Women’s Legal Service WA is a specialist, gender-specific community legal centre. Since 1996, we have provided free, trauma-informed legal assistance, financial counselling, and social work support to women across Western Australia — prioritising women experiencing family, domestic, and sexual violence.
We work with the whole person, not just the legal issue. Our integrated team of lawyers, financial counsellors, and social workers responds to the complex, intersecting needs that women bring to us. We deliver support that is person-centred, culturally safe, and grounded in a deep commitment to justice.
For 25 years, Women’s Legal Service WA has stood alongside women across the state.
From a small group of volunteers meeting around a kitchen table in the 1990s, to the specialist, statewide legal service we are today. Along the way, we’ve delivered outreach to remote Aboriginal communities, embedded lawyers within hospitals and health services, provided a duty lawyer service at Perth Children’s Court, and supported women through crisis with free legal advice, financial counselling, and social work support.
Our history reflects the evolving needs of the women we serve. Some our proudest achievements include the Djinda service supporting Aboriginal women experiencing family violence, our growing presence in the Pilbara and regional WA, and the introduction of financial counselling in 2020. Along the way, we’ve contributed to law reform on issues from coercive control to elder abuse, built partnerships across the legal, health, and community sectors, and been recognised for our impact with awards including the WA Consumer Protection Award.
To mark 25 years of this work, we put together Stepping-Stones — a look back at the milestones, partnerships, and people that have shaped Women’s Legal Service WA. We invite you to read the full story.
Why we exist and what we stand for.
Our integrated, socio-legal, trauma-informed approach to supporting women.
The women who lead and drive our work.
The organisations and relationships that make our work possible.
It was evident that your teams are deeply informed about family and domestic violence. That level of awareness speaks volumes about WLSWA's commitment to building a workforce that is not only supported but continuously growing in its capacity to respond effectively."
Course facilitator, Coercive Control and the Law, Notre Dame University
