In Brief:

• ACT public college students and their families can access free and confidential legal support.
• The Legal Assistance Services in ACT Colleges program places Legal Aid ACT lawyers in ACT public colleges each week.
• It makes it easier for students to get legal advice, understand their rights and connect with support when they need it.

ACT public college students and their families can access free legal support at school.

Through the program, Legal Aid ACT lawyers visit the ACT's nine public colleges each week.

This regular presence on campus makes it easier for students to get legal advice, understand their rights and connect with support when they need it.

Students do not need an appointment, and conversations are confidential.

Support where students need it

Nerves, cost concerns and logistics can prevent young people from seeking help.

Working closely with college social workers and teachers, the program removes these barriers by providing access to a lawyer in a familiar, supportive environment.

This makes it easier for students to get help when they need it and focus on their education.

Without support, small issues can grow into more serious problems that affect their future.

Issues the program can help with

Students and their families can get help with legal concerns including:

• their rights at work
• personal and family safety
• discrimination
• sex and consent
• scams and debts
• car accidents and traffic issues
• cyberbullying
• tenancy
• issues with police.

Legal Aid ACT lawyers can help students and their families by:

• giving legal advice on their specific situation
• speaking with other organisations on their behalf
• drafting a letter of demand
• referring them to other services.

If Legal Aid ACT cannot assist with a particular issue, they will connect the student with the right service.

Georgia’s experience

Legal Aid ACT lawyer Georgia Brennan works in the program. She has seen firsthand the difference early legal support can make for young people.

Georgia says the program is about more than solving legal problems.

‘Helping students understand the law builds confidence and gives them knowledge they can use throughout their lives,’ she said.

For more information, including details of when a lawyer will be on site at each ACT public college, visit the Legal Aid ACT website.

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