Redfern Legal Centre

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Not to be confused with Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT), also in Redfern.
Redfern Town Hall, where the Redfern Legal Centre is located.
Redfern Legal Centre
HeadquartersRedfern, Sydney, New South Wales
Key people
Joanna Shulman - CEO

Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) is an independent, non-profit community legal centre established in 1977 and located in the Sydney inner-city of Redfern, New South Wales. It is part of a network of four inner-Sydney region community legal centres, including the Inner City,[1] Kingsford,[2] and Marrickville[3] Legal Centres. Redfern Legal Centre is a member of Community Legal Centres NSW, the state peak representative body for community legal centres in NSW and also Community Legal Centres Australia, the national peak representative body for community legal centres across Australia.

Redfern Legal Centre should not be confused with the Aboriginal Legal Service, also located in Redfern, which was the first free legal service in Australia and founded in 1970.

The RLC is dedicated to promoting social justice and human rights and provides free legal advice, referral, and casework to disadvantaged people and groups who live with its catchment area, which extends to the Botany, Leichhardt, and City of Sydney municipal areas. Many of those seeking assistance are ineligible for legal aid but still cannot afford private legal services. A high proportion of the centre's clients are from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The RLC is dedicated to community legal education and advocates for the reform of inequalities in laws, the legal system, administrative practices and society as a whole.

Areas of advice[]

The RLC is a general community legal centre providing free legal advice to the community in a number of key areas. The centre has been involved in key cases and areas of law reform with an increased focus on police accountability. In 2020, RLC launched an investigation into a potential class action suit against the NSW police for their unlawful use of strip searches.[4] They have also referred a case involving a NSW police officer allegedly assaulting an indigenous teenager to the independent police watchdog.[5] The centre also provides specific legal advice in the following areas.[6]

  • Apprehended Violence Orders
  • Child Protection
  • Consumer
  • Credit & Debt
  • Crime (minor)
  • Discrimination and Human Rights
  • Domestic Violence
  • Employment
  • Family Law
  • Fines
  • Guardianship of Adults
  • Immigration Law
  • Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • Police Complaints
  • Property Damage
  • Tenanncy
  • Victim Compensation
  • Wills & Estates

Staff and Board[]

RLC has over 25 staff members split between this general legal team, Inner Sydney Tenancy Advice & Advocacy Service and administration and management. The current Chief Executive Officer is Joanna Shulman. Jacqui Swinburne acts as the Chief Operations Officer along with Alexis Goodstone as Principal Solicitor forming the senior management of the organisation.[7] The centre is supported by the board, with Amy Munro acting as chair of the board and Tamara Sims as secretary.[8]

Volunteers and pro-bono[]

The RLC relies heavily on volunteer labour and pro-bono assistance from legal professionals to service a heavy caseload. Daytime volunteers tend to be law students or members of the community. Night-time volunteers are solicitors and legal assistants who attend appointments and give legal advice. RLC estimates it attracts approximately 30,000 volunteer hours per year or the equivalent of $900,000 worth of services to the community each year.[9]

Awards[]

RLC received the 2007 Human Rights Law Award from the Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.[10] In particular the award recognised the establishment of the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Scheme (WDVCAS) which aims to provide women seeking restraining orders as a result of domestic violence with legal advice as well as any other support required (including housing, income support and counselling).[11]

References[]

  1. ^ Inner City Legal Centre
  2. ^ [https://www.klc.unsw.edu.au/ Kingsford[
  3. ^ Marrickville
  4. ^ "Law firms join forces to investigate strip-search class action against NSW Police". Lawyerly. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ Stonehouse, Greta (3 June 2020). "Indigenous teen's family wants cop charged". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Community Legal Centres NSW 2018 Directory" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Our Staff | Redfern Legal Centre". rlc.org.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  8. ^ "Our Board of Directors | Redfern Legal Centre". rlc.org.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. ^ Volunteer - Introduction
  10. ^ HREOC media release: Redfern Legal Centre wins Law category at the 2007 Human Rights Awards
  11. ^ Human Rights Award for Redfern Legal Centre — REDWatch - Redfern Eveleigh Darlington Waterloo Watch Group

External links[]

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