FSL is a unique Community Legal Centre providing pro bono legal advice, casework and representation to marginalised members of our community.

First Step Legal (FSL) operates as a Health Justice Partnership (HJP) within First Step, a not-for-profit mental health and addiction clinic in St Kilda. In recent years, FSL’s services have expanded significantly to incorporate health justice partnerships with four additional organisations: Windana’s residential drug treatment program; Alfred Health’s community mental health outpatient clinic; Better Health Network’s Family Violence Program and Launch Housing’s transitional program for women.

FSL practices predominantly in relation to criminal law, family violence and related family law matters. Assistance is also provided with infringement, debt, VOCAT and other matters on an ad hoc basis. FSL currently comprises a small team of a Principal Lawyer, a Practice Manager, two lawyers, a legal case manager, a legal administrator and several volunteer paralegals and lawyers.

FSL’s vision is to increase Access to Justice for clients struggling with mental health and addiction issues to enable them to access supports to rebuild and improve their lives and by achieving legal and court outcomes supportive of their continued recovery and rehabilitation in the community. FSL also works to champion HJPs and therapeutic, compassionate legal practice via law reform and advocacy opportunities.

FSL aims to embody a methodology of practice which values:

• Delivering excellence in the provision of our legal services to clients within a framework of compassionate legal practice
• Ensuring clients are well-informed about the process and conduct of their legal matters;
• Assisting clients who are genuinely engaged or wanting to be engaged in treatment, recovery and therapeutic interventions that will support their ongoing wellbeing;
• Giving clients agency in decisions regarding their treatment that best support them and their needs;
• Working hard to achieve legal resolutions that will support ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.

This role embeds a social worker in FSL’s practice. Receiving referrals from FSL lawyers, the role enables FSL to directly support clients with legal issues to overcome health, personal, physical and mental conditions to rebuild and restore their lives. The social worker provides a range of service types including information and referral, one off support, crisis intervention, short term targeted interventions and ongoing case management.