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Free legal help - Āwhina mō te ture

Community Law Marlborough provides free community legal services to meet the unmet legal needs in our community.  When you contact our services you can speak to a caseworker who will listen to your problem and give you legal information, advice, assistance or representation in certain circumstances.  We can see clients either face to face, or be contacted by phone or email. 

We can help you in the areas of:
  • Administrative law - school matters, immigration, births, deaths and marriages, welfare, mental health, limited licence
  • Civil law – employment, consumer, financial, personal & human rights, neighbour disputes, tenancy, trusts
  • Family law – care of children, domestic violence, dissolution, PPPR, paternity, dispute resolution
  • Criminal law – crown, local government and police prosecutions
  • Community organisations – legal entities, charitable trusts, incorporated societies
  • Māori legal issues - Māori land, succession, whānau trusts
  • Education - we provide education sessions to community organisations/schools
We do not provide legal advice about the following:
  • Conveyancing or property leasing (except residential tenancies)
  • Business ventures and commercial transactions
  • We do not draft or witness property relationship agreements
  • We do nnot witness powers of attorney or enduring powers of attorney
    (but we can give you initial legal information about these matters)

We do not represent people in Court, but we can be an advocate for you in other forums such as employment mediation, ERA, disputes and tenancy tribunals.  

Our experienced caseworkers are also supervised to ensure the best possible assistance is provided.  We adhere to policies and standards and comply with the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006.

When you come in for an appointment you will be asked to complete a confidential form, including your contact details, statistical information and an outline of our terms of engagement.  This is a requirement by our funders (Ministry of Justice) and is in terms of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006, and the Lawyers and Conveyancing Act / Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care Rules 2008.