Introduction
You can get legal advice from a range of organisations and individuals in the Northern Territory (NT). Some are free and others charge a fee for their services.
The following pages provide a guide to free or low cost legal advice in the NT, including women’s legal services and Indigenous legal services, as well as information on finding a private lawyer.
Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission
This organisation provides legal help if you can’t afford a private lawyer.
You can receive initial legal advice and representation in court in criminal matters, such as bail applications, every day in the Darwin and Alice Springs Local Courts. They are also at the Local Court in Katherine and Tennant Creek on days when cases are being heard.
The initial advice session is free, however you will be assessed before you are granted ongoing legal advice and you will need to pay a small fee.
A duty lawyer is also available for legal advice and information on Family Law Court cases. They can help with negotiations, completing forms, and asking for your case to be moved another date.
Contacts
Call 1800 019 343 or email info@legalaid.nt.gov.au.
Opening hours
Open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4:30pm.
Location | |
---|---|
6th floor, 9 – 11 Cavenagh Street Darwin NT 0800 |
Locked Bag 11 Darwin NT 0801 |
Shop 6, Goyder Centre 25 Chung Wah Terrace Palmerston NT 0830 |
Shop 6, Goyder Centre 25 Chung Wah Terrace Palmerston NT 0830 |
20 Second Street Katherine NT 0851 |
PO Box 145 Katherine NT 0851 |
Shop 3, 163 Paterson Street Tennant Creek NT 0860 |
PO Box 794 Tennant Creek NT 0861 |
77 Hartley Street Alice Springs NT 0870 |
PO Box 969 Alice Springs NT 0871 |
Darwin Community Legal Services
Darwin Community Legal Services (DCLS) offers a range of free legal and support services.
Free legal advice sessions are held three times a week in Darwin, Casuarina and Palmerston. Sessions are also held at other Top End venues such as Katherine.
The sessions operate on a first come first served basis. You can talk confidentially about your legal problem with a lawyer who can give you advice and suggest action. They may also help you to write a letter or prepare other simple documents.
You may attend these free sessions more than once. They can offer advice on common legal problems with some exceptions, so you should contact them first to check.
Contact
Level 2 Winlow House
75 Woods Street
Darwin NT 0800
info@dcls.org.au
GPO Box 3180
Darwin NT 0801
Phone: 1800 812 953 or 08 8982 1111
Fax: 08 8982 1112
Women's legal services
This page contains information on women's legal services in the Northern Territory.
Top End Women’s Legal Services (TEWLS)
TEWLS is a community legal service that provides free and culturally appropriate legal services for women in the greater Darwin region.
Services include:
- legal advice and information
- casework representation
- community legal education
- advocacy and policy submissions
- referrals, as appropriate.
TEWLS can provide legal services in most family and civil law matters including:
- family law including:
- divorce
- parenting
- property matters
- domestic and family violence
- housing and tenancy
- consumer law
- debts, fines and welfare rights
- housing and tenancy
- sexual assault
- discrimination
- compensation for victims of crime
- complaints about government and other services.
TEWLS is not able to provide legal advice about criminal, immigration or commercial law matters. It is not able to help with drafting wills.
It provides in-house legal clinics as well as outreach services through regular visits to the following communities and locations:
- Knuckey's Lagoon
- Bagot community
- Belyuen community
- Palmerston Indigenous Village
- Acacia/ Larrakia community
- Amangal community
- Palmerston - at the GP Super Clinic
- Dawn House Women's Shelter
- Royal Darwin Hospital
- Darwin Correctional Centre
- Adult Migrant English Program, Charles Darwin University.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Contact
2/17 Lindsay Street
Darwin NT 0801
admin@tewls.org.au
GPO Box 1901
Darwin NT 0801
Phone: 1800 234 441 or 08 8982 3000
Fax: 08 8941 9935
Domestic Violence Legal Services (DVLS)
The Domestic Violence Legal Service provides the following services to victims or people at risk of domestic and family violence:
- applying for a domestic violence order (DVO)
- changing a DVO
- extending a DVO
- removing a DVO
- Police domestic violence orders
- legal representation
- duty lawyer service at the Darwin Local Court domestic violence lists - currently Tuesdays and Fridays
- community legal education
- referrals to support services and other legal services.
Darwin and Palmerston only.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.
Contact
1st Floor, Zone B, Nichols Place
Cnr Cavenagh and Bennett Streets
Darwin NT 0801
info@dvls.nt.gov.au
PO Box 2925
Darwin NT 0801
Phone: 08 8999 7977
Fax: 08 8911 0016
Katherine Women’s Information and Legal Services (KWILS)
Women can get legal advice in all of the following areas:
- children
- separation and divorce
- family and domestic violence
- victims of crime compensation
- wills and deceased estates
- superannuation
- child protection
- credit and debt.
Contact
Shop 5 Katherine Arcade
Katherine NT 0850
PO Box 1194
Katherine NT 0851
Phone: 08 8972 1712 or 1800 620 108
Fax: 08 8972 1572
Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (CAWLS)
Free legal advice for all Central Australian women, including all of the following areas:
- domestic violence orders
- family law problems including children, property and child support
- compensation, including victims of crime, vehicle accidents and workplace claims
- child protection
- discrimination
- employment and dismissal
- credit and debt
- tenancy.
Contact
1 Stott Terrace
Alice Springs NT 0870
PO Box 3496
Alice Springs NT 0871
Phone: 08 8952 4055 or 1800 684 055
Fax: 08 8952 4033
Indigenous legal services
North Australia Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)
NAAJA provides legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Top End. Their core legal practice is criminal, civil and family law.
They can represent Indigenous people in civil cases including all of the following areas:
- compensation
- coronial inquests
- employment disputes
- adult guardianship
- child protection.
NAAJA lawyers can represent you in the:
- Youth Justice Court
- Local Court
- Supreme Court
- Court of Criminal Appeal.
Contact
Location | Phone and fax | |
---|---|---|
NAAJA Darwin 61 Smith Street Darwin NT 0800 |
PO Box 1064 Darwin NT 0801 |
P: 08 8982 5100
or 1800 898 251 F: 08 8982 5195 (criminal) or 08 8982 5199 (civil) |
NAAJA Katherine 10 Third Street Katherine NT 0850 |
PO Box 1944 Katherine NT 0851 |
P: 08 8972 5000 or
1800 897 728 F: 08 8972 5050 (criminal) or 08 8982 5060 (civil) |
NAAJA Throughcare office |
P:
08 8931 7400 or
1800 321 201 F: 08 8931 7444 |
Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (CAALAS)
CAALAS provides legal advice and representation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Central Australia, as well as community legal education.
CAALAS offers legal help in all of the following areas:
- criminal law
- civil law
- family law
- welfare rights.
Contact
Location | Phone and fax | |
---|---|---|
CAALAS Alice Springs 55 Bath Street Alice Springs NT 0870 |
PO Box 1670 Alice Springs NT 0870 |
P: 08 8950 9300
or
1800 636 079 F: 08 8953 0784 |
CAALAS Tennant Creek 68 Paterson Street Tennant Creek NT 0860 |
PO Box 56 Tennant Creek NT 0861 |
P:
08 8950 9300
or
1800 636 079 F: 08 8953 0784 |
Domestic Violence Legal Service
The Domestic Violence Legal Service provides the following services to victims or people at risk of domestic and family violence:
- free confidential legal advice (Darwin City or Palmerston) on your options including:
- applying for a domestic violence order (DVO)
- changing a DVO
- extending a DVO
- removing a DVO
- police domestic violence orders.
- legal representation
- duty lawyer service at the Darwin Magistrates Court DV list (currently Fridays)
- community legal education
- referrals to support services and other legal services.
Contact
For more information, or to make an appointment, contact the office between Monday to Friday, from 8am to 4pm:
Level 1 Nichols Place
Cnr Cavenagh and Bennett Sts
Darwin NT 0801
info@dvls.nt.gov.au
PO Box 2925
Darwin NT 0801
Phone: 08 8999 7977
Fax: 08 8999 7979
How to find a private lawyer
All lawyers in the Northern Territory (NT) need to have a practising certificate from the Law Society of the NT.
A law society scheme allows you to have an initial 30 minute consultation with a lawyer for $99 including GST.
If you are unsure of the type of lawyer you need, you can call the legal referral service on 08 8981 5104.
You can also find a lawyer using the legal directory on the Law Society NT website.