MENTAL HEALTH LEGAL CENTRE
Providing Free and Confidential Legal Support For Victorians Suffering Mental Health Related Issues
Why MHLC
Our qualities and promises
Free
We provide free legal services to anyone who has experienced mental illness in Victoria.
Professional
Our team consists of many professionals. Ensuring a high quality of service provided.
Confidential
Your information is 100% confidential, we do not share anything without your consent.
Our Services

Night Service
The MHLC employs a solicitor to co-ordinate and support a team of experienced lawyers (supported by law students) to provide legal advice.

Mental Health Tribunal Representation
Aims to address the alarmingly low level of legal representation for people subject to enforced psychiatric treatment in their hearings before the Mental Health Tribunal.

Advance Statements
We can help to make an Advance Statement. We work with consumers to understand what treatment is wanted and to ensure that this is expressed clearly in their Advance Statement.

Inside Access
Inside Access provides civil legal and other support services to people in correctional and forensic facilities in Victoria.

Bolton Clarke
The MHLC and Bolton Clarke’s Homeless Person Project works together to deliver an effective, responsive and high quality Health Justice Project (‘HJP‘). This HJP provides increased access to justice and improved outcomes for a vulnerable cohort of Victorians.
our statistics
2019 in Review
About us
Who We Are and What We Do
The Mental Health Legal Centre (MHLC), established in 1987, provides a free and confidential legal service to people with a lived experience of mental illness or involvement with the mental health system.
Our multidisciplinary team (law, social work and financial counselling) provide a range of innovative services in the community, in treatment facilities and in prisons. We work in partnership with other agencies to provide integrated services that address the needs of some of the most marginalised members of our community.
How you can help
Volunteer
The Mental Health Legal Centre runs a telephone legal advice line on Tuesday and Thursday evenings between 6:00pm and 8:00pm. We rely on volunteer lawyers and students to run this service. Click to learn more.
Donate
Your donation will enable the MHLC to continue its critical work in assisting and supporting people with mental illness through independent specialist legal advice and representation, education and systemic advocacy. Click to learn more.
Support
None of MHLC’s services would be possible without the support and resources we receive from our funders and stakeholders. Click to learn more.