a lawyer before going to court. A lawyer’s job is to help you present your case in the best possible way. The lawyer is not in charge of how you run your case – you are.

The information you give the lawyer is confidential. They can’t tell anyone else (like the police or your parents) about your situation unless you say it is okay for them to.

Lawyers who act as an independent children’s lawyer in the family law courts have a different role. See ‘Family’ (link below) for information about independent children’s lawyers.

Legal information and advice

Victoria Legal Aid

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) has a Youth Legal Service that provides legal information and assistance to children, young people and parents.

VLA’s free legal services include:

free legal information over the phone
advice at VLA offices and other locations across Victoria
lawyers who are on ‘duty’ to help at many courts and tribunals, including the Children’s court
advice at many correctional facilities, remand and detention centres, including the Melbourne Juvenile Justice Centre, Parkville Youth Residential Centre and secure welfare facilities.

For some matters we can provide you with a lawyer to help you run your case.

To find out more about any of our legal services see ‘What we do’ (link below).

Other legal services

Youthlaw is a community legal centre for young people up to the age of 25. Youthlaw can help with:

confidential legal advice, information and casework services
information about your legal rights and responsibilities.

See the Youthlaw website (link below) or call them on (03) 9611 2412 or email: info@youthlaw.asn.au.

Your local community legal centre (CLC) can give you legal information and advice. Most CLC services are free. See the Community Law website (link below) for more information and CLC contact details.

The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) (link below) provides legal advice for Indigenous people 24 hours a day. The police must advise VALS every time an Indigenous person is arrested. VALS will then contact the arrested person to see if they need legal help, and may also attend the police station. Phone: (03) 9419 3888 or 1800 064 865 (free call)

Helpful websites

The Lawstuff website (link below) includes information for young people about a wide range of legal topics. You can also email your legal question and a lawyer will respond to you.

The youthcentral website (link below) has information about many topics and issues affecting young people, including your legal rights.

If you live in the country, there are local organisations that may be able to help you. Contact your local community information centre, community health centre, youth worker or school counsellor. You can also look in the front section of your telephone book under ‘Community Services’.