WLS History and Operation

The Women's Legal Service was established in December 1984 after a group of women from various occupations and agencies met together and decided there should be a legal service specifically catering for women.  We initially operated on a purely voluntary basis but obtained limited funding in 1986 and employed a part-time Co-ordinator.

The employed staff are involved in the provision of legal advice and assistance, administrative activities, liaising with other community groups, law reform and community legal education.  We are associated with a number of organisations of relevance to women, provide speakers at many functions and seminars, and publish information brochures and booklets.

The employed solicitors provide detailed legal advice to women who contact the Service and, when reources permit, undertake some case work.  All staff provide significant advice and referral to women who contact the Service during office hours.

Currently we have over 100 volunteers who provide legal advice sessions three nights per week both face to face and over the telephone.

WLS receives calls from women from all over Queensland requesting legal advice and approximately 5,000 women are assisted each year.  Three quarters of the matters dealt with related to Family Law and nearly two thirds of our clients were assisted over the telephone. One third of women assisted were from outside the Brisbane metropolitan region with the majority of those calls originating in major regional centres.