When you need legal advice in Morwell, it can be difficult to know where to get help. This only adds stress and pressure to your situation but, luckily, there’s a team of professionals who are dedicated to helping you. Gippsland Community Legal Service (GCLS) have the expertise and experience to provide advice on a broad range of matters, completely free of charge.
Whether you need urgent help with a family violence issue or assistance with tenancy disputes, GCLS offer the best quality free legal advice for all their Morwell and other Gippsland residents. Here’s how the legal team at Gippsland Community Legal Service can help you when you need free legal advice in Morwell.
Family violence
Family violence is one of the most prevalent issues in the town of Morwell. If you are experiencing problems to do with family violence, then you are not alone; in fact, the Latrobe Valley region has the third highest rate of domestic violence per capita in Victoria, with nearby East Gippsland Shire at number one.
The Victorian average of family violence incidents is 1364.7 per 100,000 people. In Latrobe, however, the rate is close to three times this amount, at 3305.9 incidents of family violence per 100,000 people. Hence, the team at Gippsland Community Legal Service take family violence in Morwell incredibly seriously.
Family violence assistance services provided by GCLS in Morwell include:
Intervention order advice before Court
Duty lawyers who can provide advice, representation and referrals on the day you have to attend Court
In some cases, assistance for respondents to intervention orders
Help with legal problems beyond intervention orders, including tenancy, parenting plans, debts, fines, infringements and more.
Tenancy
Tenancy is another area in which Morwell residents often need legal assistance. The team at GCLS are here to help you understand your rights as a tenant, keep you up-to-date with recent law changes around renting and provide advice on legal issues like eviction notices and inability to pay rent.
GCLS understands that tenancy issues are commonly a result of other legal problems that arise, such as family violence and separation, financial stress, and others. The team at GCLS are determined to help you resolve the source of your legal troubles, rather than just the single legal issue.
Gippsland Community Legal Service can help Morwell residents solve a range of legal issues arising from tenancy, including:
Financial difficulties and struggling to pay rent
Eviction or challenging a notice to vacate
Having a dispute with your property manager or rental provider about repairs and maintenance of rental properties
Negotiating and dealing with a government or community housing agency about tenancy
Seeking compensation from rental providers who breach their duties under the rental agreement
Applying to and attending VCAT for your tenancy issues
Family law and separation
Morwell residents also experience high rates of family law issues and separation. Thus, it’s one aspect of law that Gippsland Community Legal Service focuses on, with great attention.
Family separation is a highly stressful time for all parties involved. If you’re experiencing family breakdown in the Morwell region, GCLS can help you resolve the legal issues involved, such as divorce, custody issues and property settlement. Australia’s family law system is geared to encourage families to agree on arrangements without going to court and GCLS are driven to help you do this.
Gippsland Community Legal Service can provide assistance to Morwell residents who:
Want to make a property settlement after separation or divorce
Want to make arrangements for the parenting of their children
Need to apply to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for financial and/or parenting orders.
Want to apply for a divorce
Need help with other legal issues as part of relationship breakdown, including family violence, debts and financial stresses and tenancy issues.
Fines
While fines exist to enforce the law, there are times when a fine could have been wrongly issued or unjust. On top of this, you may be struggling financially and, therefore, unable to pay a fine that you’ve recently received.
GCLS understand all of these circumstances and are committed to helping you with legal advice to overcome them. Advice, negotiations and representation are all services that Gippsland Community Legal Service can provide, free of charge, in the Morwell region.
GCLS care about refuting fines that have been issued to Morwell and Gippsland residents. Services offered include:
Helping you nominate the person who incurred the fine or infringement if it is currently in your name
Requesting a review of the fines or infringements
Negotiating a payment plan
Helping you access the Work and Development Permit Scheme, which allows some fines or infringements to be worked off through activities or treatment
Helping you access the Family Violence Scheme, which allows some fines to be withdrawn where family violence substantially contributed to the fine or infringement being incurred
Helping you choose to take the fine or infringement to Court if you want to contest it.
Mental Health
Mental health issues affect many people in rural Victoria, while support services and general understanding of mental health issues can be lower than in metropolitan areas. Morwell and the greater Gippsland area are no different. If you’re struggling with mental health issues which have impacted an area of law, GCLS can help. This includes:
Advance statements
Guardianship and administration
Representation at the Mental Health Tribunal
Many other areas of law
Gippsland Community Legal Service have helped plenty of Morwell residents with legal issues other than the ones mentioned here. Whatever your concern, you’ll find help through GCLS, offering comprehensive legal advice, completely free of charge. Get in touch with the friendly team at GCLS and help us to help you today.
