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Our Charter |
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Our CHARTER is to ensure that the protection or assertion
of the legal rights and interests of people in the Northern Territory
are not prejudiced by reason of their inability to:
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obtain access to independent legal advice;
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afford the financial cost of appropriate legal representation;
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obtain access to the Federal or Territory legal systems;
or
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obtain adequate information about access to the law
and legal system.
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Duties of the Commission
In the performance of its function, the Commission shall:
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ensure that legal assistance is provided in the most
effective, efficient and economic manner;
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ensure that its activities are carried on consistently
with, and do not prejudice, the independence of the private legal
profession;
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liaise and co-operate with, and if the Commission
considers it desirable to do so, make reciprocal arrangements with,
professional bodies representing private legal practitioners and
other bodies engaged or interested in the provision of legal assistance
in the Territory or elsewhere;
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liaise with professional bodies representing private legal practitioners
in order to facilitate the use, in appropriate circumstances, of
services provided by private legal practitioners;
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make maximum use of services which private legal practitioners
offer to provide on a voluntary basis;
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encourage and permit persons who are not legal practitioners
to participate, so far as the Commission considers it practicable
and proper to do so, on a voluntary basis, under professional supervision,
in the provision of legal assistance by officers;
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provide officers and agencies of the Commonwealth
or a State concerned in the provision of legal assistance with such
statistical and other information as they reasonably require;
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make its service available to persons eligible for
legal assistance by establishing such local offices, and by making
such other arrangements, as it considers appropriate;
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determine priorities in the provision of legal assistance
as between different classes of persons or classes of matters;
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arrange for the provision of duty lawyer services
at sittings in the Territory in such courts as it considers appropriate;
and
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endeavour to secure the services of language interpreters,
marriage counsellors and other appropriate persons to assist legally
assisted persons in connection with matters in respect of which
they are provided with legal assistance.
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