Where to Get Legal Advice in Australia
Wondering where to get legal advice, who to call, or how to get it today? One number answers all three: 1800 951 176, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Legal Hotline is a free legal information line for every Australian state and territory. You explain what has happened, and our AI legal assistant explains what the law says in plain English, straight away. When you need advice from a lawyer on your own situation, a one-hour consultation with an admitted Australian lawyer can be booked on the same call for a fixed fee of $295, by phone, video or in person.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7.
Where can I get legal advice right now?
In Australia the choices are a law firm (office hours, usually an appointment and a fee), Legal Aid or a community legal centre (free, but limited hours, waiting lists and often an income test), or a telephone line. Legal Hotline is the telephone line that answers now. Call 1800 951 176 at any hour and you are talking within seconds, at no cost, with no appointment and nothing to fill in.
Who do I call for legal advice?
Start with the hotline. An AI legal assistant trained on Australian law, state by state, answers the call and explains the law that applies to what you describe: what it means, how the process works, which deadlines apply and what your options generally are. That is legal information, not legal advice, and calling creates no lawyer-client relationship. For many people it is enough to know where they stand.
If you then need a lawyer's advice on your own facts, you do not have to go looking. A one-hour consultation with an admitted Australian lawyer who handles your kind of matter in your state can be booked on the same call. The fee is fixed at $295 and confirmed before you commit. During business hours a consultation can often be arranged within minutes.
How to get legal advice today, in three steps
Call 1800 951 176. Explain what has happened and where you are. Decide, with the law explained, whether you want a lawyer, and if so book the consultation on the call. The whole thing takes minutes, and it works the same at 3 pm on a Tuesday or 3 am on a Sunday.
Where to seek legal advice for free
If your matter and your means suit Legal Aid, a community legal centre or a court duty lawyer, those are the right places and we will tell you so. The hotline is the fastest way to find out which door is yours.
What the hotline covers
- Criminal charges, police matters, bail and court dates
- Family law: separation, divorce, parenting and property
- Drink driving, drug driving, licence suspension and traffic offences
- Employment: unfair dismissal, redundancy and workplace disputes
- Property, tenancy, contracts, debts and consumer problems
How It Works
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get legal advice for free in Australia?
Legal Aid, community legal centres and court duty lawyers give free advice to people who qualify, usually with limited hours and an income test. The Legal Hotline call and the legal information on it are free for everyone, 24 hours a day, with no income test. A lawyer's own advice through the hotline is a fixed-fee $295 consultation.
Who can I call for legal advice after hours?
Call 1800 951 176. The hotline answers 24/7, including nights, weekends and public holidays, so you can understand your position straight away. Lawyer consultations are arranged around the lawyer's availability and can often be booked for the same day during business hours.
How do I get legal advice if I cannot afford a lawyer?
Start with the free call. Many questions are answered by the legal information alone. If you need a lawyer and cannot pay, the hotline tells you whether Legal Aid or a community legal centre is likely to help and how to reach them.
Is what I get on the call legal advice?
The hotline gives legal information: what Australian law says, how the process works and what options people in your position generally have. Legal advice, where a qualified lawyer applies the law to your specific facts and tells you what to do, is what the lawyer consultation is for. Calling creates no lawyer-client relationship.
Does it matter which state I am in?
Yes, and the hotline handles it. Criminal, traffic, tenancy and many other laws differ between the states and territories, so you say where you are and the information is matched to your state. Lawyers are matched the same way.
Need legal help right now?
Call free, any time, 24 hours a day. No appointment needed.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.