Women's Legal Service SA - Adelaide, South Australia

Serena

Women’s legal service is the terrific organization! Chika and Hanna helped me with the family issues, they supported me the professional and encouraging help and that means a lot to my family! Chika and her team are very supportive and helpful and guide me to be strong as a mom!

Cat

Am still trying to deal with the way my case was handled. There's to much to list but here's a few, didn't stand up for me in court, paperwork not submitted on time then I was blamed, didn't listen to the fact that I was abused, physically and mentally. Didn't make a case for me, questioned them and was threatened with no longer being represented, was yelled at when I tried to explain things. Never listened, exhusband wiped the floor with me and they did nothing and I apparently had a senior solicitor. All I can say is, do absolutely everything in your power to find a different place to represent you. Am now homeless and being told it was in my favour by a percentage that anyway you add it up is nowhere near what they say I got. A vulnerable woman that asked for help and thought she would get represented properly and didn't. They get funded to nothing except giving them a huge wage. I will be taking the matter further. A exhusband that's on a fortune that abused me and it didn't matter. Someone said bulldogs in high heels and lipstick, they got it dead right. Am going to take this matter further as have found out that I wasn't told about a proposal put forward to me by my ex-husband which involved me staying in my home and receiving more superanuation than I got. I have had to move when I didn't have to and in the process have lost a pet and living in unsuitable accommodation for my health. Nothing was put forward to me which was proposed by my ex and I was shut out of all court proceedings as I couldn't hear anything and was giving wrong times. APPALING. I didn't pay for representation with the representation I did get I wouldn't of paid for it. Find yourself any other law firm unless you want to be lied to and ignored.

Alicia

New clients are directed to an automated voicemail service. I left a message and waited 30 days for a response… Luckily in that time I had paid for a private lawyer. The advice from Legal Women’s service was not only late, but insufficient. It’s obvious these are kids fresh out of uni lacking any experience: They need to employ more senior lawyers with demonstrated experience who can provide sufficient legal advise to those women needing it most who are unable to afford a private lawyer.

sammi A.

Drops clients when they’ve messed up instead of simply acknowledging it.
The person I was working with was completely unorganised, dismissive and rude. Not a single deadline was met and humiliated in court. Applications were put in late, about 3 wrong affidavits and the final was still incorrect.
Gave court less then 24 hours notice for me to attend via phone when they need FIVE days. Knowing for weeks I wasn’t able to attend in person.
As a single mother with tight income, i genuinely could have rather have pulled thousands out my pocket then ever experienced that. You don’t think people to who reach out to your service have been traumatised enough? All for things that were easily prevented with proper communication and time management skills.
The least this service could do is show a little empathy or compassion for women in these stressful times.

Karen A. B.

Waited two weeks, never called back. Was an urgent matter. I was desperate. Everywhere else I turned to for help told me to call Women's Legal Service.

I've just given up, on Women's Legal Service, and everything basically.

Don't call here if you need urgent advice on family law, you're a wasting your time waiting for a callback which will never come. Do whatever you can to get money to see a real solicitor who can actually advise and help you.

Tanya G.

I had a great lawyer at the start , she got sick and another lawyer picked up her clients, myself being one of those clients, this lawyer was disrespectful , put words in my mouth and dismissed possible evidence, she did not listen and the communication was very poor, I was left in the dark and had know idea what was happening, not he kind of relationship you want with your lawyer, I all so had high suspicions that my case was compromised, dodgy work .
I feel even more vulnerable Then what I did before..
if you don’t feel comfortable with your lawyer you do have a right to change lawyer’s and law firms, there are other public services out there...

Alice H.

Thankyou so much for your prompt assistance and advice. This made a stressful time a lot more manageable and it's wonderful to feel "held" by an organisation that does so much positively for our community.

Dragon

Baffles me how this joint actually sleeps at night. I kind of honestly think unprofessional-abuser-enablers is a good way to say how this place runs. Agree with Mal's review. Rude, disgraceful in my personal opinion and in that vein, actively seek to complicate and wreck lives instead of seeking a respectful resolution. Must do better.