What services are offered?

FREE legal advice sessions 3 nights a week.

MONDAY, TUESDAY & THURSDAY
6pm to 7.30pm.
No need to make an appointment.


More information...

(Please note: Caxton Legal Centre can usually arrange FREE translators for day time appointments with a minimum of one week's notice)

Legal advice and referral service
Casework and representation
Social Work Assistance
Carer Parent Child Maintenance Program
Liable Parent Child Support Program
Seniors' Advocacy, Information & Legal Service
Community Legal Education (CLE)
Clinical Legal Education
Law Reform
Publications
Advice Session Times

1. Legal advice and referral service
During advice sessions a qualified practitioner will give general advice and assist clients to work out the best course of action to take. Interviews are usually limited to 20 to 30 minutes. A written copy of the advice is provided to the client before leaving the Centre. Referrals are given to the Legal Aid Office (Queensland), private solicitors and other appropriate offices and agencies. No advice of a legal nature is given over the telephone except in cases of emergency.

Click HERE for times of advice sessions.

2. Casework and Representation
Due to limited resources, ongoing casework and court representation is provided only in special circumstances. Guidelines for undertaking ongoing casework and representation are available from the Centre.

3. Social Work Assistance
A social worker is available at the Centre during normal working hours by appointment only. Short term social work assistance may be provided by way of counselling and referrals to community agencies and resources.
( Funding for this service is provided by the Department of Communities)

4. Carer Parent Child Maintenance Program
A specialist program operates to assist parents to obtain maintenance for children in their care. The program is generally only available to people who receive some form of benefit or family allowance from Centrelink. A day time staff solicitor acts for the carer parent (including court representation) to pursue maintenance either through agreement or court order. Some general assistance and information is available to parents who are not receiving a Centrelink benefit but who would like to pursue maintenance or child support.

Click HERE for times of advice sessions.

5. Liable Parent Child Support Program
We assist liable parents to take their own steps to have maintenance orders and assessments varied or discharged. Self-help kits are provided which detail each step, provide sample court forms and give information about court procedures. Limited assistance may be provided in completing court documentation in complicated matters. The Centre is not able to represent clients at court hearings.

Click HERE to download our brochure about the Centre's Child Support Services.

6. Seniors' Advocacy, Information & Legal Service (SAILS) and the Seniors' Legal and Support Service (SLASS)'


SAILS is a legal and social work service initiative of Caxton Legal Centre for people over the age of 60 who are experiencing or are at risk of experiencing domestic (non-spousal) and family violence. We know that domestic and family violence can occur regardless of a person's gender, age or social situation. Therefore, a social worker and a lawyer have been employed to work together on the legal and social concerns in this area.

For the purposes of this service, domestic violence can be:

  • intentionally hurting an older person physically;
  • intentionally damaging an older person's property;
  • intimidation or harassment of the older person (for example saying that care will be taken away if the older person doesn't hand over their pension);
  • indecent behaviour towards the older person; or
  • a threat to do any of those things.

In 2006, the Queensland Department of Communities, Office of Seniors, granted funding of $1.9M to pilot a specialist legal service for seniors across five sites within Queensland. The initiative will provide free access to legal information and advice, short-term counseling, court support and community education and will target seniors who are vulnerable due to elder abuse, exploitation, social or economic need or lack of knowledge about rights and avenues for legal assistance.  The initiative will utilise existing legal infrastructure provided by Community Legal Services in Cairns, Townsville, Hervey Bay and Toowomba,a s well as Caxton Legal Centre in Brisbane. SAILS will provide sector development and training across the pilot sites to develop specialist legal expertise in responding to senior’s issues

These services have been funded by the Department of Communities to combat abuse suffered by older people.

An older person may make contact with our service directly or someone else may contact us on his or her behalf. We can provide advice or information to the older person and to the service providers so they can respond to abuse, we can assist older people or service providers in planning to try to prevent abuse, and we can offer limited counselling and legal representation.

For further information or referral, contact the SAILS and SLASS office on 07 3257 1337

Click here for further information about SAILS

Click HERE to download our brochure about SAILS.

7. Community Legal Education (CLE)
Centre staff are available to address community groups and professional associations in relation to particular areas of law or the Centre's services generally. To arrange a CLE presentation please contact the Centre's Director during normal business hours.

Click HERE to learn about our current Community Legal Education activities.

8. Clinical Legal Education
In conjunction with the Griffith University Law School, the Centre operates an advice clinic most Monday mornings during university semesters. The clinic focuses on family law matters. An appointment is necessary. The clinic is staffed by law students who provide legal advice and some limited casework assistance to clients under the guidance of experienced staff from both Griffith University and Caxton Legal Centre.

9. Law Reform
The Centre undertakes a number of significant law reform projects each year. Community consultation, where appropriate, is undertaken to provide the basis for reform proposals. The Centre encourages the community to contribute ideas for possible law reform activities.

Click HERE to learn about our current Law Reform campaigns.

10. Publications
The Centre's publication activities are an important component of Caxton's mission to demystify the law and make legal processes more accessible to the community.

Click HERE for details of our publications.


Caxton is committed to providing a quality service. If you have a complaint about the quality or manner of our service or if you are unhappy in some other way please either email us or telephone us on (07) 3254 1811 and ask to speak to the Director.