Find legal advice
It is very important to get legal advice before going to court. Here are some organisations you can reach out to so a lawyer can help.
How can a lawyer help?
A lawyer who gives legal advice
- will listen to you talk about your legal problem, ask some follow up questions, and help you decide what to do next
- may be able to provide help with simple documents if you do not have a lawyer
- might not be able to help you with complex legal documents.
A lawyer who represents you can
- do as much or as little work for you as you want. You can ask them to help you with your case from start to finish, or to just deal with certain parts of your case
- give you an opinion about what you should do, the strength of your case, the likely outcome
- represent you in court
- help you prepare to represent yourself in court
- read and explain documents
- fill in forms and applications
- find you support and specialist services
Getting help from Legal Aid NSW
Legal Aid NSW provides free legal advice to eligible people by phone and at lots of locations across NSW. Legal advice is free and for an allocated time.
Lawyers can:
- look at your court papers
- give you advice and tell you if Legal Aid NSW can help you at court
If they cannot help you at court, they can refer you to other services.
There is an easy way to request legal help from Legal Aid NSW if you have a criminal matter at one of the following courts:
- Bankstown Local Court
- Blacktown Local Court
- Mt Druitt Local Court
- Penrith Local Court
- Sutherland Local Court
Simply fill in the online form (button below).
The form is quick, easy to use and can be submitted at any time. Once submitted, a Legal Aid NSW staff member will call you back.
If you don’t know your H number, enter H0000 when prompted. The form can only be used for the courts listed above.
Connect to a lawyer
The organisations below may be able to help refer you to lawyers.
Legal Aid NSW
Legal Aid NSW provides legal help for people in NSW. You can call an information officer or use webchat to help with legal information and referrals to legal advice.
Aboriginal Legal Service
The Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) criminal law practice provides legal advice, representation, assistance and referrals in courts, prisons and ALS offices for Aboriginal people throughout NSW and the ACT.
Community Legal Centres NSW
Use the Community Legal Centres NSW recommendation service to find a community legal centre suitable for your situation.
Law Society of NSW
Law Society of NSW provides an online search to help you find a qualified lawyer suitable for your needs. You will need to pay fees for the lawyer.
Court support services
Community Restorative Centre
The Community Restorative Centre (CRC) is the leading community provider of support services to people affected by the criminal justice system in NSW.
Justice Advocacy Service
The Justice Advocacy Service (JAS) supports young people and adults with cognitive impairment in contact with the NSW criminal justice system.