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Thousands flock to Facebook page for free legal advice
A non-profit family law firm spent the last four years providing free legal advice to thousands of people via an online community.
Naomi Neilson
At around midday, a solicitor with New Way Lawyers – Australia’s first non-profit family law firm – will jump onto a closed Facebook group and answer the questions posted by some of its 8,200-plus members.
Carolyn Devries, founder of New Way Lawyers, said the page, Lunch with a Lawyer, has provided a “modern way” to deliver legal services.
“What people are wanting [is] convenience and anonymity, so it really ticks those briefs, particularly in the space of family law and domestic violence,” Devries explained to Lawyers Weekly.
“The more information and accurate resources people can have, the better they’re equipped to get a better outcome, because not everyone can afford a lawyer. I think we all know there are gaps in the system.”
The page was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to fill a space left wide open by the legal aid and duty lawyers who could no longer provide services via traditional and in-person models.
With these models mostly cut off and COVID-19 creating tension in relationships, Devries said there was a “perfect storm” where lots of people were looking for information “but couldn’t really access it”.
“What was still available was people’s ability to get online, and so, we saw it as an opportunity to be able to create a community and a platform for people to be able to ask family law questions and questions about … domestic violence in a safe [and anonymous] way,” Devries said.
Devries said the firm averages about 3,000 questions a year. While some will connect with the firm for additional advice, most have just joined the group for a “reliable, free resource” to get the “right information”.
“Being Australia’s first non-profit law firm, we really love giving back, and we love being able to just be [a source] for people who are feeling unknown and uncertain about what the process is, and being able to give people that little bit of a lifeline,” Devries said.
“I think the team really enjoy that, and there’s a sense of pride.”
Given the complexities of providing any kind of legal advice online – and particularly when those posting the questions are anonymous – Devries said the page is “heavily moderated”. For example, the ability to comment is turned off when a lawyer has answered the poster’s question.
If another comment manages to slip through, it is removed unless it has provided the poster with general support or non-legal information.
Devries said the firm would also direct people elsewhere for non-family law questions, which often occurs in the context of criminal law disputes.
The experience levels of the New Way Lawyers solicitors behind the screen vary, from Devries and other lawyers with decades of experience to the more junior – who are always supervised to ensure the information that is being provided “is accurate and correct”.
Not only is it a good learning opportunity for the juniors, but Devries said she has also improved because of the page.
“Sometimes you just find quite an interesting and kind of involved question and being able to provide a response in a meaningful way online that’s clear and concise is a really valuable skill,” she said.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
