Through our Legal Advice Program, we promote access to justice by providing free legal advice and information to individuals about their personal legal issues.
The areas of law we most commonly provide information and advice about include (but are not limited to):
Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Our free Legal Helpline is available for preliminary information, general advice and referrals. Advice is usually restricted to a client's basic legal rights and obligations about a particular situation. If the problem is too complex or too lengthy for a phone call, a client may be offered an appointment at a Legal Services office or referred to other sources of assistance.
Please note that our Legal Helpline is for the cost of a local call (excluding mobiles) if calling from within South Australia. If calling from interstate, please call (08) 8111 5600.
If you are d/Deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech communication difficulty, you can contact us through the
National Relay Service
The accesshub.gov.au website has instructions for many different relay methods you can use, including:
| TTY (Speak and Read, Type and Listen, Type and Read) | 133 677 then ask for 1300 366 424 |
| Voice relay | 1300 555 727 then ask for 1300 366 424 |
| NRS chat | nrschat.nrscall.gov.au |
| Video relay | Open Skype and contact NRS VIDEO RELAY SERVICE |
| NRS captions | nrscaptions.nrscall.gov.au |
| SMS relay | 0423 677 767 and ask for 1300 366 424 |
If you speak a language other than English and need an interpreter, you can contact us through the
Translating and Interpreting Service
Free legal advice is available to any person on many legal matters. Our legal staff will identify a client's problem, inform a client of their rights and obligations and help them understand what courses of action can be taken. Our legal staff may also provide further assistance where appropriate.
For professional reasons, legal staff cannot give a second opinion if the matter is already being handled by another lawyer. However, we may be able to give general advice to clarify a matter.
Appointments can be made at our Adelaide office or any of our suburban and regional offices, including Elizabeth, Port Adelaide, Noarlunga, Port Augusta and Whyalla. For people living in other regional areas, a telephone advice appointment can be arranged.
For people living in or near Mount Barker or Murray Bridge, we offer a weekly outreach appointment service to each of these locations.
All appointments can be arranged by calling the Legal Helpline on 1300 366 424.
All appointments are for 30 minutes. Where an interpreter is needed, a longer appointment will be booked.
The service operates Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm to help unrepresented court users. Our lawyers provide advice and sometimes assistance with documentation primarily within the Minor Civil Jurisdiction.
However, we can also provide advice and sometimes further assistance with matters such as:
If you need assistance in locating us the Registry Staff, Sheriff’s Officers and Court Volunteers can direct you to our services.
If we cannot help a court user on the day, we can refer them for a free advice appointment at one of our offices to provide general advice, assistance, guidance or referrals as needed.
Need quick legal information? Our Legal Chat service is available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
To start, click the Legal Chat icon in the bottom right-hand corner of our website. A chat window will open – just type in your legal question and details.
Our legal staff will get back to you as soon as possible. If your query needs more tailored advice, we will direct you to our free Legal Helpline or arrange for someone to contact you.If Legal Chat is not available, please call our Legal Helpline or visit our Publications page for information and free resources to address common legal questions.
Legal Services’ Prison Advice Service extends our Legal Information and Advice Service, providing prisoners access to general legal advice across a range of areas of law beyond the primary reason for their current incarceration.
We can help in the areas of law outlined above, as well as provide advice on Department for Correctional Services (DCS) decisions and processes and victims of crime compensation claims. We can also support with legal aid applications.
Prisoners can book appointments through their DCS Case Manager or Support Worker. Services are primarily delivered by telephone.
If you have a client who has an issue our Prison Advice Service may be able to assist with, please email prison.infoandadvice@lsc.sa.gov.au.
We deliver legal services through regular drop-in clinics at Adelaide Women’s Prison, Mobilong and Port Augusta prisons. Clinics are delivered alongside legal education programs designed to improve understanding of legal processes and rights.
The program has recently also extended to post-release settings, including OARS Community Transitions, supporting reintegration and assisting eligible men on home detention or parole who cannot leave custody due to accommodation barriers.
We embrace diversity and welcome all people, irrespective of culture, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity.
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Legal Services acknowledges Aboriginal people as the Traditional Owners and ongoing occupants of the lands and waters in South Australia and we respect their spiritual, cultural and heritage beliefs. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community and pay our deep respect to Elders past and present.
.png)
.png)
