LGBTI LEGAL SERVICE INC

LGBTI LEGAL SERVICE INC. www.lgbtilegalservice.org volunteer@lgbtilegalservice.org 30 Helen Street, Newstead QLD 4006 profile:

WHO ARE YOU & WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE? The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex Legal Service Inc. is a non-profit and unfunded community-based legal service which began on 7 July 2010 and was officially launched on 1 December 2010 by The Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG.

The Service recognises the difficulties faced by the LGBTI community and seeks to assist the Queensland LGBTI community to gain access to justice through the provision of legal and social welfare services. We also endeavour to provide community legal education activities and resources in order to increase awareness of legal rights and responsibilities for the LGBTI community in Queensland. The Service includes a law reform division, which is actively involved in advocating for law reform and human rights including: » Expunging past criminal convictions for consensual homosexual relationships; » Advocating for the rights of LGBTI families through surrogacy and adoption reform; » Unequal age of consent in Queensland; » The ‘homosexual advance’ factor of the provocation defence; » Supporting gender diverse people; » Ending domestic violence and supporting victims; and Supporting LGBTI students in school and university.

The LGBTI Legal Service Inc. has been established by, and continues to be overseen by a management committee of individuals representing the diverse communities under the LGBTI banner. As a non-profit and unfunded community organisation, we rely heavily on the support of the community and volunteers.

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM There are a number of ways that you can become part of and assist our organisation. You can apply to volunteer for any of the main divisions; client services, legal assistants and law reform. Each division has a different focus so it is up to the student to decide what area they are most interested in and whether they possess the relevant skills.

Client services involves administration work for lawyers during our drop in sessions, legal assistants organise our events and community outreach and law reform involves legal research, writing and advocating for the removal of discriminatory laws.

The most common areas we provide advice for are family law, domestic violence, surrogacy and parenting rights, criminal law, discrimination, victims support, civil matters, legal issues in relation to government decisions, Centrelink matters, and employment matters. Volunteers will have the opportunity to engage with whatever area of law suits their interests.

APPLICATION & RECRUITMENT PROCESS We encourage students to apply the legal service through our website. After determining their suitability, we will then arrange a casual meeting to explain how the service is run, what is expected of the volunteers and what benefits we can provide them. We will then assign the volunteer to the appropriate team and conduct training based upon the project they will be joining.

Tips for Applying: » Demonstrate your ability to conduct research, and assist clients to meet deadlines; » Explain your personal experience and why you care about LGBTI issues; and » Tell us what you hope to get out of volunteering and what areas of law you are interested in.