Family law duty lawyer

The family law duty lawyer may be able to help on your Court date for family law matters in the Family Court of Australia or the Federal Circuit Court.

The family law duty lawyer can give you free legal advice and can help you by:

• giving you information and advice (on your Court date).
• helping you complete some Court forms and documents.
• discussing your eligibility for legal aid.

The family law duty lawyer can only help you on your specific Court date. If you need help before or after your Court date, contact Legal Aid Queensland, a community legal centre or get a private lawyer.

Getting help from the family law duty lawyer

The family law duty lawyer is a free lawyer who may be able to help you if you have a family law matter in the Family Law Court of Australia or the Federal Circuit Court.

You can only get help from the family law duty lawyer on your Court date, if you are self-representing, and have not received any legal advice before going to Court.

The family law duty lawyer may not necessarily appear with you in Court (unless you have a specific need), but they can still:

• give you information and advice (on your Court date).
• help you with Court forms and documents.
• discuss your eligibility for help from Legal Aid Queensland.

They cannot:

• represent people in family law trials.
• take on casework.

You do not have to book to see the family law duty lawyer, but you should check if they are available at the Court you are attending and on your Court date. If you need legal help, you should arrive early to the Court (on your Court date) and ask to see the family law duty lawyer.

Note: The family law duty lawyer can only help on the day you are appearing in Court. For example, if your Court date is on a Tuesday, you cannot get help from the duty lawyer before Tuesday. They cannot help if your matter is not listed in the Court on that specific day.

Make sure you bring all your Court documents with you. Without them, the family law duty lawyer can only give you limited help.

Let the family law duty lawyer know if you need extra help—for example, if you have experienced domestic or family violence, or you need an interpreter, have difficulty reading or writing or have a disability.

Disclaimer: The material presented on this website is an information source only. The information on this website is written for people resident in, or affected by the laws of Queensland, Australia only. Links to other sites from this website are provided for the users’ convenience. The LGBTI Legal Service does not endorse these sites and is not responsible for the information on these sites or the use made of this information. If you have a specific legal problem, you should consult a professional legal advisor.