|
 |
Home
 Services |
|
|
| Public Interest Referrals |
QPILCH may refer requests for legal assistance with public interest civil law matters to member law firms or barristers who are willing to take on the matter for free or at a reduce cost.
Our members can only assist with civil law problems.
QPILCH is unable to assist with family law and criminal law requests. For advice or assistance with family and criminal law problems contact Legal Aid Queensland or your nearest community legal centre.
Assistance provided by our member law firms and barristers include:
|
 | advice and opinions | |
drafting documents | |
mediation and negotiation | |
litigation | |
legal projects, including research. |
|
| Eligibility |  |
Before QPILCH will refer a matter for assistance, compliance with the following criteria is required:
|
| The applicant must be unable, or to the satisfaction of QPILCH, ineligible to obtain legal aid and is of insufficient means to afford the required legal services at the applicable charging rates; and | |
the matter must be in the public interest. The matter is a legal matter of public interest if it: | | |
affects a significant number of people; | | |
raises matters of broad public concern; | | |
requires legal intervention to avoid a significant and avoidable injustice; or | | |
particularly impacts on disadvantaged or marginalised groups and | |
the issue requires a legal remedy or other legal assistance; and | |
the issue requires addressing pro bono publico (‘for the common good’); and | |
the matter has legal merit, meaning that the likelihood of success and risks of taking on the case are supported by the important social justice issues of the case. |
|
| Procedures | |
Requests for assistance can come to QPILCH directly from individuals and organisations and from community legal services, the courts, community organisations and other referral agencies:
|
| The applicant should complete an application form (see below). | |
QPILCH will assess the matter. | |
if eligible, the matter will be referred to a member firm or barrister: | | |
Members are not obliged to accept a referral, so we cannot guarantee that a referral will be made in all matters that comply with our public interest and merit tests. | | |
If a referral is accepted by a member firm, the person or organisation seeking assistance becomes a client of the firm, and the normal solicitor/client relationship in pro bono matters is activated. The firm and client will sign a pro bono client agreement (see, for example, below) which will set out the scope of the pro bono work and cost obligations (if any). | | |
We send to the firm that accepts the referral a letter with the documents you have provided us and we send to you a letter (in duplicate) advising the name of the solicitor in the firm to contact. We ask you to sign and return the duplicate of this letter. | |
If ineligible, or if we are unable to find a member firm or barrister to accept the matter for referral, QPILCH will write to you explaining why your matter has not been referred and, in appropriate cases, will make suggestions as to who else you could approach for assistance, eg, a community legal centre. |
|
| Application Form | |
Please print out the below Application Form and return to QPILCH at:
PO Box 3631
SOUTH BRISBANE BC QLD 4101
or Fax to (07) 3846 6317
|
| Model Pro Bono Solicitor/Client Agreement | |
 | Client agreement (Doc 68KB) - Click here for an example of the type of solicitor/client agreement you will be required to sign upon the successful referral of your matter (updated as at August 2007). | |
| Free or Low Cost | |
In most cases, law firms and barristers are willing to provide assistance for free on matters within our criteria. However, some matters may involve a number of applicants or groups in matters that are expensive to run. In such cases, members may agree to assist on a low cost basis, asking applicants to fundraise in order to make a contribution to the running of the case.
Even where law firms agree to act on a pro bono basis (for free) you may have to make a contribution towards the disbursements needed to run your case, for example, the costs of obtaining medical reports, copying documents or paying filing fees.
It is also very important to realise that if your case involves litigation and you lose the case, the court or tribunal may order that you pay all the costs (legal fees and disbursements) of the other side (the winning party).
|
| | |
|
|
|
