Victoria Legal Aid

Our history: 2000–09

In 2004 we established our Roundtable Dispute Management service and our Legal Information Service took its one millionth phone call. By the end of the decade we had three more regional offices - in Shepparton, Horsham and Ballarat.

New regional offices

We opened regional offices in Shepparton (2002), Horsham (2004) and Ballarat (2005).

Roundtable Dispute Management service

In 2004 we established our Roundtable Dispute Management service to help families resolve their disputes in a non-adversarial way without having to go to court.

Tim McCoy Award for work with Timorese refugees

Victoria Legal Aid and the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre were joint winners of the Tim McCoy Award for their work helping 1600 Timorese refugees obtain protection visas. Named after a community worker, lawyer and political activist who died tragically when he was 31, the award goes to an individual or organisation whose work the Tim McCoy Trust members feel best reflects the ideals Tim worked for.

Our telephone Legal Information Service achieved a major milestone in 2004 when it took its one millionth phone call.

Australia's first Neighbourhood Justice Centre

In 2007 we set up office in Australia’s first Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Collingwood. The centre aimed to increase access to justice, address the underlying causes of offending, and stop the revolving door of crime and punishment.

In the wake of the Black Saturday bushfires we joined Bushfire Legal Help – a consortium of legal organisations dedicated to helping Victorians affected by bushfires – to help with insurance claims, proof of identity and dealing with Wills and coroners’ matters.

We helped set up the Victorian Legal Assistance ForumExternal Link , a group formed to improve access to legal services for socially and economically disadvantaged Victorians.

Disclaimer: The material in this print-out relates to the law as it applies in the state of Victoria. It is intended as a general guide only. Readers should not act on the basis of any material in this print-out without getting legal advice about their own particular situations. Victoria Legal Aid disclaims any liability howsoever caused to any person in respect of any action taken in reliance on the contents of the publication.

We help Victorians with their legal problems and represent those who need it most. Find legal answers, chat with us online, or call us. You can speak to us in English or ask for an interpreter. You can also find more legal information at www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Reviewed 17 March 2022

In this section