Getting ready for your appointment
You have been allocated a 30-minute
appointment with one of our experienced
lawyers to help you with your legal issue. To
make sure you get the help you need, please
take some time to prepare, including by
reading this fact sheet.
Things you need for your appointment
- Collect any important documents such as letters, emails, photographs, videos, court documents, your QP9 (if a criminal matter), agreements, or contracts, and email them to info@bcls.org.au.
- Write down any questions you have for the lawyer. That way the lawyer can give you accurate and relevant advice.
Can I have a support person with me?
BCLS understands that you may feel worried
or nervous when discussing your legal issue.
You can ask for a friend or family member to
sit in on your appointment for emotional
support and comfort. Please let us know
before the appointment if you wish to do so.
If the support person’s presence becomes
unhelpful for any reason, the lawyer may ask
them to leave the appointment.
Locating us
Bayside Community Legal Service is located in the Wynnum Community Centre (the former Wynnum Central State School) at Suite 1.04/105 Florence Street Wynnum QLD 4178.
Limited parking is available in the free Brisbane City Council car park at the rear of the Wynnum Community Centre, accessible via Charlotte Street.
Alternatively, street-level and underground parking is available in the Woolworths shopping centre adjacent to the Wynnum Community Centre.
Access to the Wynnum Community Centre is via the ground floor of the building, using the lift or internal stairs.
If you experience any difficulties finding us, please call our office team on (07) 3162 3282.
During your appointment
At your appointment time, your lawyer will greet you and welcome you into our Service.
For phone appointments the lawyer may call
from a private number or from 3162 3282. Please ensure that you do not have "No caller ID"
blocked during your appointment time.
During your appointment, your lawyer will
begin by checking your details, the legal issue
that you wish to discuss and if it is okay for
one of our volunteer law students to sit in.
Next, they will ask you to explain your legal
issue.
If you are dealing with more than one issue, it
is important to focus on the most important
legal issue as we can only discuss one issue
per appointment.
When you are explaining your situation,
ensure that you remain calm and focus on
the facts of the issue. We understand that
these issues can be extremely emotional, but
it is important to focus on the key facts.
This will help your lawyer provide you with
the correct advice.
Your lawyer will ask you questions as they
may require more information. For example,
they may need to confirm dates and what
court orders you have. This is why it is
important that you have all of these ready
for your appointment.
Towards the end of the appointment the
lawyer will provide you with legal advice on
how to move forward. Make sure you take
notes for your own records. The lawyer may
also provide you with non-legal solutions to
the problem.
We offer one-off appointments only so if
you require a follow up, this request will be
reviewed by our principal solicitor who will
get back to you to whether this is possible.
After your appointment
Once your appointment is completed your
lawyer will email you a written advice summary, including your next steps and a list of any referrals
to other lawyers or agencies that may be
able to assist you.
We do not complete case work or draft documents for you, so if this is
required we will refer you to the appropriate
services.