Publications

Law informed: The value of telephone legal information services to clients

Catriona Mirrlees-Black,

Maria Karras,

Sarah Randell, | 2020

Do telephone legal information services fill a valuable place in the legal assistance landscape? Under its Research Alliance with Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), the Law and Justice Foundation followed up...

Housing-related problems and enquiries to legal assistance services in NSW (Data insights in justice)

Delphine Bellerose,

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2020

Understanding the characteristics of people who experience housing-related legal problems, such as their age, gender and Indigenous status, is important when planning legal assistance services. The LAW Survey and the...

Enquiries to legal assistance services,

Housing & homelessness,

Legal Issues,

Employment-related problems and enquiries to legal assistance services in NSW (Data insights in justice)

Sarah Randell,

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2020

Understanding the characteristics of people who experience employment-related legal problems, such as their age, gender and Indigenous status, is important when planning legal assistance services. The LAW Survey and the...

Enquiries to legal assistance services,

Employment,

Community Legal Centres National Picture, 2018-19

Delphine Bellerose,

Geoff Mulherin, | 2020

This report provides a comprehensive national snapshot of the valuable services provided by Community Legal Centres. Commissioned by the Commonwealth Attorney-Generals Department, it is the first time such a comprehensive...

Access to justice and the COVID-19 pandemic

Law and Justice Foundation of NSW,

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), | 2020

This policy brief, co-authored by the OECD and the Law & Justice Foundation of NSW, focuses on the immediate and medium-term consequences of the COVID-19 crisis for justice systems and...

Access to justice,

Disaster response,

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services National Picture, 2018-19

Delphine Bellerose,

Geoff Mulherin, | 2020

This report provides a comprehensive national snapshot of the valuable services provided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (ATSILSs). Commissioned by the Commonwealth Attorney-Generals Department, it is the...

Community legal information,

Uptake of legal self-help resources: what works, for whom and for what?, Justice issues 30

Hugh McDonald,

Suzie Forell,

Zhigang Wei, | 2019

This paper reports new analysis of the national dataset of the Legal Australia-Wide (LAW) Survey examining Australians' use of self-help resources (SHRs) for legal problems. It includes previously unreported measures...

Legal needs surveys,

Family and domestic abuse,

Quantifying the legal and broader life impacts of domestic and family violence, Justice issues paper 32

Christine Coumarelos, | 2019

New analysis of the Legal Australia-Wide (LAW) Survey reveals that respondents who had experienced domestic and family violence (DFV) reported 20 legal problems on average in the preceding 12 months,...

Domestic Violence,

Legal needs,

Conducting legal need surveys in the Australian context: challenges and options, Justice issues paper 31

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2019

Australia's first legal needs survey, the LAW Survey, was conducted in 2008. Much has changed in the last ten years, including major population growth and a digital transformation in service...

Legal need surveys,

Legal needs surveys,

Methodology,

An indicator of need for community legal centres: introducing NLAS(CLC), Justice issues paper 29

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2019

In August 2018 the NSW government announced that it was adopting an application-based funding model following the Cameron Review of community legal centres and other community-based legal assistance services. The...

Indicators of legal need,

NLAS,

Developing a triage framework: linking clients with services at Legal Aid NSW

Christine Coumarelos,

Hugh McDonald, | 2019

Triage refers to the practice of responding to and sorting the people's legal problems on their degree or type to channel them to the appropriate service. The purpose of triage...

Triage,

Locating demand: updating the Need for Legal Assistance Services indicators: 2016 Census data, Justice issues paper 28

Catriona Mirrlees-Black,

Sarah Randell, | 2018

This paper describes the revisions to the 2015 Need for Legal Assistance Services (NLAS) indicators following the release of the 2016 Census data. The NLAS indicators were developed by the...

Indicators of legal need,

NLAS,

Fines: are disadvantaged people at a disadvantage? Justice issues paper 27

Zhigang Wei,

Hugh McDonald,

Christine Coumarelos, | 2018

Using LAW Survey data, this paper reveals that fines problems disproportionately affect disadvantaged people. The most disadvantaged were particularly vulnerable to fines problems, and the adverse consequences resulting from fines...

Victoria Legal Aid: Information services literature scan

Sarah Randell, | 2018

The purpose of this literature scan was to locate and summarise the available research evidence on information services, with a focus on what contributes to effective legal information. Victoria Legal...

Legal Aid NSW Domestic Violence Unit: process evaluation of the first nine months

Christine Coumarelos,

Suzie Forell,

Amanda Wilson,

Maria Karras, | 2018

The Legal Aid NSW DFV Strategy 2016-2018 aligns with government policies and priorities to ensure people who are affected by DFV receive high quality, client-centred and holistic services. The DVU...

Domestic Violence,

Family and domestic abuse,

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Supreme Court

Suzie Forell,

Christine Coumarelos,

Amanda Wilson, | 2018

The final of nine reports in the series, which encompasses the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), and the Land and Environment Court. For...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Land and Environment Court

Catriona Mirrlees-Black,

Sarah Randell, | 2018

One of nine reports in the series, which encompasses the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), and the Land and Environment Court. For each...

Resolving legal problems: the role of disadvantage

Hugh McDonald,

Zhigang Wei, | 2018

New analysis of the Legal Australia-Wide Survey demonstrates the association between legal problem resolution, level of disadvantage and legal capability. The findings show that disadvantaged Australians are more likely to...

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,

Indigenous people and legal problem resolution

Zhigang Wei,

Hugh McDonald, | 2018

We know that in Australia legal problems are widespread and if they are not resolved, there are health, social and economic consequences. This paper examines the experience of Indigenous Australians...

Access to justice,

Personal injury problems: new insights from the Legal Australia-Wide Survey, Justice issues paper 22

Christine Coumarelos,

Genevieve Grant,

Zhigang Wei, | 2017

This paper uses data from the LAW Survey to shed light on four different types of personal injury problems that are likely to be justiciable or have legal aspects -...

Injury,

Legal needs,

Need for legal assistance services: developing a measure for Australia, Justice issues paper 26

Catriona Mirrlees-Black,

Sarah Randell, | 2017

This paper describes how the Foundation developed the Need for Legal Assistance (NLAS) indicator which uses census data to assess potential demand by geographic location. It provides a count of...

Indicators of legal need,

NLAS,

It’s personal: business ownership and the experience of legal problems, Justice issues paper 24

Pascoe Pleasence,

Nigel Balmer, | 2017

This paper uses Legal Australia-Wide (LAW) Survey data to explore 2,611 nationally representative business owners' experiences of legal problems. Independent of other factors, business owners were found to be more...

Community legal education,

Community legal education and information: model priorities and principles, Justice issues paper 25

Suzie Forell,

Hugh M. McDonald, | 2017

The research evidence on legal need, and on effective service delivery to address that need, provides clear direction for planning effective community legal education and information (CLEI). This paper summarises...

Community legal information,

In summary: evaluation of the appropriateness and sustainability of Victoria Legal Aid’s Summary Crime Program

Hugh McDonald,

Amanda Wilson,

Zhigang Wei,

Sarah Randell,

Suzie Forell, | 2017

In summary: evaluation of the appropriateness and sustainability of Victoria Legal Aid's Summary Crime Program evaluates whether, following changes to the program in 2012-2013, VLA`s SCP is appropriate to client...

Criminal Justice,

What works | Access to Justice,

Data insights in civil justice: NSW District Court

Catriona Mirrlees-Black,

Suzie Forell,

Sarah Randell, | 2017

One of nine reports in the series, which encompasses the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), and the Land and Environment Court. For each...

On the brink: how business owners experience business related and other legal problems

Nigel Balmer,

Pascoe Pleasence, | 2017

New analysis of LAW Survey data has identified three distinct groups among business owners according to their likelihood of experiencing business-related and other types of legal problems ‒ ‘normal’, ‘highly...

From the frying pan to the fire: the impact of small businesses’ legal problems

Nigel Balmer,

Pascoe Pleasence, | 2017

Among LAW Survey respondents, 2,611 people (13%) described themselves as business owners. These business owners reported 984 business-related legal problems, 65 per cent of which resulted in adverseconsequences (e.g. loss...

In need of advice: how business owners respond to legal problems

Nigel Balmer,

Pascoe Pleasence, | 2017

Business owners sought advice to resolve business-related legal problems more often than other LAW Survey respondents. They also made greater use of legal advisers, financial advisers and trade/professional association advisers...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Overview (NCAT Part 1)

Suzie Forell,

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2016

The Department of Justice NSW is seeking to optimise the use of civil court and tribunal data for evidence-based decision-making, specifically the civil divisions of the Local, District and the...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Consumer and Commercial Division (NCAT Part 2)

Suzie Forell,

Christine Coumarelos, | 2016

The final of nine reports in the series, which encompasses the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), and the Land and Environment Court. For...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division & Occupational Division (NCAT Part 3)

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2016

The Department of Justice NSW is seeking to optimise the use of civil court and tribunal data for evidence-based decision-making, specifically the civil divisions of the Local, District and the...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Guardianship Division (NCAT Part 4)

Maria Karras,

Sarah Williams, | 2016

The Department of Justice NSW is seeking to optimise the use of civil court and tribunal data for evidence-based decision-making, specifically the civil divisions of the Local, District and the...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal – Appeal Panel (NCAT Part 5)

Sarah Williams,

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2016

The Department of Justice NSW is seeking to optimise the use of civil court and tribunal data for evidence-based decision-making, specifically the civil divisions of the Local, District and the...

Meeting the greater legal needs of single parents

Maria Karras,

Reiny Iriana, | 2016

New analysis of LAW Survey data reveals that single parents whose children live with them, and single parents whose children live elsewhere, have the highest prevalence of legal problems among...

Legal needs,

Other priority groups,

Single parents,

How people solve legal problems: level of disadvantage and legal capability, Justice issues paper 23

Zhigang Hugh M. McDonald,

Wei, | 2016

The paper provides compelling new evidence from the Legal Australia-Wide (LAW) Survey demonstrating the lower legal capability of multiply disadvantaged people. The most disadvantaged respondents were found to be significantly...

Data insights in civil justice: NSW Local Court

Suzie Forell,

Catriona Mirrlees-Black, | 2016

In summary: evaluation of the appropriateness and sustainability of Victoria Legal Aid's Summary Crime Program evaluates whether, following changes to the program in 2012-2013, VLA's SCP is appropriate to client...

Compensation and insurance,

The nature of personal injury

Christine Coumarelos,

Zhigang Wei,

Genevieve Grant, | 2015

Traditional sources of data give only partial insight into the nature of personal injury as a legal problem. These data typically say little about personal injury that does not result...

Accidents,

Injury,

Community legal education,

Community legal education and information at Legal Aid NSW: activities,costs and a framework for planning

Suzie Forell,

Hugh McDonald, | 2015

A Foundation review of Legal Aid NSW’s CLEI activities reveals new findings and discusses strategic directions, relevant to Legal Aid NSW and CLEI practitioners more broadly. The review included a...

What works? Learning from the literature, Justice issues paper 19

Maria Karras,

Suzie Forell, | 2015

A sensible first step in seeking to understand what works is to identify lessons learned from past experience and research. Yet, faced with a proliferation of articles, research, evaluation reports...

Guidelines & Methods,

Methodology,