Help at Court

We have lawyers on duty at many courts across South Australia. These duty lawyers provide a free service but may not be available every day. It is best to speak to us before you go to court.

Call our free Legal Helpline on 1300 366 424 from Monday to Friday between 9:00am and 4:30pm.

A duty lawyer can give you legal information and advice, and, in some cases, represent you that day. A duty lawyer can also help you apply for a grant of legal aid for another lawyer to represent you in an ongoing way.

If you are not eligible for legal aid, we can help you find a private lawyer.

Criminal Cases

In criminal cases at all Magistrates and Youth Courts, a duty lawyer may be able to:

• give you information about court processes
• explain orders made by the court
• help you apply for bail
• help with adjournments
• represent you for simple guilty pleas for minor offending.

Duty lawyers assisting with criminal cases provide this Duty Solicitor Service. Duty lawyers from our WDVCAS team help women apply for intervention orders. These applications are also heard within the criminal case lists.

Civil Cases

We operate a legal advice service at the Adelaide Magistrates Court for unrepresented court users. The service operates Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm. Our lawyers can provide advice and sometimes further assistance with matters such as:

• neighbourhood disputes
• debt matters
• fencing matters
• motor vehicle accidents
• court processes and forms

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, or referrals as needed.

Family Cases

In family law cases at the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), a duty lawyer from our Family Advocacy and Support Service (FASS) may be able to:

• give you advice about your Court hearing and/or legal problem
• help with adjournments – generally limited to adjournments of the first court appearance
• help with legal aid applications
• provide referrals to private lawyers and other services.

Social support workers (including a family social worker, a men's worker and a mental health worker) can help you engage with the family law processes safely and help you with safety planning. The social workers also provide social support services to respondents in the family violence lists who also have family law issues.