LAQ's YouTube channel
March 2014 

In this issue:

Upcoming event: Civil Law Information Forum

Community workers are invited to attend the Civil Law Information Forum to learn about the range of civil law assistance services offered by Legal Aid Queensland and how community workers can access legal advice and assistance for their clients.

The forum will feature presentations on:

  • Legal Aid Queensland’s civil law services overview and new Regional Civil Lawyer Network
  • mortgage stress
  • debt and consumer issues
  • Disability Support Pensions: practical things to know when applying for this pension.

We welcome your feedback on other consumer law topics you’d like covered at this forum. Please email suggested topics to events@legalaid.qld.gov.au

The forum is a joint Queensland Council of Social Service/Legal Aid Queensland initiative and will provide an opportunity for dialogue about emerging issues common to our work.

Please note the forum presentations will be filmed and uploaded to Legal Aid Queensland’s YouTube channel for community legal education purposes.

Date: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Time: 9am for 9.30am to 12.30pm
Location: Auditorium rooms, ground floor, 44 Herschel Street, Brisbane (Legal Aid Queensland building).

A complimentary light lunch will be served at 12.30pm. We encourage you to stay for lunch and network with other community sector workers.

RSVP by Friday, 21 March 2014 to events@legalaid.qld.gov.au
Bookings are essential as seating is limited. For more information phone 07 3238 3431.

CLE Collaboration Fund opens for applications

Legal Aid Queensland’s CLE Collaboration Fund is now open for applications.

The fund resources CLE initiatives and projects that promote collaboration between legal assistance and community based services, and help people identify legal problems early, understand their legal rights and responsibilities, and how to access legal help.

Community legal centres, Regional Legal Assistance Forums (RLAFs) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service are invited to submit project proposals for:

  • project grants up to $10,000 (small grant)
  • project grants between $10,001 and $20,000 (large grant).

Eligible organisations can also apply for a $3000 external evaluation grant to have an external evaluator evaluate your collaboration fund project.

Collaboration fund grant recipients have delivered a wide range of innovative CLE projects and resources to vulnerable people and other key audiences across Queensland. Visit the Legal Aid Queensland website to see some of the CLE resources produced by grant recipients.

Please contact Katherine Gorter (Acting CLE coordinator) on 07 3238 3301 or email communitylegaled@legalaid.qld.gov.au to discuss your project proposal or to get a copy of the fund guidelines and application form.

Applications close Friday, 4 April 2014.

Legal Health Check training videos released

image of video

The QPILCH Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic (HPLC) has released two short training videos about how to use the HPLC Legal Health Check.

The Legal Health Check is a structured interview tool for pro bono lawyers who provide legal services to disadvantaged clients, and a resource for community workers to identify and prioritise the legal needs of their clients.

The training videos are aimed at frontline staff who assist people at risk of, or experiencing homelessness and related forms of disadvantage.

CLE Legal Assistance Forum

The CLE Legal Assistance Forum was established in June 2011 after consultation with stakeholders across the community legal sector.

The forum's purpose is to promote cooperation and collaboration between legal service providers who are delivering and initiating CLE activities. The network also promotes and shares models of CLE ‘good practice’, and supports the sector’s broader use of CLE materials to help reduce CLE resource overlap and duplication.

Find out more about the CLE Legal Assistance Forum or contact communitylegaled@legalaid.qld.gov.au

Legal Aid Queensland publications can now be ordered online

Legal Aid Queensland’s legal information publications can be downloaded from our website or ordered via our online catalogue. The publications will be delivered to you free of charge.

Please email publications@legalaid.qld.gov.au or phone 07 3238 3941 if you have any questions about ordering publications.

Publications update

factsheet

Our publications and resources provide information on a range of common legal problems including consumer protection, debt, criminal law, family law, child protection and domestic violence.

Here are some of our recent updates and reprints:

Subscribe to the Publications update mailing list to find out when new or updated Legal Aid Queensland publications are released.

Community legal education sessions

We can provide community legal education and information sessions on a variety of legal topics such as:

  • need legal help — information about Legal Aid Queensland's services
  • family law
  • domestic violence
  • child protection
  • discrimination
  • consumer protection and other civil law issues.

Information sessions are tailored to audience needs, including community sector workers and community members. These sessions are subject to staff availability. For more information, please email communitylegaled@legalaid.qld.gov.au.