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Media release: Wednesday 6 March 2002 Free advice every month in Taree Many people living in Taree may have a legal problem but not know where to turn for free local advice. If it is a civil law problem, it might be about debt, social security, unfair dismissal, tenancy or a range of insurance or consumer issues. If it involves a dispute with a company or agency, the experience can not only be legally confusing, but also very intimidating. In an effort to provide a service to residents of the Taree district, Legal Aid NSW provides a free monthly advice clinic. "We are aware that people in this area have pressing legal problems," says Legal Aid lawyer Jerome McClintock. "For example, clients contact us because they are having difficulties with a landlord or have entered a contract where there are hidden traps. Or they may have just become unemployed and are unable to meet their commitments, leading to problems with debt." Each year, Legal Aid assists around 50,000 people with these types of civil law problems. "Legal problems falling under civil law can cause people a great deal of stress. In some cases all that a person needs is half an hour with a lawyer to answer their questions and to remove their anxieties about their situation." Once a month, Mr McClintock visits Taree, giving free advice to people who would otherwise have difficulty accessing affordable legal services. In some cases, clients will need on-going assistance and may be able to apply for a Legal Aid lawyer to represent them in court. Mr McClintock is able to advise residents on how to apply for assistance from the Legal Aid Commission. Free advice clinics will be held on Tuesday 16 April, Tuesday 14 May, then every third Tuesday of the month for the rest of 2002 – 10.00am to 4pm at the Many Rivers Aboriginal Legal Service, 1/80 Wynter Street, Taree. Advice will be free, independent and confidential. For appointments, please call 4921 8801 For more information: Jerome McClintock Tel: 4921 8801 Case studies of Legal Aid clients Pensioner cleared of debt An elderly man's only income is his age pension but he owns his own home. As he had left school at an early age, he cannot read well. He went to a car yard to look at a car he thought his son had started paying for. He wanted to help his son. When he went to the office of the salesman alone, the man signed a lease for the car. He did not understand it and was not told what he was signing. He could not meet the payments himself; his son made the payments. When his son lost his job and could not make the repayments, the finance company repossessed the car and sued the elderly man for the money it lost when it sold the car again. Legal Aid took the case to the Fair Trading Tribunal and the matter settled. The finance company agreed that our client would not be liable for any payments or debts under the lease and it agreed to pay our client's legal costs. Door to door sales open the door to debt Legal Aid assisted many clients who purchased burglar alarms on finance. All alarms were sold by door to door salesmen. The sales agents spent several hours with each client, demonstrating how effective their system was. Often, the sales agents quoted false statistics to exaggerate the level of crime in the area. Most clients were not told of the 10-day cooling off period allowed in the Door to Door Sales Act. Most clients felt frightened after hearing of the statistics. All our clients were pensioners and were not able to afford an alarm system but said they felt they could not refuse the sales agent. Many signed contracts in the belief that finance would be refused. Legal Aid negotiated to release all debtors from further liabilities under the contracts. The finance company agreed to release our clients from further debt. Young woman's mobile phone scare A 16-year-old girl organised the purchase of a mobile phone and asked her 19-year-old sister to pick it up. The older sister signed a contract when she collected the phone. The younger sister used the phone but did not pay the bills. Her older sister got the phone disconnected. The 16-year-old got the phone reconnected but still did not pay the bill. The company demanded the older sister pay the $400 owing. Legal Aid helped her when the matter went before the Fair Trading Tribunal. Telstra agreed to 'pay' the bill and the matter was withdrawn. Security system gets couple into debt An intellectually disabled couple had purchased a home security system from a salesman for $3000. They tried to make the repayments but fell behind. After representations to the supplier and credit provider, the company cancelled the contract, refunded the payments already made and, as a gesture of 'goodwill', gave the alarm to the clients. |
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