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ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICE Law in the community

ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICE Law in the community. ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICE Law in the community Lawyer – Vanda Hamilton. Community Legal Services – Quick overview.

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ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICE Law in the community

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  1. ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICELaw in the community ST KILDA LEGAL SERVICE Law in the community Lawyer – Vanda Hamilton

  2. Community Legal Services – Quick overview • Community Legal Centres (CLCs) are independently operating not-for-profit, community-based organisations that provide legal services to the public, focussing on the disadvantaged and people with special needs; • 200 centres Australia wide; • Funded primarily by state governments, with some federal and philanthropic funding; • Mostly staffed by volunteers, and also rely on pro bono assistance from the profession.

  3. St Kilda Legal Service and drug outreach lawyer position • St Kilda Legal Service one of the oldest in Victoria; • Staffed by a principal solicitor, adminstrator, community legal education lawyer, drug outreach lawyer, family violence lawyer and volunteer co-ordinator. Only the administration and drug outreach position are full-time. • Staffed by volunteer lawyers three nights a week. Volunteer lawyers and para-legals also work during the day.

  4. Drug outreach lawyer • Funding for the position obtained in 2003 pursuant to identification of five drug hot spots in Victoria, St Kilda being one; • Fitzroy Legal Service has a similar position. These are the only two such positions in Australia; • St Kilda position funded to work with people with drug and alcohol issues and the sex work industry; • Outreach model means that DOL can assist people who might otherwise find it difficult to access legal services;

  5. Outreaches Sacred Heart Mission RhED Salvation Army Bridge Programme Windana Drug and Alcohol Programme Hanover Accomodation Services

  6. Benefits of working relationship with RhED and police • Unlike most other lawyers, DOL is ‘embedded’ in the community. • Also unlike most other criminal defence lawyers, DOL works with both offenders and victims. • RhED and DOL - symbiotic relationship • DOL and police – A relationship which has developed over the years, and has been facilitated by changes to the way St Kilda Police work.

  7. Relationships between lawyers and police – especially community lawyers – can be fraught; • Good relationships between police and DOL beneficial – whilst understanding at times will be tensions; • Level of trust between police and DOL helps facilitate better outcomes for clients in a range of areas – whether criminal clients or victims; • Essential that relationships with RhED and DOL are supported and driven by senior and managing officers at St Kilda.

  8. Problem solving • DOL committed to problem solving model; • Therefore partnerships within community vital; • Importance of police as first responders to client issues acknowledged; • Working collaboratively for both clients and the community – an acknowledgment that we live and work in community and that community safety and amenity is important.

  9. Contact details: Vanda Hamilton vhamilton@skls.org.au (03) 8598 6609 0401 095 261

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