Kia ora and welcome to a video series
produced by the University of Otago Legal Issues Centre.
This video explores the differences between legal information and legal advice.
But first, what is legal information?
It is general information about legal processes.
Some examples include:
information about where to go to find legislation,
definitions of legal terms,
or booklets setting out the steps in the court process.
So then, what is legal advice?
It is a written or oral opinion
that a person gives you about a specific legal matter.
To give advice, the person
requires specialised legal knowledge.
Some examples include:
advising you on the court you should file your claim in,
applying the law to your factual situation,
or recommending whether to proceed with your case.
In most cases, this type of advice
can only be given by a lawyer or a community law centre.
Where can you get legal information?
There are lots of sources of legal information.
Watch our video on where to find legal information.
Can the court staff help me with my case?
Many people will ask court staff for help
but the court staff can only give legal information - not advice.
This can be frustrating when you're wanting some help,
so it's important to understand what the court staff can
and cannot do.
The court staff can give you a form
if it is a court that has forms,
help you calculate a due date,
or tell you when you need to come to court next
as this is legal information.
But the court staff can't tell you what to write on the form,
tell you what to say in court,
tell you whether you should file your case or not,
or speculate about what the judge might decide
as these things are all legal advice.
For legal advice you'll need to
see a lawyer or visit a community law centre.
Thanks for watching this video, we'll see you next time.
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