Western Suburbs Legal Service

Mission statement

The Western Suburbs Legal Service Inc. is committed to working towards a just and equitable legal system through:

• Providing readily accessible and timely legal advice which assists members of the community to deal with problems early to avoid as far as possible the expense of legal proceedings and private legal representation
• Challenging existing legal structures and processes
• Lobbying and working for progressive legal reform
• The provision of innovative, responsive and challenging legal services to (predominantly) the western suburbs community of Melbourne with an emphasis on those communities who experience continued problems with the justice system for reasons including age, gender, ethnicity, political persuasion etc.
• Inspiring and drawing on the goodwill of private practitioners to provide voluntary and pro bono advice and assistance to disadvantaged members of the community.

The legal service will achieve this through services funded by the CLC funding program as well as through other funding sources and related programs.

Specifically, the legal service will achieve its mission through:

• CLC funded projects including:
  - Casework
  - Community legal education projects
  - Law reform projects and campaigns
  - Information dissemination
  - Participation in community concerns with an emphasis on social justice principles
  - Utilising best practice models in all aspects of its work
• Special purpose projects auspiced or funded by other sources, including voluntary labour and resources, utilising some or all of the strategies listed above.
• Clinical legal education for law students