- Home
- My problem is about
- A criminal charge
- Police and my rights
- Assault
- Coercive control
- Destroying or damaging property
- Driving offences criminal charge
- Drugs
- Stealing
- Going to court
- Responding to a charge
- Pleading guilty
- Pleading not guilty
- Bail
- After court
- Restitution
- Forms
- Apprehended violence order avo
- Types of avos
- Getting an avo
- Applying for an avo protected person
- Police avo applications protected person
- Private avo applications protected person
- Property recovery orders protected person
- Mention protected person
- Preparing for the hearing protected person
- Presenting your case protected person
- Written statements and evidence protected person
- The decision protected person
- Costs in avo cases protected person
- After court
- Defending an avo
- Service of documents defendant
- Responding to an avo application defendant
- Cross applications defendant
- Property recovery orders defendant
- Mention defendant
- Preparing for the hearing defendant
- Written statement and evidence defendant
- Presenting your case defendant
- The decision defendant
- Costs in avo cases defendant
- After court
- Charges and avos
- Avos to protect children
- Avos against children
- Consequences for the protected person
- Consequences for the defendant
- Avos and family law
- Reporting a breach
- Breaching your avo
- Serious domestic abuse prevention orders
- Getting more help
- Forms avo
- Cyber safety
- Disasters
- Discrimination
- Fines
- Types of fines
- Fines and young people
- Help with multiple fines
- Pay your fine
- Name the driver
- Request a review
- Work and development orders wdos
- Request a fine reduction
- Ask to have your fine written off
- Fines go to court
- Going to court
- Pleading guilty in writing
- Step by step guide preparing for court
- Your submissions
- Fines character references
- Apology letter
- Step by step presenting your guilty plea
- Pleading not guilty in writing
- Step by step guide preparing for the hearing
- Evidence
- Step by step guide subpoenas
- Step by step guide presenting your case
- Costs in fine cases
- Driving and criminal record
- Appeals and annulments
- Applying for an annulment in fine cases
- Pay your court fine
- Going to court
- What if i do nothing
- Forms fine
- Government benefits
- Mental health
- My car or a driving offence
- Car accidents
- Driving offence
- Losing your licence
- Getting your car or number plates back
- E bikes e scooters and e skateboards
- Forms my car or a driving offence
- My family or relationship
- Adoption
- Care and protection
- Child support
- Divorce
- When you can apply for a divorce
- Apply for a divorce
- Respond to an application for divorce
- Withdraw application or response to divorce
- Preparing for the hearing
- Going to the hearing
- Divorce order
- After court
- Forms divorce
- Domestic and family violence
- Mediation
- Parenting
- Finance and property
- My housing
- Tenancy
- Eviction
- Homelessness
- Social housing
- Uncollected goods
- Mortgages
- My job
- Termination of employment
- How do i choose
- Unfair dismissal
- What is unfair dismissal
- Can you apply
- Step by step guide making an unfair dismissal application
- Step by step guide preparing for conciliation unfair dismissal
- Step by step guide going to conciliation unfair dismissal
- Step by step guide preparing for the hearing unfair dismissal
- Unfair dismissal evidence
- Step by step guide presenting your case at the hearing unfair dismissal
- Costs in unfair dismissal cases
- Unfair dismissal appeals
- Forms unfair dismissal
- General protections dismissal
- What are general protections
- Step by step guide application for general protections dismissal
- Step by step guide preparing for conciliation general protections
- Step by step guide going to conciliation for a general protections dismissal case
- After conciliation
- Arbitration
- General protections going to the fcfcoa
- Step by step guide preparing for the hearing general protections
- General protections arguing your case
- Step by step guide presenting your case at hearing general protections
- After court general protections dismissal
- Forms general protections dismissal
- Workplace health and safety
- Wages and entitlements
- Wages
- Wages and entitlements leave
- Wages and entitlements redundancy pay
- What if my entitlements are not paid
- Wages and entitlements going to fcfcoa
- Step by step guide making an application
- Wages and entitlements going to mediation
- Costs in unpaid wages or entitlement cases
- Step by step guide preparing for the hearing wages and entitlements
- Wages and entitlements subpoenas
- Wages and entitlements affadavits and statements
- Step by step guide presenting your case at the hearing wages and entitlements
- Wages and entitlements arguing your case
- After court wages and entitlements
- Forms wages and entitlements
- Finding employment law
- Bullying and sexual harassment
- Sexual harassment
- Superannuation
- Workers compensation
- Workplace rights service
- Termination of employment
- My money
- Types of debts
- Resolving your dispute
- Making a claim
- Identify the party that owes you money
- Letter of demand
- Going to court
- Step by step guide preparing a statement of claim
- Step by step guide working out pre judgement interest
- Step by step guide serving a statement of claim
- Step by step guide changing the statement of claim
- Defendants response
- Settling your case
- Step by step guide applying for default judgment
- Step by step guide responding to application to set aside default judgment
- After court
- Enforcement
- Step by step guide enforcing ncat orders
- Step by step guide enforcing interstate judgments
- Appeal the local court decision making a claim
- Apply for a review of a local court decision
- Responding to a claim
- Pre trial review
- The hearing
- Local court general division
- Mistaken and authorised payments
- Disputes with banks or credit providers
- Bankruptcy
- Forms my money
- My right as a
- My neighbour
- Animals
- Fences
- Your rights and obligations
- Urgent fencing work
- Talk to your neighbour
- What if we agree
- What if we cant agree
- Fencing orders
- Step by step guide completing your ncat application
- Step by step guide preparing for the ncat hearing
- Step by step guide presenting your case at the nact hearing
- Step by step guide completing your local court application
- Going to the mention
- Step by step guide preparing for the local court hearing
- Step by step guide presenting your case at the local court hearing
- Step by step guide preparing subpoenas
- After the decision
- Boundaries
- Retaining walls
- Forms fences
- Noise
- Trees
- Planning ahead
- Someone who died
- Victims rights
- Visas and immigration
- I have a different problem
- A criminal charge
- Ways to get help
- Legal advice
- Help at court
- Representing myself
- Publications and resources
- A guide to bail
- A guide to indictable appeals
- Acbf and youpla companies
- Adoption info for kids what is a separate representative
- Adoption info for young people working with a lawyer
- Adult children living at home
- Appealing to the district court
- Are you a grandparent
- Are you applying for an avo
- Are you disqualified from driving
- Are you experiencing domestic violence
- Are you experiencing violence or abuse
- Are you having trouble paying your home loan
- Are you having problems with fines
- Are you having problems with your home mortgage
- Are you on a temporary visa
- Being a guardian for a child or young person
- Burn a short film and study guide
- Cant pay your fines
- Caring for kids
- Centrelink problems
- Character references
- Have you been charged with a dv offence
- Charged with driving without a valid licence
- Charmed and dangerous
- Child support factsheets
- Child support factsheet 1 taking action to get child support
- Child support factsheet 2 taking action to dispute paternity
- Child support factsheet 3 applying to court for a change of assessment
- Child support factsheet 4 applying to court for a stay order
- Child support factsheet 5 going to the administrative review tribunal
- Childrens legal service
- Covid 19 and employment
- Crashed your car
- Credit law toolkit
- Deciding whether you should help with supervision
- Disability support pension
- Discrimination toolkit
- Divorce factsheets
- Do you need legal help and support with domestic violence
- Do you need support for your family law problem men
- Do you need support for your family law problem women
- Do you need support or legal help with your family law problem
- Domestic and family violence help at court er
- Drink driving charges and you
- Drugs driving and you
- Early intervention for aboriginal and torres strait islander people
- Employment problems requests for medical information or examinations
- Everyone deserves respect
- Family dispute resolution at legal aid nsw
- Family violence law help
- Fined out
- Part 01 introduction
- Part 02 fine notices
- Part 03 court fines
- Part 04 recovery action by revenue nsw
- Part 05 responding to revenue nsw recovery action
- Part 06 young people and first nations people
- Part 07 demerit points and your driver licence
- Part 08 privacy and access to information
- Part 09 useful contacts glossary sample letters
- Get court smart
- Get street smart under 18s know your legal rights
- Get work ready
- Going to court a guide to the local court
- Got a fine
- Got an avo how to stick to your order
- Got an avo pocket guide aboriginal
- Have you been involuntarily admitted to a hospital
- Have you breached your parole
- Help for people with child support problems
- Helping your family financially
- Hey you mob need help with child support
- Home loan after separation
- How can i bring my refugee family here
- How legal aid can help you
- How legal aid nsw can help you aboriginal
- I am being investigated at work
- I am in prison on remand
- In prison and had your visa cancelled
- Insurance check up bushfire
- Insurance check up storm or flood
- Insurance claims after a disaster
- Is dcj talking to you about your kids
- Is someone asking the court to make an avo
- Kids in care
- Booklet 01 dcj want to talk about my kids
- Booklet 02 going to the childrens court
- Booklet 03 things have changed and i want my kids back
- Booklet 04 childrens court made a decision i am unhappy about
- Booklet 05 what happens when my kids are in care
- Booklet 06 aboriginal and torres strait islander children and care
- Lets talk trespass
- Legal aid refugee service free legal help for refugees
- Legal topics for seniors
- Mortgage problems due to interest rate rises
- Mortgage problems due to partner separation
- Mortgage stress handbook
- Chapter 01 how to use this handbook
- Chapter 02 is my problem urgent
- Chapter 03 can the lender take my house
- Chapter 04 lender has been unfair
- Chapter 05 catching up on repayments
- Chapter 06 making a workable repayment arrangement
- Chapter 07 lender says no to repayment arrangement
- Chapter 08 do i need to consider selling my home
- Chapter 09 lender has taken action against me
- Chapter 10 getting your superannuation
- Chapter 11 mortgage assistance
- Chapter 12 getting a stay of eviction from court
- Chapter 13 industry codes of practice
- Chapter 14 useful contacts
- Moving in with the family
- Need immigration advice
- Not happy with an ndis decision
- Need help with a centrelink problem
- Police powers
- Prisoners legal service
- Problems with a private training course
- Questions you should ask your lawyer
- Reparations for stolen generations survivors
- Reviewing local court decisions
- Speaking for myself
- Sexting
- Serving a sentence for a commonwealth offence
- Subpoena survival guide
- Support or legal help for your family law problem
- The child protection register
- Their privacy is your priority
- They want me to leave
- Thinking of a rent to buy home purchase
- Veterans advocacy service
- Visa applications and the family violence provisions
- What is an independent childrens lawyer
- What are my legal rights
- What happens when we split up
- What happens when your parents go to court
- What happens when your relationship ends
- What is a section 14
- What to do after a disaster your insurance questions answered
- When kids in care are adopted
- Who gets my stuff when i die
- Who will decide for you if you cant decide
- Why make a will
- Womens domestic violence court advocacy services
- Womens domestic violence court advocacy services for atsi women
- Working with children checks what do i need to know
- Your home and the age pension
- Your workplace rights during natural disasters and emergencies
- Raindrops and dreams
- Employment problems spot the signs
- Legal words
- Guided pathways
- Apply for legal aid
- My legal aid
- Appeal a legal aid decision
- Community legal education
- Complaints about a service
- Client portal
- For lawyers
- Panels and compliance
- Grants online
- Schemes
- Policy online
- Delegation instrument
- Eligibility tests
- Means test
- Means test guidelines
- What matters are means tested
- Whose means are considered
- Means test structure
- Income test
- Assets test
- Lifestyle test
- Means test determines initial contribution
- Means test determines contribution to adverse cost
- Discretions under the means test
- Verification
- Special types of applicants
- Contributions on net assessable assets
- Simplified means test
- Merit test
- Jurisdiction test
- Forum test
- Availability of funds test
- Era means test
- Era merit test
- Ela means test
- Ela merit test
- Means test
- Crime policies
- Crime guidelines
- Crime policy children
- Crime policy local court
- Crime policy control orders
- Crime policy appeals and reviews
- Crime policy indictable matters
- Crime policy prisoners matters
- Crime policy court diversion programs
- Crime policy land and environment court
- Crime policy criminal contempt of court
- Crime policy when legal aid is not available
- Crime extended legal assistance
- Family policies
- Family guidelines
- Family policy care and protection
- Family policy parenting
- Family policy property
- Family policy divorce
- Family policy child support and maintenance
- Family law adoption
- Family policy appeals
- Family policy contempt of court
- Family policy special medical procedures
- Family extended legal assistance
- Civil policies
- Civil guidelines
- Breach of civil liberties
- Child protection working with children act 2012
- Commonwealth benefits allowances and pensions
- Consumer protection
- Coronial inquests into deaths
- Discrimination
- Drug and alcohol treatment act 2007 nsw
- Employment law
- Extradition proceedings
- Guardianship act 1987 nsw
- Loss of home
- Mental health act 2007 nsw
- Migration
- National disability insurance scheme act 2013 cth
- Public health act 2010 nsw
- Public interest human rights
- Sexual assault communications privilege
- Trustee and guardian act 2009 nsw
- War veterans matters
- Matters for which legal aid is not available
- Avo policies
- Administrations of grants of aid
- Types of grants of aid
- Contributions policy
- Contributions guidelines
- Paying initial contributions
- Reducing or waiving an initial contribution
- Refunding an initial contribution
- Securing contributions with a charge
- Calculating the contribution to legal costs
- Notice of contribution
- Costs assessment
- Reducing a contribution to legal costs
- Assigning the right to recover costs
- Refunding a contribution to legal costs
- Initial contributions
- Can contributions be secured upfront
- What is a contribution to legal costs
- Exempted matters
- Matters where the charge policy does not apply
- Contributions guidelines
- Representation allocating legal work
- Cost and fees
- Grants to community legal centres
- Terminating grants of legal aid
- Legal aid review panel policies
- Legal aid commission act
- Service types
- Policy resources
- Policy bulletins
- Policy bulletin 2025 12 civil law policies
- 2025 11 criminal law policy sdapos
- 2025 10 family law ela policy change
- 2025 09 changes to the means test
- 2025 08 changes to the criminal law policies
- 2025 07 civil law policy subpoena to a complainant
- 2025 06 civil law era and ela employment disputes
- 2025 05 civil law policy for guardianship matters
- 2025 04 termination guidelines
- 2025 03 verification of means
- 2025 02 cth family law fee increase
- 2025 01 civil law cth benefits policy
- 2024 12 fee scale for expert evidence
- 2024 11 cth community safety order scheme
- 2024 10 ela care and protection
- 2024 9 family law ela policy change
- 2024 8 civil ela and era
- 2024 7 increase to cth fee scales
- 2024 6 apprehended violence orders
- 2024 5 fee scale for cth criminal law matters
- 2024 4 fee scale for cth family law matters
- Policy bulletin 2024 3 civil law migration policy
- Policy bulletin 2024 2 family law property policy
- Policy bulletin 2024 1 at special disadvantage test
- Policy bulletin 2023 13 crime ela
- Policy bulletin 2023 12 expanding era for property
- Policy bulletin 2023 11 increase in preparation fee for icl
- Policy bulletin 2023 10 care and protection certain care mediations to be conducted as an era
- Policy bulletin 2023 9 care and protection policy amendment increase to funding for preparation
- Policy bulletin 2023 8 increased fees for private lawyers in state matters
- Policy bulletin 2023 7 crime psychologist and psyc
- Policy bulletin 2023 6 lafpa
- Policy bulletin 2023 5 means test changes
- Policy bulletin 2023 4 civil law policy
- Policy bulletin 2023 3 extended legal assistance report at work
- Policy bulletin 2023 2 family law policy care and protection matters
- Policy bulletin 2023 1 family law policy funding for independent childrens lawyers
- Policy bulletin 2022 11 availability of funds test
- Policy bulletin 2022 10 criminal law policy childrens criminal law matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 9 funding for drug testing
- Policy bulletin 2022 8 civil law policy mental health matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 7 criminal law policy mandatory disease testing regime
- Policy bulletin 2022 6 increased fees for private lawyers in certain family law matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 5 increased fees for private lawyers in state matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 4 fee scale for high risk offender matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 3 high risk commonwealth terrorism matters
- Policy bulletin 2022 2 family law merit test a
- Policy bulletin 2022 1 family law era for early intervention mediation
- Policy bulletin 2021 7 means test changes
- Policy bulletin 2021 6 extended legal assistance corrections to the child protection register
- Policy bulletin 2021 5 early resolution assistance prefiling adoption mediation pilot
- Policy bulletin 2021 4 increased fees for private lawyers in state matters
- Policy bulletin 2021 3 criminal law policy aboriginal women in the local court
- Policy bulletin 2021 2 extended legal assistance victims of violent crime
- Policy bulletin 2021 1 criminal law policy contempt of court
- Policy bulletin 2020 11 civil law the legal aid bushfire scheme
- Policy bulletin 2020 10 civil and family law polices aboriginal client services strategy policy review
- Policy bulletin 2020 9 extended legal assistance civil and crime matters
- Policy bulletin 2020 8 family law policy property matters
- Policy bulletin 2020 7 increased fees for private lawyers in state matters
- Policy bulletin 2020 6 criminal law policy applications to remove driver disqualifications
- Policy bulletin 2020 5 covid 19 changes for parents in care proceedings
- Policy bulletin 2020 4 covid 19 means test changes
- Policy bulletin 2020 3 covid 19 telephone mediation scheme
- Policy bulletin 2020 2 property mediation pilot era
- Policy bulletin 2020 1 private practitioner fees local court and childrens court summary matters and travel
- A z guide to policies
- Client declaration and centrelink consent file note
- Means test resources
- Write off guidelines for irrecoverable debts
- Policy bulletins
- Fee scales
- Crime fee scales
- Crime fee guidelines
- Crime local court fee scales
- Crime childrens court fee scales
- Crime district court fee scales
- Crime supreme court fee scales
- Court of criminal appeal fee scales
- Crime court of appeal fee scales
- Crime high court fee scales
- Crime duty lawyer fee scales
- Crime psychologist and psychiatrist fee scales
- Family fee scales
- Family era fee scales
- Family federal circuit and family court fee scales
- Family local court fee scales
- Family childrens court fee scales
- Family district court fee scales
- Family supreme court fee scales
- Family high court fee scales
- Family ncat fee scales
- Family duty lawyer fee scales
- Family single expert fee scales
- Family violence and cross examination of parties scheme
- Family fee guidelines
- Family era mediator fee scales
- Civil fee scales
- Civil merit advice
- Civil local court
- Civil nsw civil and administrative tribunal
- Mental health review tribunal
- Administrative appeals tribunal
- Fair work commission
- Civil district court
- Civil supreme court
- Civil federal circuit and family court
- Federal court
- Civil high court
- Civil duty lawyer
- Expert evidence civil law
- Civil fee guidelines
- Fees for all law types
- Archive
- Crime fee scales
- Resources and tools
- General resources
- Criminal law resources and tools
- Criminal law resources supreme court bail
- Criminal law resources childrens
- Criminal law resources summary criminal law
- Criminal law resources early appropriate guilty pleas
- Criminal law resources indictable appeals
- Costs recovery faqs
- Criminal law conference papers
- Criminal law letter templates
- Matter types and clauses for sexual offences csoep
- Family law resources and tools
- Civil law resources and tools
- Client service standards
- Coercive control
- Professional development
- Lawyer education series
- Summary crime part 1
- Summary crime part 2
- Childrens crime
- Indictable crime matters
- Domestic and family violence essentials
- Urgent parenting matters
- Family dispute resolution
- Care and protection representing parents
- Care and protection representing children
- Guardianship toolkit
- Mental health matters
- Understanding our clients
- Trauma informed legal assistance
- Lawyer education series
- Legal aid review panel
- Bail centralisation
- About us
- Who we are
- Strategic plan 2023 2028
- Disability inclusion action plan 2024 2028
- Our history
- Our board
- Our organisation
- Our partners
- Community legal centres
- Cooperative legal service delivery program
- Central coast clsd partnership
- Central tablelands clsd partnership
- Central west clsd partnership
- Far west clsd partnership
- Greater albury clsd partnership
- Hunter clsd partnership
- Moree clsd partnership
- Northern rivers clsd partnership
- Riverina clsd partnership
- South coast clsd partnership
- Taree forster clsd partnership
- Upper mid north coast clsd partnership
- Clsd program meetings calendar and coordinator contact list
- Clsd program quarterly report
- Clsd birth certificate partnership
- Latest clsd eupdate
- Social media resources
- Clsd reflection project report
- Health justice partnerships
- Regional outreach clinic program
- Womens domestic violence court advocacy program
- Our client service standards
- Careers
- Client satisfaction surveys
- News
- Media releases
- 2025 11 18 welcoming scag review of legal aid private lawyer model
- 2025 11 03 legal aid to help northern nsw workers facing exploitation
- 2025 10 16 be disaster ready and seek advice ahead of summer
- 2025 07 30 statement on centrelink debts decision
- 2025 07 24 new moree legal aid nsw office opens
- 2025 06 23 tech facilitated coercive control on the rise
- 2025 06 17 surge in flood victims seeking legal help
- 2025 05 23 flood victims urged to seek free legal help
- 2025 05 06 law week 2025 media release
- 2025 03 06 free legal help available for cyclone affected residents
- 2025 03 03 legal aid intervenes in centrelink test case
- 2025 02 11 port macquarie office 10th anniversary
- 2025 02 11 criminal law program media release
- 2025 01 13 new legal aid office to open in moree
- 2024 12 05 annual report 2023 24
- 2024 12 05 lafpa media release
- 2024 12 02 free legal topics for seniors diary
- 2024 11 27 support for victim survivors of financial abuse
- 2024 11 12 people urged to check insurance cover drls
- 2024 11 07 client portal media release
- 2024 08 05 joint aboriginal training media release
- 2024 05 28 wage theft media release
- 2024 05 17 law week media release
- Demand for dv legal aid grows amid epidemic
- Legal aid available for flood impacted nsw residents
- Nsw women get workplace harassment legal help
- More seniors getting legal help for elder abuse
- Lawaccess nsw year in review 2022
- Drls e newsletter december 2022
- Spike in demand for legal help after floods
- Free legal diary and calendar for seniors
- Free legal help for south west sydney
- Aboriginal career pathway helps close the gap
- Housing reaching crisis levels in regional areas
- Nsw libraries to bring law to life this law week
- Funding for family law assistance welcomed
- Free legal help for families in griffith
- New children s book helps refugees get legal help
- Regions to benefit from family law support service
- Closing the gap in the legal sector
- New service keeps first nations families together
- New legal aid office to expand access to justice
- Groundbreaking approach for aboriginal families
- Legal advice for families to keep kids at home
- Future first nations lawyers graduate from new program
- 12 million to make applying for legal aid easier
- People urged to check their insurance early
- New legal aid office to meet rising demand
- New tools for lawyers to help clients with trauma
- Free diary helps seniors know their rights
- Other news
- Legal aid nsw launches new website
- Refugee service unties the knot with the ribbon
- Attorney general opens new legal aid nsw office
- Legal aid nsw launches famac
- Yes vote in the voice to parliament
- 2023 premier award finalists
- Future first nations lawyers graduate from program
- Alex rumore wins at the 2023 premier s awards
- New toolkit for legal assistance sector
- Media releases
- Law reform
- Its what we stand for
- Annual reports
- Annual report 2024 25
- Annual report 2023 24
- Overview
- Strategy
- Operations and performance
- Management and accountability
- Key activities of the board
- Board members
- Organisational structure
- Senior executive
- Governance framework
- Legislative compliance and fair processes
- Complaints handling
- Supporting our staff to provide outstanding customer service
- Keeping staff healthy and safe at work
- Workforce diversity and equity
- Legal education and capability development
- Sustainability
- Financial performance
- Appendices
- Annual report 2022 2023
- Annual report 2021 2022
- Annual report archive
- Access to information
- Privacy on this site
- Copyright and disclaimer
- Accessibility statement
- Policies
- Contact us
- Help in other languages
- Ways to get help am
- Ways to get help ar
- Ways to get help bn
- Ways to get help chs
- Ways to get help cht
- Ways to get help din
- Ways to get help el
- Ways to get help es
- Ways to get help fa
- Ways to get help fil
- Ways to get help hi
- Ways to get help hr
- Ways to get help in
- Ways to get help it
- Ways to get help km
- Ways to get help ko
- Ways to get help lo
- Ways to get help mk
- Ways to get help my
- Ways to get help pga
- Ways to get help prs
- Ways to get help ps
- Ways to get help so
- Ways to get help sr
- Ways to get help sw
- Ways to get help syr
- Ways to get help ta
- Ways to get help th
- Ways to get help ti
- Ways to get help tr
- Ways to get help vi
- Sitemap
- My problem is about
- Civil ela guidelines
- Income and entitlements
- Safety
- Dignity equality self determination
- Safe stable housing
- Family kinship
- Liberty
- Education health disability supports
- Essential goods services
- Other extended legal assistance matters