About Us
The ALS is a proud Aboriginal organisation.
We opened our doors in 1970 in Redfern as the first Aboriginal Legal Service in Australia – that makes us over 40 years old!
The ALS does legal work in Criminal law and Children’s Care and Protection law.
We assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, women and children through representation in court, advice and information, and referral to further support services.
But we also do things making us different from other legal service providers, like:
- We have Field Officers who live and work in their communities working hand in hand with our Lawyers as cultural translators
- Our Custody Notification Service provides early legal advice for Aboriginal people taken into Police custody
- We help people apply for Work and Development Orders
- We assist people in accessing Civil and Family law advice
- We assist prisoners getting out of gaol reintegrate into daily life
- We make films, brochures and educational resources used for talking with people about their legal rights through our Community Legal Education program
- We lobby at a local, State, Federal and international level about Aboriginal people’s rights to justice
- If we can’t assist someone, we can usually find someone who can.
We have 23 offices and 185 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff across NSW and ACT working towards achieving justice for Aboriginal people and the community.