LAQ's YouTube channel
July 2014 

In this issue:

Events@LAQ

Our Communication and Community Legal Education team has been busy coordinating and supporting a range of events in Brisbane and in the regions over the last few months.

LAQ/QCOSS civil law information forum

In late March, staff from our Consumer Protection team presented a half-day forum to community workers about the range of civil law services offered by Legal Aid Queensland, and how community workers can access legal advice and assistance for their clients.

The forum featured presentations on:
• Legal Aid Queensland’s civil law services overview
• mortgage stress
• debt and consumer issues
• disability support pensions: practical things to know when applying for this pension.

Videos of the forum will be uploaded to our YouTube channel. Keep an eye on upcoming bulletins for more information.

Logan Finance Fair

Our Consumer Protection team participated in the Logan Finance Fair in late April. Coordinated by the Department of Human Services, the event connected local residents to agencies that can help resolve their financial issues. Our lawyers spoke to over 200 community members and encouraged people to make appointments with our consumer protection lawyer at Legal Aid Queensland’s Woodridge office.

Homeless Connect

In late May, our lawyers attended the Brisbane City Council’s Homeless Connect event. Homeless Connect provides a great opportunity for our lawyers to speak to homeless people or those at risk of being homeless and help them with their legal issues or problems. We were also able to promote our services to other organisations working in the sector.

Law Week

We participated in the Department of Justice and Attorney-General’s new look Law Week activities in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall. This community event featured a range of presentations, information sessions and displays. Our advice lawyer Toby Davidson spoke briefly about the services provided by Legal Aid Queensland and common legal issues affecting young people. LAQ counsel Kate McMahon also helped out by representing “Alice” (from Alice In Wonderland) in a mock trial. Alice was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Family services expo and hypothetical

In May, we partnered with the Mackay-Whitsunday Family Law Pathways Network to present a hypothetical about family separation issues and attended a Family Services Expo.

The hypothetical explored the journey taken by a fictional couple experiencing a relationship breakdown and separation. The event was attended by local support agencies and showcased a range of available services in the region that provide advice, support and programs for families considering or going through a separation or breakdown. The Family Services Expo was open to the public and featured displays from 25 family support services.

Musgrave Park Family Fun Day

As part of the 2014 NAIDOC week celebrations, our team took part in the Musgrave Park Family Fun Day. This year we collaborated with Queensland Association of Independent Legal Services (QAILS), to host a community legal services tent. Other agencies who joined with us throughout the day were Prisoners’ Legal Service, Queensland Aged and Disability Advocacy (QADA), South West Brisbane Community Legal Centre and the Youth Advocacy Centre (YAC). Our team was kept busy, speaking with over 300 people on the day.




If you are planning a community event and would like Legal Aid Queensland to attend, please contact events@legalaid.qld.gov.au with details.