A Matter of Law: CeCC working closely with partners in the legal sector
13 February 2013
In November 2012 the Fitzroy Legal Service launched the latest, 2013 version of The Law Handbook. The launch also marked an important milestone for Fitzroy Legal Service, which celebrated the 35 year anniversary of The Law Handbook in Victoria.
The Law Handbook represents an important public resource outlining current Victorian State and Commonwealth law. Helen Thompson and Paul Feely from the Centre for eCommerce and Communications (CeCC) at the University of Ballarat attended the launch to celebrate this milestone, with CeCC working closely with Fitzroy Legal Service to develop the online environment and knowledge management capabilities of the current version of The Law Handbook online.
CeCC has a long and successful partnership with Fitzroy Legal Service, having worked collaboratively with them on various projects including the first online version of The Law Handbook in 2007.The online version used single source publishing and DocBook Manager to translate the existing hard-copy book into a more accessible, online format.
At this time, CeCC developed the original implementation plan for the online resource, which involved extensive consultation with stakeholders to identify audience needs and requirements for the online resource. CeCC then built the technology platform for the secure hosting and maintenance of The Law Handbook.
The end product is an intuitive online legal resource that is suitable for a wide range of users, as highlighted by the large number of visitors to The Law Handbook each day. With an average of 4,000 unique visitors per day and 110,000 per month, it represents a website of high interest and reflects the level of importance placed on this resource by the public and those in the legal sector.
In addition to the work it has provided to The Law Handbook online, CeCC has also collaborated on other websites published by Fitzroy Legal Service. These include Law4Community, Law4Education and Activist Rights. CeCC also hosts the Fitzroy Legal Service website.
As with many of the partners CeCC works with in the legal sector, Fitzroy Legal Service has a strong commitment to social justice and places importance on supporting law reform and community legal education.
CeCC has worked closely with other organisations in the legal sector, including the Legal Services Commission of South Australia where CeCC has provided online support and delivery of information and services through the South Australian Law Handbook. Similarly, CeCC has provided support for the redevelopment of the NSW Legal assistance forum. In 2011, CeCC developed the website for the Strongwill project for Hume Riverina Community Legal Services. This was a unique project where the public has access to information about planning, preparing and finalising a legal Will. CeCC has also conducted work for Bushfire Legal Help (now Disaster Legal Help), Smart Justice, Community Legal Centres NSW, Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria and the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
The support role that CeCC provides to many of these organisations enables the public to access important and relevant legal information. This information would otherwise be difficult to source if it were not for the partner organisations making the important decision to place legal information online, making it accessible to the public.
CeCC looks forward to continuing its strong links with community legal organisations into the future and sees much opportunity for raising the awareness levels of the wider community about legal issues through the provision of easily accessible, online information.