Providing Greater Access to Justice

31 May 2012

The Waitakere Community Law Service has removed another barrier to justice by drastically extending the hours in which clients can come in and see a lawyer, without an appointment. Previously, clients were asked to attend our walk in legal clinics between 9.30 am and 11 am, Monday to Thursday. However these times have now been extended to 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

Paula Bold-Wilson, Manager of the service says “We’re excited about these changes, as we want to make sure our services are accessible to our clients. We recognise that there can be a number of barriers for people seeking legal advice, and for some people the obstacle is getting up the courage to ask for help. For others it might be that they cannot get mornings off work, some may be carers for children or other family members, or have other commitments. By having our doors open for as long as we can every day, in conjunction with our all day 0800 info line, the Waitakere Community Law Service is doing all it can to remove obstacles to people requiring legal advice”

“Over the past year, we have initiated a number of outreach clinics, to ensure we are accessible in the heart of our communities. We now provide weekly outreach clinics in Northcote, Birkenhead, Ranui, the Colwill Community Hub and Waipareira’s Whanau House” says Paula.

The Waitakere Community Law Service offers free legal advice and assistance to people on low incomes and benefits who would otherwise not be able to obtain legal help for their problems. The issues that people seek assistance with are extremely diverse and include, tenancy, welfare, consumer, criminal, employment, health and disability and much more.

Over the past few years, the Waitakere Community Law Service has seen a large increase in people seeking assistance as the flow on effects of the recession continue, and the introduction of changes to welfare and employment laws. Paula says, the change in hours allows us to assist a larger number of people who have insufficient means to access justice”.

To find out how to access our services, visit www.waitakerelaw.org.nz

ENDS

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