Iris Hehir

Speaker at Rotary meeting on 10th September 2026.

Iris is a law student at Otago University and works 15 hours a week for Community Law Otago (CLO), Dunedin. She spoke to us today about the work Community law does. Community law provides legal advice and assistance. You can get this free legal advice by appointment at the Dunedin office Floor 1, 169 Princes street, Dunedin. You can also get advice over the phone. Iris said the things they can help with are tricky legal situations usually involving, Employment, Family issues, Debt and money troubles, Welfare Housing and Flatting, and Criminal court.

Iris said this also includes representation in the District Court for criminal and traffic matters for those who will not qualify for legal aid and cannot afford a lawyer.

CLO provides free legal information, assistance and advise to people who meet the same income eligility threshold as those who qualify for legal aid but are not funded to provide legal representation where legal aid is available.

Currently there are 24 law centres across New Zealand and 88 employed lawyers, 250,000 client contacts and 1.5 million hits a year on the website which contains a lot of legal information.

Iris said the common goal is to provide free legal advice and help those who cannot access traditional legal services.

Community law’s role: When we think about law we think about Judges, litigation, courtroom drama. Really, legal help is about protecting every day people’s dignity, stability and wellbeing. The law has everyday consequences for everyone across Dunedin community.

Community Laws aim is to meet people from all walks of life across Otago who are trying to navigate problems that can feel overwhelming, confusing and too expensive to deal with.

Community law also scrutinises, observes and challenges legislation and application and everyday practise and decision making by the Executive. This can be found on their ‘News’ section on their website.

Can anybody get legal help at Community Law?

In general yes, but there are some exceptions. They do not provide legal advice on property or commercial issues and don’t usually give legal advice to landlords or employers.

They prioritise clients who really cannot afford to see a lawyer privately.

Iris gave a very interesting outline of what community law does.