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Free legal advice
We provide free legal advice to eligible community organisations and social enterprises via:
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legal advice from a Not-for-profit Law lawyer, and/or
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referral to one of our member law firms.
Please note: Due to a high volume of enquiries, you may experience extended wait times for our legal advice and pro bono assistance referral services. In the meantime, you may find what you're looking for in our free resources.
We expect that normal service levels will resume in early 2022. Thank you for your patience.
Eligibility for free legal advice
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the organisation must be a not-for-profit community organisation or social enterprise
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the organisation must serve the public interest
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the organisation must be unable to afford or have difficulty in accessing legal assistance
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the legal issue must be one in which our member firms are able to answer
Other factors we consider
We generally don’t help with the following legal matters:
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internal disputes (like a dispute between your organisation and a member, or disputes between board members), however, we have fact sheets on internal disputes and can let you know about free dispute resolution services
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disputes between two or more not-for-profit organisations, and
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complicated disputes including where court action has been taken or is likely to be taken.
We generally don’t help the following organisations:
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trade unions
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sporting groups
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political associations
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religious organisations
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residential action groups
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statutory bodies
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privately controlled foundations or corporate foundations, and
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for-profit businesses (unless a not-for-profit is seeking to set up a for-profit social enterprise).
We generally do not provide reasons for not assisting in a particular matter.
Are you starting a not-for-profit organisation?
New or start-up organisations should read our Getting Started resources. These resources will help to guide you through setting up a not-for-profit organisation.
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Choosing a legal structure
Provides you with an overview of the options available for not-for-profit organisations including if you are looking to set up a social enterprise. -
Setting up your organisation
Once you have decided on a legal structure for your organisation, our resources can walk you through the steps to set it up. -
Registering as a charity
Offers a plain English guide to what a charity is as well as information on how to register as a charity. -
Fundraising and holding events
We have a guide to fundraising in Australia as well as a checklist for holding events.
We will generally be unable to assist with any further questions about starting up unless you have read our Getting Started resources and can show that you have:
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clear aims and purposes of the proposed organisation (a draft mission statement for the organisation)
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considered what existing services are available, if a new organisation is needed, or whether you can work together with an existing organisation
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details of the proposed programs and services the new organisation plans to provide or carry out
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given proper consideration to the governance arrangements for the proposed organisation (for example, the names of potential directors or committee members), and
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a detailed financial plan with proper consideration given to potential funding sources.
Make an enquiry
You might find the answer to your question(s) in our legal resources.
If not, and your organisation is eligible, please complete the online enquiry form below. We do not generally take phone enquiries. Using the online form is the quickest and easiest way for us to deal with your enquiry and means that we can respond to you sooner (usually within 3-4 working days) and let you know how we might be able to assist.
