Navigating the Law

The Law Library of Victoria provides members of the public with general assistance in accessing our collection. We are not a public legal research service, but there are plenty of community resources available if you need help, some of which we have listed below.

Representing yourself

If you are considering representing yourself in a legal matter, we recommend visiting the Representing Yourself section on the website of the court or tribunal you are dealing with:

• Supreme Court of Victoria
• County Court of Victoria
• Magistrates’ Court of Victoria
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)

Finding legal information and support

Below is a selected list of Victorian government and community organisations offering legal information or assistance to members of the public.

The Law Handbook (published by the Fitzroy Legal Service) is available free online and held in most library reference collections. This resource is one of the best sources of information for those seeking practical information on a specific legal issue.

Victoria’s Legal System (published by the Victorian Law Foundation) is available free online. This guide has been developed to help readers understand how Victoria’s legal sector works.

The State Library of Victoria provides an extensive print collection of legal texts for onsite use. Victorian residents can also become a library member to access online legal resources remotely for private research purposes.

Victoria Legal Aid helps people with their legal problems. They focus on protecting the rights of Victorians and representing those who need it the most.

Justice Connect assists those who can't afford a legal practitioner by linking them to online legal resources and connecting them with legal help.

Federation of Community Legal Centres is the peak body for Victoria's community legal centres and provides a seachable directory of legal centres across the state.

Legal History Research

If you are interested in researching legal history, the Supreme Court Library collection is a good place to start. Visit our Legal History Research page for information about our collection and for links to other legal history research collections in Victoria.