Lawyers act only on the instructions of clients and cannot initiate actions on their own.

Lawyers also offer many hours of free service to the community for which there seems to be little recognition.

At the Community Legal Service, for example, we have 26 solicitors who give of their time every five weeks to see clients at our Tuesday night clinic for free legal advice.

Since the bushfires, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic) and Victoria Legal Aid have organised lawyers throughout Victoria into Bushfire Legal Help.

Lawyers and barristers involved in volunteering for this service give of their time freely to assist clients affected by the bushfires, to understand their legal rights.

The Community Legal Service is the local co-ordinator of this service for those affected by the fires around Myrtleford, Beechworth and Mudgegonga.

We have a list of local solicitors who are willing to be of assistance, free of charge, to bushfire victims.

These people can access this service by calling (02) 6056 8210 or the Victorian bushfire legal help line on 1800 113 432.

— KAREN BOWLEY,

principal lawyer,

Community Legal Service,

Wodonga