A helping hand to Community Law Centres

Right now, something really wonderful is happening. Following the Police raid on Nicky Hager’s home last week, hundreds of people have rallied around to raise over $20’000 for any legal costs Hager incurs. The donations keep coming: people want to ensure Hager is able to be well-represented and assisted in any proceedings he faces in an attempt to get his property – and, likely, work on other investigative pieces – back. People care, and people want to help.

Access to legal assistance is not just an issue for Nicky Hager. Every day people are faced with the extraordinarily high cost of legal proceedings. Cuts to legal aid, increased court fees (it costs over $1,000 to file for a half-day hearing in the District Court, for example), and the high cost of lawyers who charge hundreds of dollars an hour for their skills and expertise, means that many people simply have no choice but to self-represent. As anyone who has ever been in a courtroom will know, the prospect of self-representing is a scary – and often unsuccessful – one.

One organisation that helps these people are Community Law Centres. Given the very high threshold for criminal legal aid, and the almost non-existent legal aid for civil and family matters, CLCs are absolutely essential in ensuring people have access to justice. CLCs are staffed by committed, hardworking lawyers and volunteers, and run on a shoestring compared to ordinary legal practises. They are funded by the government, but for a number of years now have seen a freeze in their funding, meaning essentially their funding is being cut. Because of the lack of funding (and the huge need), CLCs have very limited funding to represent people, and often can only give preliminary advice.

Nicky Hager is just one of the many, many people we need to help to ensure they can access legal assistance. This money will go directly to the Auckland Community Law Centre (a centre that covers a huge area in Auckland’s central and eastern suburbs). The more staff solicitors CLCs have, the more people who can get representation. It’s that simple.

Let’s keep the giving going – both for Hager, and for people who need legal assistance for broadly.

Please note: This page has been set up by a private individual unaffiliated with the Auckland Community Law Centre. However, I have asked the Auckland CLC for their bank details and donations will be paid directly to them. They are most grateful for your support.