30 July 2012

Community Law performs small miracle by releasing law handbook online with limited resources – helping make the law accessible for all New Zealanders

Community Law today produced a miracle rabbit out of a financially limited hat by releasing a new edition of the Community Law Manual online.

This small miracle comes on the back of an NZ Institute of Economic Research Inc (NZIER) report proving the extraordinary value for money provided by Community Law.

The Community Law Manual has always been a valuable print resource used by community, private and public sector agencies, and by individuals, to understand common legal problems and take the first steps to solving them.

Making the Community Law Manual available for free on the internet is a bold move, and Community Law says that those who buy a printed copy will effectively be contributing to making free legal information available throughout the community. "Our goal is to create a community business model by which we can release a new and improved edition of the Manual each year, which responds directly to the community’s needs and styles of accessing information," says Alexandra Keeble, project worker at Community Law Centres o Aotearoa.

By publishing the Community Law Manual online, Community Law is ensuring that high-quality, accessible, plain English legal information can be accessed and shared freely throughout the community. “In the immediate future, new chapters will be written, including about Māori legal issues, legal issues for charities, a benefit rights chapter, and a chapter on immigration law. We will be releasing a Community Law Manual smartphone app, as well as improving the platform’s capacity to respond to the specific legal questions and problems of users of the Manual." By making the Community Law Manual available online, Community Law is making a name for itself as the leading provider of comprehensive, trustworthy online legal information in New Zealand.

Existing users of both the Manual and the many other resources available on the Community Law website have hailed the publication of the Manual online. Those who run similar projects internationally have also taken notice. Brenda Rose, who coordinates Canada’s ClickLaw programme observed, “It’s so welcoming and makes the law seem like something that’s really part of your everyday life (which we know it is, but it’s sometimes intimidating to the general public).”

What is the Community Law Manual?

The Community Law Manual 2012/13 sets out comprehensive legal information for everyday users. The Community Law Manual deals with many areas of community and personal life and provides answers and solutions to common legal questions, including: the New Zealand legal system, human rights, legal aid, consumer law, neighbour disputes, tenancy law, privacy law, employment law, legal issues for youth, health and disability law, ACC, family law, domestic violence, wills, enduring powers of attorney, harassment, criminal proceedings, police powers, court fines and more.

The Community Law Manual (previously published as the Legal Reference Manual) is a critical resource for community workers, support staff, advocates and lawyers to help people access legal information. It is also useful for individuals and community groups to learn about their legal rights and options. Every day, more and more New Zealanders are turning to the Community Law Manual first to understand their legal issues.

The printed manual is available directly from Wellington Community Law Centre: info@wclc.org.nz, and is available for free online: www.communitylaw.org.nz.

ENDS

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