Since 1978, the North Melbourne Legal Service (NMLS) has provided free legal advice and assistance to people who live, work or study in North Melbourne, West Melbourne, Docklands, the Melbourne central business district or parts of Carlton and Parkville.

We started as a centre run entirely by volunteers, in a room described by some as a 'broom closet' in the Melrose Street shops in North Melbourne.

Funding for NMLS is received from the Commonwealth and state governments and is administered by Victoria Legal Aid. NMLS is a member of the Federation of Community Legal Centres and the National Association of Community Legal Centres.

Staff

NMLS has a small number of salaried staff; however, our service delivery relies largely on the dedication and generosity of volunteer students, barristers and solicitors.

You can view our organisational chart at www.nmls.org.au/organizational-chart/ 

Volunteers

Students

We run semester and summer programs for student volunteers. During semester, four students volunteer their time - two in the morning (9.00 am to 1.00 pm), and two in the afternoon (1pm to 5 pm) every day each week. In the summer, two students attend each day for the entire day each week.

Practitioners

Practitioner-volunteers assist during our Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon drop-in clinics.

Volunteering information