PART of anyone’s fear of the law is the cost of hiring a lawyer. Removing some of that fear is the Suncoast Community Legal Service which has been providing free legal advice on the Hinterland for the past twelve months.
Sharne Hobill and Alex McKean
Sharne Hobill and Alex McKean are professional lawyers with Maurice Blackburn and are two of the many volunteer lawyers providing free legal advice as part of the Suncoast Community Legal Service.
Hinterland residents can make appointments on Monday evenings to see a lawyer at Morris House in Landsborough or at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre.
The two lawyers specialise in medical negligence and workplace injuries with Maurice Blackburn, a firm also known for its interest in social justice matters.
Sharne told the Hinterland Times that people are encouraged to take advantage of the service which helps to point them in the right legal direction.
“It’s really an opportunity to tell people what their legal rights are,” said Sharne, “and what long term pro bono services are available beyond their initial Suncoast Community Legal Service appointment.”
“People always need legal help,” added Alex. “It’s whether or not they know the service is there. It’s getting the word out.”
On the Hinterland the Service provides an initial 15 minute interview. If you can’t get help in that time then you can be referred to one of the full time lawyers who work for the Service.
“People often don’t know what their rights are or what process they need to go through” says Sharne. “We hope to provide people with guidance, particularly as people come in with multi-faceted problems and they may not know where to start.”
People with any kind of legal problem are encouraged to access the service. The kinds of legal problems the service has seen are motor vehicle accidents where an insurer says a person is at fault, neighbourhood disputes, say over a dividing fence, the rights of tenants, criminal offences and a summons to appear in court, contractual disputes, family property disputes, wills, injuries, bankruptcies, employment contract queries and people who have been discriminated against in their employment.
“People are often simply looking for someone to listen to their side of their story,” says Alex. “Their voice is not being heard. For us it’s issue identification. We are there to listen to their story, explain the range of services available to them, and then direct them towards taking the right course of action.”
“As lawyers we’re very good at asking the right questions,” adds Sharne. “We know how to get to the bottom of things.”
This married couple met at QUT where they majored in human rights and ethics, and both see access to the law as a human rights issue.
“I feel passionately about ensuring people know what their rights are and the legal remedies they are entitled to,” says Sharne.
Alex sees pro bono work as a matter of career motivation. “It depends on whether or not you see the legal profession as a vocation or a career. If you see it as a vehicle for your own personal wealth then you probably won’t volunteer for community level services. If you see yourself as someone who actually has knowledge which should be used for the good of everyone, then you are more likely to want to take it to as many people as you can.”
Alternate Monday evening consultations with the Suncoast Community Legal Service are available at 6pm at Morris House in Landsborough and at the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre.
Call 5443 7827 to make an appointment.
October 26th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
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