Legal Aid Queensland

Community workers and lawyers! Do you support people who are working with Child Safety? Register for our free webinar on 18 September to learn how #LegalAidQld can help clients working with Child Safety to achieve better outcomes. Lawyers Courtney Mobbs and Rebecca Mullins from our Child protection team will discuss: ▪️ how to refer parents or children to LAQ ▪️ the services we offer ▪️ the different types of lawyers in child protection proceedings and their roles ▪️ case studies. Register via link in bio. #communitylegaleducation #qldchildprotectionweek

We were at the Burleigh Heads and Labrador Family Fun Days this week, providing legal information and advice around child protection and other legal matters. If you're supporting children in the care of Child Safety or a long-term or permanent guardian, you can call Legal Aid Queensland on 1300 65 11 88 for legal help, call our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Information Line on 1300 650 143, or visit https://bit.ly/3Mwvw6t to find out more about child protection support. #childprotectionweek #Everyconversationmatters #LegalAidQld

Legal Aid Queensland’s CEO Nicky Davies joined a panel of inspiring women leaders at the Public Sector Women in Leadership Summit held in Brisbane last week, sharing valuable insights from her career and leadership journey in the law. Along with the Chair of Energy Queensland Sarah Zeljko, Department of State Development & Infrastructure CEO Debbie McNamara and Deputy Chief Inspector, Explosives, Resources Safety & Health Queensland Dr Snezana Bajic, Nicky discussed challenges she has faced in her career, leadership advice that has impacted her, how she defines success as a leader, and advice for emerging leaders. Nicky also discussed the significant strides Legal Aid Queensland has made over the last two decades towards gender equality in leadership, with 80 percent of leadership positions in the organisation now being held by women. Photo courtesy of The Hatchery.

Legal Aid Queensland acknowledges Indigenous Literacy Day on Wednesday 4 September. This year's theme is "Be a proud voice for Country!" The Indigenous Literacy Foundation is inviting people to watch a film and join an online event as part of this year's celebrations. The film will share stories of the diverse ways children, Elders and families connect with Country and the significance of Country in Aboriginal communities. The 45 minute livestream goes inside the Sydney Opera House for online storytelling and song with Jessica Mauboy, Bianca Hunt, Justine Clarke, Josh Pyke and more! To watch the event live (10:30am on Wednesday 4 September) or later, register here: https://bit.ly/3Mlxx5i First Nations people who need legal help can call our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander information line on on 1300 650 143, or visit your nearest Legal Aid Queensland office. #IndigenousLiteracyDay2024 #ProudVoiceforCountry #LegalAidQld

Do you know a child or young person living in the care of Child Safety or a long-term or permanent guardian? The Charter of Rights for children in care outlines children's rights to: - be safe and healthy - be themselves - be informed, have a voice and be heard - learn and earn. Legal Aid Queensland has information to help children and young people understand their rights in care, how to have a say in court, disagree with decisions made about them, and access child advocates to help express their views and wishes to the court. Find out more: https://bit.ly/3R1mOgZ #ChildProtectionWeek #LegalAidQld

Legal Aid Queensland welcomes the appointment of human rights lawyer and experienced legal assistance sector leader Matilda Alexander to our board. Currently CEO of Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion (QAI), Matilda has more than 20 years’ experience in human rights law and leadership, including at QAI, Prisoners’ Legal Service and the LGBTI Legal Service. She has also lectured at Griffith University and practised human rights law at the Queensland Human Rights Commission and Legal Aid Queensland. Matilda’s work with vulnerable communities has been recognised with numerous awards and she has been selected three times as a delegate to the United Nations Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in New York. Matilda is Patron of the LGBTI Legal Service, and is appointed to the Independent Ministerial Advisory Council, Queensland Disability Advisory Council, LGBTIQ+ Roundtable and the National Strategy Advisory Group. Thank you to outgoing long-serving board member Sandra Deane for her significant contributions to the board and the organisation over an extraordinary 10 years of service. #legalaidqld #boardappointment #a2j

Today marks the start of National Child Protection Week (1-7 September). If you're in contact with a young person who may be experiencing harm, take the time to listen and support them to get help. Legal Aid Queensland provides a range of support for child protection matters. – If you need legal advice about a child safety matter call us on 1300 65 11 88, phone our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander information line on 1300 650 143, or visit your nearest office. – If you're appearing in court our child protection duty lawyers are available in the Childrens Courts in Beenleigh, Brisbane, Caboolture, Cairns, Cleveland, Gladstone, Ipswich, Mackay, Maroochydore, Pine Rivers, Rockhampton, Southport, Toowoomba and Townsville. For more information about how we can help and how other agencies can support you to keep children safe, visit https://lnkd.in/gzrYBGai #ChildProtectionWeek #LegalAidQld

We were pleased to be at Beyond DV's Dress to Express event today in Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall joining more than a hundred women who are reclaiming their freedom to wear what they want and express themselves through fashion. It’s a fun event with a serious message behind it: control over what a person wears is a form of coercive control – a pattern of behaviours used to hurt, humiliate, isolate, frighten, or threaten a person. Other examples are having power over how the other person spends their money, isolating them from friends and family, putting them down, and making them question themselves. It was great to join victim-survivors, advocates, ambassadors, media personalities and fashionistas expressing their own style in fabulous ways. The event included a march through the mall, panel-discussion about domestic and family violence, entertainment, op-shop styling, and information and resources. Beyond DV empowers and supports women and children as they rebuild their lives after DFV. If you live in Brisbane and need help, visit their Hope Hub at Westfield Carindale shopping centre. For more information visit: www.beyonddv.org.au. To get legal help for a path away from domestic violence, contact Legal Aid Queensland at 1300 65 11 88 or visit one of our offices across Queensland. If you’re in South East Queensland, contact our Violence Prevention and Women’s Advocacy Team (based in Brisbane) on 07 3917 0597. For more information visit our website: https://bit.ly/4akoLPx #DresstoExpress #coercivecontrol 1800RESPECT #BrisbaneFashionFestival

Congratulations to three outstanding Legal Aid Queensland lawyers —Jakub Lodziak, Kellie Walker and Mark Schofield —who were appointed to the bench yesterday. Jakub is a highly respected barrister who has worked at Legal Aid Queensland since 2005. He was recently appointed to the role of Acting Public Defender, leading our in-house barrister chambers. In 2021, he received an outstanding achievement award for his tireless work providing quality legal representation to disadvantaged clients in complex trials and sentences. Kellie is the Acting Senior Principal Lawyer in our Cairns office and has worked for Legal Aid Queensland since 2011. She was named Queensland Regional Practitioner of the Year in 2020 and is vice-president of the North Queensland Law Association. Mark started his career with Legal Aid Queensland in 2002 and was Assistant Director of Criminal Law Services for eight years. Mark was heavily involved in implementing Queensland’s first Domestic and Family Violence Court in Southport and has been an Acting Magistrate for the past four months. We wish Jakub, Kellie and Mark all the best for their new roles as Queensland Magistrates and thank them for their services to Legal Aid Queensland and our clients. #legalaidqld #a2j #appointments #magistrates

We're proudly wearing it purple today for young people in the LGBTQIA+ community. 💜 This year's theme is Your Passion, Your Pride - empowering LGBTIQA+ young people to dream big and share Your Passion, Your Pride with Australia. We see you, we support you and we respect your diversity. For legal help call our Youth Legal Advice line on 1800 LAQ LAQ (1800 527 527) Artwork by Nicky Tsekouras, winner of Wear It Purple’s Youth Action Council (YAC) Design Competition. @WearitPurple #WIPD2024