Serving our community for over 50 years
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) is an
Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO)
with over 50 years experience providing high quality, culturally capable legal and community justice services
to our people across Victoria.
VALS is a holistic, high quality, and trauma-informed legal service. Our legal practice serves Aboriginal people of all
ages and genders in the areas of criminal, family and civil law. We also have our dedicated youth legal service, Balit Ngulu
and our Wirraway Police and Prison Accountability Practice.
Our 24-hour criminal law service is backed up by the strong community-based role of our Client Service Officers (CSOs).
CSOs are the first point of contact when an Aboriginal person is taken into custody, through to the finalisation of
legal proceedings.
VALS also provides Community Justice Programs which include support programs around family violence, community legal education, Baggarrook – our women’s transitional housing support program and Aboriginal Community Justice Reports. We reflect community voices through our policy, research and advocacy work.
Come work with us at VALS. VALS provides legal assistance and supports across seven sites in Victoria. We welcome the most committed legal advocates, professionals and support staff who work to advance Aboriginal self-determination and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
living in Victoria.
Our people support Aboriginal community members with both their legal and non-legal needs in a
trauma–informed, strengths–based and holistic service model. VALS is committed to diversity, equality and inclusion. We celebrate our team of diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, LGBTQIA+ and individuals from different cultures, language groups and experiences.
VALS pays our deepest respect to traditional owners across Victoria, in particular, to all Elders past, present and emerging.
We also acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria and pay respect to the knowledge, cultures and continued history of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations.
We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders who have maintained the struggle to achieve justice.
Across Australia, we live on unceded land. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material.
At any point if you need to exit the site quickly you can use the ‘Quick Exit’ button in the top of the screen.
