Legal information for older people
Find out where you can go to get free legal advice, assistance and information relevant to older people.
Free legal advice and assistance
NSW Ageing and Disability Commission
The NSW Ageing and Disability Commission promotes the rights of older people and adults with disability to live free from abuse in their family, home and community.
Contact the NSW Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline on 1800 628 221 Monday – Friday, 9am - 4pm.
Seniors Rights Service
The Seniors Rights Service supports older people with free legal advice, advocacy and information.
Their general legal advice service solicitors give advice to people aged 65 or over and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 or over in NSW. They give advice on topics including consumer issues, human rights, power of attorney and guardianship.
They also provide legal advice about retirement villages and strata.
Legal Aid NSW
Legal Aid NSW provides legal information to anyone with a legal problem in NSW through their legal information and referral service, LawAccess NSW. You can contact LawAccess by using their chat service or by calling 1300 888 529. They are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
If you need a lawyer and don’t have enough money to pay, you may be able to get help from a Legal Aid NSW lawyer. LawAccess NSW can tell you if you are eligible and can book an appointment for you to speak with a lawyer.
Legal Aid NSW lawyers can support you with criminal matters involving the police, family matters involving children or a relationship breakdown, or civil matters where you are having trouble with a fundamental need like housing, income support or access to health and disability supports.
The following pages have information specifically for older people:
- Legal topics for seniors - find information about older persons rights, scams, aged care, and helpful contact numbers of agencies and services for seniors in NSW
- Adult children living at home - explains what you can do if you are an older person who is sharing your home with an adult child, and you want them to leave
- Are you a grandparent? Your legal questions answered - explains what legal options you have if you are a grandparent who is raising grandchildren, denied contact with grandchildren or if you are concerned about your grandchildren's welfare
- Are you experiencing violence or abuse? You can make it stop - explains what you can do if you are an older person who is experiencing violence or abuse from a partner, another family member or other person
- Helping your family financially? Understand the risks - explains what you need to think about before you decide to lend money to a family member
- Moving in with the family? Make sure you protect your interests - explains what you should think about before you enter into a ‘granny flat arrangement’
- They want me to leave - explains what you can do to avoid losing your home after your partner dies
- Your home and the age pension - explains how downsizing, moving into a granny flat, retirement village or other accommodation changes could affect your pension
Community legal centres
Community legal centres (CLCs) give free legal help to people in need. They are independent, confidential, and not part of the government.
Their Find Legal Help website will ask you a few questions and match you with a community legal centre that may be able to help. You can then contact the centre directly for help.
Avoiding scams
People aged over 65 made the greatest number of reports about scams to Scamwatch in 2023.
Find out about the different types of scams and how to protect yourself.
Money and bills
Financial Rights Legal Centre
The Financial Rights Legal Centre is a community legal centre specialising in financial services, particularly in relation to consumer credit, banking and debt recovery. You can call their Legal Advice Line on 1800 844 949 Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm, or call the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
Welfare Rights Centre
The Welfare Rights Centre is a community legal centre specialising in social security law.
They can advise people about their social security rights, entitlements and obligations and assist people through the social security review and appeals system, including Centrelink internal review, the Social Security Appeals Tribunal and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW
The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) helps people who are having problems with their electricity, gas or water company.
Read more
Dealing with debt: a legal guide to personal debt in NSW is an easy-to-read guide to solving problems with debt in NSW.
Wills and planning ahead
Legal Aid NSW
- Planning ahead - information about appointing another person to make decisions on your behalf if you are no longer able to, and how you want your estate to be distributed after you die.
- Speaking for myself: planning for later life decision making - find out about wills, power of attorney, enduring guardianship and health decisions including advanced care directives.
- Who will decide for you if you can't decide for yourself? Think about planning ahead - explains how you can plan ahead for the situation where you may no longer be able to make decisions for yourself due to illness, injury or age.
- Why make a will? - explains why you should make a will and the steps to take
Read more
- The book Rest assured: a legal guide to wills, estates, planning ahead and funerals in NSW explains wills and the legal processes when someone dies
- Find out about wills, planning ahead, funerals and being an executor on the Wills, estates and planning ahead page