Our Legal Service

When you first contact Djirra, you will speak to one of our paralegal support workers.

They will ask you for personal information and check our systems to ensure our lawyers can assist you.

Djirra will:

• make it easy for you to contact us
• help you access the right service
• obtain your consent
• help you with a referral elsewhere if needed
• listen without judgement
• explain things clearly
• help you make informed decisions
• respect your choices
• do what we say we will do
• be honest, ethical and professional at all times
• respect your privacy
• protect your personal information
• tell you about your rights and responsibilities
• tell you how to make a complaint

Sometimes Djirra’s Legal Service will not be able to assist you with legal advice or opening an ongoing matter because of something called ‘conflict of interest’.

Our legal team is required by law to avoid actual and perceived conflicts of interest between people seeking our assistance and former clients, Djirra staff, volunteers or Board members.

This rule applies to all lawyers and legal services in Australia and Djirra’s Legal Service must comply with it.

If an actual or perceived conflict of interest arises, Djirra may not be able to provide you with legal assistance.

Djirra recognises the importance of, and is committed to protecting and upholding, the privacy and rights of every individual we deal with, in relation to their personal information.

Read our Privacy Policy on how Djirra collects, uses, discloses and otherwise handles personal information.

You have the right to a high standard of legal advice and support, to be treated with courtesy, respect and dignity at all times.

You have the right to be culturally safe, listened to, and to ask questions about anything you don’t understand.

You also have the right to a legal service that is always honest, ethical and professional.

You have the right to make a complaint or give feedback about the service and to have this complaint dealt with appropriately.

Download a brochure (.pdf): My Rights at Djirra’s Aboriginal Family Violence Legal Service

You also have specific rights when it comes to sharing your information.

You have the right to:

• give or withhold client consent - this determines which information can be shared, with whom and for what purpose
• privacy and confidentiality in accordance with relevant laws.

If you are unhappy with any part of our service, please contact Djirra first so that we can do our best to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible.

Djirra will always try to resolve your complaint fairly and as quickly as possible. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two days and let you know next steps, including the expected timeframes.

We’ll keep you informed about our progress and will advise you of the outcome in writing. If you are not satisfied with our response, you can have the complaint reviewed by Djirra’s CEO.

You will receive written advice of the outcome of this review. If you are still not satisfied with the outcome, Djirra can refer you to an external complaint handling organisation which can investigate the matter further.

You can make a complaint about Djirra’s Legal Service to the Victorian Legal Service Board & Commissioner via 1300 796 344.

You can make a complaint about Use of Client Information to the Victorian Information Commissioner via 1300 006 842.

View our complaints policy here (.pdf)

If you have been a victim of crime, and Djirra has acted for you in any matter, Victoria has a Victims’ Charter that sets out how victims should be treated by everyone handling a case.

This includes Police, the courts, the Office of Public Prosecutions and victim support agencies including Djirra.

The charter includes a complaints process. Visit the Victims of Crime Commission website for more information.

You can make a complaint to the Victims of Crime Commissioner via Freecall 1800 010 017 or email enquiries@vocc.vic.gov.au

Djirra provides legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and HM Prison Tarrengower.

Djirra’s legal work in these settings focuses on the areas of Child Protection, Family Violence Intervention Orders, Family Law and Victims of Crime Assistance.

To access Djirra’s legal services or to make a referral call 1800 DJIRRA or email info.afvls@djirra.org.au

Read our Fact Sheets about child protection, family violence and the Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal.