Students and their parents at The Grange College will have easier access to legal advice after the Wyndham Legal Service (WLS) was awarded a grant to provide an in-school lawyer.
The $10,000 from legal firm Slater and Gordon’s community fund will help WLS provide free legal services to members of the school community.
Known as the School Lawyering Project, the program aims to address hidden problems within a public school. The Grange College was chosen because it has a diverse student body from backgrounds including the Pacific Islander communities and refugees.
The school community will have access to an on-site lawyer four days a week for two years and weekly legal education sessions.
A pilot program found that many students and their families had been involved with the justice system but did not know how to access relevant legal advice.
Slater and Gordon western metropolitan personal injury manager Craig Lynch said the in-school lawyer and education sessions program would enhance school community access to legal expertise and potentially help the school in a variety of ways.
“With many students at The Grange being from low socio-economic backgrounds who may also experience geographic isolation or have lower literacy skills, access to legal services can be extremely challenging,” Mr Lynch said.
“Engaging an on-site lawyer will dramatically improve access to necessary legal information and advice, educate the school community and have the potential to contribute to school outcomes such as improving attendance rates.”
WLS said the appointed lawyer would help students with early intervention strategies to help them in dealing with the justice system.
