Community Legal Centres

What Community Legal Centres does

Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW) is the state peak body representing 41 community legal centres across New South Wales, Australia. Founded as a sector in 1975 when lawyers, volunteers, academics, and community activists established the first centres in Redfern, CLCNSW coordinates, advocates for, and supports a network that delivers free, confidential legal services — including referrals, legal advice, casework, advocacy, law reform, and Community Legal Education (CLE) — to people experiencing social and economic disadvantage, with a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

The organization operates as a non-profit peak body rather than a direct service provider. Its portfolio of programs includes the Aboriginal Legal Access Program, the First Nations Cadetship Program (a $200,000 scholarship placing Aboriginal university students into member centres), Rural/Regional/Remote Internships, the Cultural Safety Workbook, the Talking Justice communications guide, and the Yarn Up Network for First Nations CLC workers. CLCNSW convenes quarterly network meetings and over 15 working groups covering topics such as AI and Technology, Communications, Family Law, and Admin & Finance, and supports member centres through the National Accreditation Scheme administered by CLCA. Operational technology is limited to a Find Legal Help online directory and a hot desk booking system; the organization does not develop proprietary software.

Funding is derived from Commonwealth and State Attorney General Departments, administered through the NSW Legal Aid Commission's Community Legal Service Program, with a recent three-year cycle (1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022) providing up to $38.1 million in total across the sector (Pool 1 up to $10.5M per annum for core services, Pool 2 $2.2M per annum for critical service gaps). All services to end users are free. The CLCNSW team is small (1-10 employees) and is led by Executive Director Sarah Marland (appointed December 2023), with the organization affiliated with the national peak Community Legal Centres Australia (CLCA) and partnering with Legal Aid NSW, the Law and Justice Foundation NSW, Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT, Tranby College, and corporate supporters including Herbert Smith Freehills.

Name

Community Legal Centres

Legal name

Community Legal Centres NSW

Website

https://clcnsw.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Legal Centres NSW is the state peak body for 41 community legal centres across New South Wales, delivering free legal services, training, accreditation, and First Nations justice programs funded by Commonwealth and State government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Individual and Family Services (6241), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA), Legal Literacy & Public Legal Education (Know Your Rights) (EDAAAFAI)

Keywords

• Community legal services
• Legal aid access
• Free legal help
• Legal sector advocacy
• Member legal centres

Headquarters

HQ city

Surry Hills

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Community Legal Centres receive government funding from both the Commonwealth and State Attorney General Departments, administered in NSW by the NSW Legal Aid Commission. Funding cycles are typically three-year periods (e.g., 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Community Legal Centres NSW is the peak body for 41 community legal centres across NSW that deliver free, independent legal help to people experiencing social and economic disadvantage. CLCNSW provides sector-wide coordination, policy and advocacy representation, accreditation support, training, and specialised programs (such as the Aboriginal Legal Access Program and First Nations Cadetship), while the member centres deliver frontline legal advice, casework, and representation across more than 30 areas of law.

Product overview

Community Legal Centres NSW is a peak body representing 41 community legal centres across New South Wales. It is not a single unified software product but rather an association providing services to its member centres. The organization offers a portfolio of programs including free legal help services, the Aboriginal Legal Access Program, the First Nations Cadetship Program ($200,000 scholarship), and Cultural Safety Workbooks. Additional offerings include the Off the Record fortnightly newsletter, sector networks and working groups (quarterly meetings covering themes like AI and Technology, Communications, Family Law, and First Nations Justice), the Talking Justice communications guide, Rural/Regional/Remote internships, and the Find Legal Help directory. CLCNSW also supports its member centres through the National Accreditation Scheme and provides training and sector development services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Legal Help Services Free legal assistance covering more than 30 areas of law, delivered in person at 41 community legal centre locations across NSW for people experiencing social and economic disadvantage who cannot afford a lawyer or qualify for Legal Aid.
• Find Legal Help Directory Online search tool that helps individuals locate the nearest community legal centre in NSW by suburb, region, area of law, or specialised client group (e.g., Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, women, young people).
• Aboriginal Legal Access Program Specialised program providing culturally safe legal services and access pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across NSW.
• First Nations Cadetship Program Career pathway and employment program supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to enter and progress in the community legal sector.
• National Accreditation Scheme Support Coordination and support service helping the 41 NSW member centres meet quality and practice standards under the National Accreditation Scheme operated across Australian CLCs.
• Sector Training and Professional Development Training programs, sector sessions, forums and professional development events delivered to community legal centre staff and sector workers across NSW.

Quantifiable outcome

• 41 community legal centres supported as the NSW state peak body
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Community Legal Centres Australia (CLCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLCA is the national peak for community legal centres in Australia. All members of state peaks are also members of the national association. CLCA manages the national Community Legal Sector Insurance Scheme, the national CLASS database for collecting service data, the National Accreditation Scheme, and convenes the annual national conference.
• Legal Aid NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal Aid NSW is a government-funded statutory body providing legal services. Its Community Legal Service Program administers state and commonwealth funding for community legal centres in NSW. CLCNSW works closely with Legal Aid NSW on funding, policy, and sector coordination.
• Law and Justice Foundation NSWsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Law and Justice Foundation conducts regular research into legal need across New South Wales and provides funding grants to community legal centres (e.g., Hunter CLC's $50,000 Youth Law Service grant). CLCNSW references their research to inform sector priorities.
• Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACTsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerALS NSW/ACT is the peak body for Aboriginal Legal Services in NSW and ACT. CLCNSW has developed MOUs with ALS NSW/ACT as part of its First Nations justice approach and collaborates on advocacy around Aboriginal justice issues.
• Tranby CollegesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLCNSW has developed a MOU with Tranby College as part of its commitment to building relationships with Aboriginal community-controlled organizations and supporting Aboriginal access to justice.
• Herbert Smith FreehillsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerbert Smith Freehills provides pro bono venue support for CLCNSW Legal Training Days, demonstrating corporate legal sector support for the community legal sector.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Pilbara Community Legal Service: Western Australia-based community legal centre serving remote and Indigenous communities; comparable model of free legal help and Aboriginal engagement, illustrating the regional CLC peer set that CLCNSW supports at a sector level.
• Victoria Legal Aid: State statutory legal aid body for Victoria; comparable role to Legal Aid NSW with parallel funding and policy relationships with community legal centres in Victoria; structurally analogous counterpart that CLCNSW patterns its sector coordination on.

Others

• National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) - historical: Predecessor organization to CLCA, formerly connected to CLCNSW; comparable historical peak body function for the community legal sector across Australia.
• Australian Pro Bono Centre: National not-for-profit supporting pro bono legal work across Australia; comparable sector-development function for the legal assistance community, and a potential coordination partner for community legal centre capacity building.

Direct peers

• Justice Connect: Australian not-for-profit connecting people experiencing disadvantage with legal help through pro bono; comparable mission (access to justice, nonprofit coordination) and overlap in serving community legal sector clients and capacity-building for legal assistance organizations.
• Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT: Peak body for Aboriginal Legal Services in NSW/ACT providing culturally safe legal representation; CLCNSW has MOUs with ALS NSW/ACT and overlaps on First Nations justice delivery across the same geography.
• LawAccess NSW: Free government-funded telephone legal information service for NSW; complements CLCNSW's member centres by providing front-door legal help and triage, with overlapping client base of disadvantaged users.
• Community Legal Centres Australia (CLCA): National peak body for community legal centres in Australia; mirrors CLCNSW's role at the federal level, managing the National Accreditation Scheme, national insurance scheme, and CLASS database, and convening the annual national conference.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Aid NSW: Statutory government-funded legal services body in NSW; administers the Community Legal Service Program that funds CLCNSW members, and provides overlapping civil, criminal, and family law services across NSW.

Emerging players

• Tenants NSW: NSW community legal centre focused on tenancy law and housing advocacy; member of the CLCNSW network, providing a comparable community legal service model with a specialized practice area overlapping CLCNSW member centre offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/clcnsw
• Xx.com/clcnsw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clcnsw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Legal Centres