Community Legal Education (CLE)

• awareness and knowledge about the law and legal processes,
• critical evaluation of, and engagement or participation with legal issues
• government policies that adversely affect their community, and
• access to information, legal services and resources.

CLE achieves this by providing information, education and training to community agencies, community groups, individuals and the general public in a variety of ways.

CLE are guided by a Community Development (CD) model or framework that aims to:

• engage and consult with the community on their needs,
• help the community to identify their needs and find their own solutions,
• assist the community in seeking information and resources to realise the solutions,
• learn by doing
• provide early or primary intervention to the problems faced by the community, and
• build capacity and increase social capital in relation to legal issues.