Introduction - Inner City Legal Centre

Introduction
T
he Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) is a generalist legal centre which
has provided free legal advice, referral and advocacy for people who
live and work in the inner city area of Sydney for the past 24 years. The
Centre has also extended limited services to people living in the northern,
southern and some eastern suburbs of Sydney, as there is no community
legal centre covering those areas. Advice is also given to members of the
gay, lesbian and transgender communities throughout New South Wales. .
The day service offers information and referral as well as ongoing
casework and legal representation in the following areas of law including:
domestic violence, discrimination, unfair dismissal, victim’s compensation
and some minor criminal matters where appropriate. Initial advice is given
by volunteer lawyers on either a Tuesday or Wednesday evening at a
session supervised by Centre Staff. The Centre’s Tuesday evening services
provide general advice and referral. On alternate Tuesdays ICLC also
provides an additional Employment Law Clinic in conjunction with the
General Advice Service. The Wednesday evening service provides advice in
family and employment law matters in conjunction with the Lesbian and
Gay Legal Advice Service. Referral from the Centre’s volunteer lawyers to
ICLC staff for ongoing casework assistance or representation is made
where appropriate.
In an attempt to reduce waiting times the Centre recently introduced a
means test for initial advice on Unfair Dismissal and Family Law matters.
For employment advice the client’s income must be less than $85 000 to
secure an appointment. Family Law Advice will not be given to a client with
assets in excess of a family home and car. ICLC’s scarce casework
resources are allocated to areas of law where there is demonstrated
community need and where legal assistance from other sources is
unavailable or inadequate. .
ICLC also contributes to the local community’s awareness of their legal
rights and responsibilities through an ongoing program of community legal
education. Over the past year staff have provided community legal
education in a variety of forms to local residents and organisations.
Inner City Legal Centre Annual Report 2003—2004 2

The Centre takes a multi-dimensional approach to addressing the legal
concerns of our community. This approach recognises that community
legal education and law reform activities are an integral part of the
Centre’s services. .
Contact Information
Address: Inner City Legal Centre
Rooms 31–32, 2nd Floor
94 Oxford Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Website:
Email:
www.iclc.org.au
Inner_City@fcl.fl.asn.au
Phone: (02) 9332 1966
Fax: (02) 9360 5941
Office Hours
The ICLC office is open Monday to Thursday 10am — 6pm and Fridays
10am — 5pm. The office is closed for lunch from 1pm to 2pm.
All advice is given by appointments except in emergency situations.
Tuesday evening appointments are held from 6pm — 8pm for general legal
matters.
Wednesday evening appointments are held from 6pm — 8pm and cover
matters involving family law, employment law and the lesbian and gay legal
advice service.
ICLC Board of Management 2003/04
Back row:
Melanie Tulley, Janine Collins, Harriet
Grahame, Ryan Versoza
Front row:
Lesley Findlay, Rob Wilkins, Peter Wilson,
David Toolan
Absent:
Sue Bowery
Inner City Legal Centre Annual Report 2003—2004 3