The Legal Aid Commission works closely with other legal service providers and community agencies to ensure real equity of access to the law, particularly for disadvantaged people of New South Wales.

Cooperative Legal Service Delivery Program
In June 2004, Legal Aid NSW launched a partnership called the Cooperative Legal Service Delivery Program (CLSD), bringing together government, community and private sector agencies in a regional and cooperative approach to delivering legal services.

For a summary of the aims and structure of CLSD and a list of member agencies, please view this factsheet.
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An Overview of the Co-operative Legal Service Delivery Program.

NSW Legal Assistance Forum
The NSW Legal Assistance Forum (NLAF) aims to improve access to legal services for socially and economically disadvantaged people in NSW, through collaboration in relation to the planning, coordination and delivery of services. Currently chaired by Legal Aid NSW, its membership spans government agencies, community legal centres, the Aboriginal Legal Service and professional associations.  NLAF's current workplan includes projects in relation to the legal needs of prisoners, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and the availability of lawyers in remote, rural and regional NSW.  For more information about NLAF's membership, objectives and activities see www.nlaf.org.au .

NSW Legal Referral Forum
Key service providers in NSW use this forum to find ways of improving the quality of referral services to clients with legal problems. More information. 

Regional Solicitor Program
Legal Aid NSW works closely with private practitioners to provide legal services in regional, rural and remote areas.  However, the number of legal practitioners located in regional and rural NSW that are available and willing to undertake legal aid work is declining.  Therefore, Legal Aid NSW introduced the Regional Solicitor Program (RSP) as an avenue for improving access to legal services for regional, rural and remote communities by providing salary subsidy and other support to law firms to recruit solicitors to undertake legal aid work.  The RSP provides:

• employment opportunities for young solicitors in law firms in regional, rural and remote areas; and
  
• providing clients in these areas, particularly economically and socially disadvantaged people, with improved access to legal advice and representation.

An Interim Evaluation of the RSP was completed in October 2008. A further evaluation of the RSP is currently underway.  There are currently ten firms participating in the RSP at Albury; Bega; Batemans Bay/Moruya; Central Tablelands (Bathurst); Cowra; Dubbo; Far South West (Balranald/Mildura); Moree; Tamworth; Taree.  More information about the RSP is contained in the Guidelines .

Regional Outreach Clinic Program

The Regional Outreach Clinic Program is an initiative of Legal Aid NSW aimed at improving access to advice and minor assistance services in rural, regional and remote areas of NSW through partnerships with selected private law firms or Community Legal Centres.  Legal Aid NSW funds participating service providers to provide advice and minor assistance services in outreach locations that have been selected on the basis of high socio-economic disadvantage and relative lack of access to free legal services. 

In addition, some solicitors may provide periodic advice in Correctional Centres. Click here for details of the legal service providers currently participating in the Regional Outreach Clinic Program and details of outreach clinics.

Click here for more information about the Program.    

Discrimination Toolkit
The Discrimination Toolkit – your guide to making a discrimination complaint was launched during Law Week 2007 by The Hon Elizabeth Evatt AC.  The toolkit is for people who believe they have been discriminated against and want to do something about it.

The toolkit is funded and produced in partnership by the Elizabeth Evatt Community Legal Centre, Kingsford Legal Centre, Legal Aid NSW and the Australian Institute of Administrative Law.

The toolkit contains 150 pages of practical information on running a discrimination complaint in both the state and federal jurisdictions. You can download the toolkit or contact the Publications Unit for a hard copy. Tel: 9219 5028 or publications@legalaid.nsw.gov.au