Glossary

Integrated legal assistance services

Free legal and social services provided by lawyers and social service professionals working for the same organisation or partnership in the legal assistance sector. The primary purpose of this approach is to enable people experiencing disadvantage to safely and effectively address their legal needs, which are often interconnected with other complex needs, such as family violence, homelessness and substance abuse.

Integrated legal practice

Also referred to as ‘multidisciplinary legal practice’, this overarching term describes the combined delivery of legal and other professional services across the private, public and community sectors. It includes the provision of integrated services this inquiry is not concerned with, such as those that provide commercial advantages to individual and corporate clients.

Legal assistance sector

This sector is made up of legal aid, community and pro-bono lawyers providing free legal services to clients experiencing disadvantage, often alongside other professionals who provide free social services to the same clients.

Legal privilege

The fundamental right of a client to protect confidential legal communications with their lawyer from disclosure at common law (where it is known as legal professional privilege) and in legislation (where it is known as client legal privilege). There are two categories of legal privilege, one relating to communications made for legal advice, and the other relating to communications made for litigation. This paper considers the option of a potential third category of legal privilege for communications made for integrated legal assistance services.

People experiencing disadvantage

People facing episodic, cumulative or systemic hardship resulting from social, economic, environmental or institutional factors affecting them or their family, and often experienced through intersecting forms of disadvantage related to race, gender, sexuality, disability, age or cultural background.

Social service professionals

Professionals employed or engaged to deliver social services alongside legal assistance services.

Social services

Services delivered alongside legal assistance services to support client health and overall wellbeing, including medical care, psycho-social support (including for alcohol or other drug dependence) and financial counselling.