You do not need a lawyer to request your records. But sometimes having a lawyer can be useful, especially if you are thinking of making a claim.
Find a community law centreopen_in_new for free legal advice. A lawyer at the community law centre can give you advice but will not be able to represent you.
A community law centre lawyer can also help you find out if you are eligible for legal aid.
Aotearoa Disability Lawopen_in_new is a community law centre that helps Deaf and disabled people.
Legal aid is a loan that helps to pay the costs of a lawyer. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you might be eligible for legal aid. A legal aid lawyer can help you to apply for legal aid.
You could ask a lawyer to help make a complaint about or challenge:
Before you decide to take legal action, try making a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner first. Their service is free.
If you want to make a claim for redress for the abuse you have suffered, you can choose to take legal action against the state (government) or faith-based institution that was responsible.
Your right to do this is not affected if you have made an out-of-court claim of historical abuse in state care.
You do not have to, but you can choose to have your lawyer make the claim on your behalf. If you do, the government agency will communicate with your lawyer and your lawyer should update you on the progress of your claim.
You can also make the claim yourself if you are eligible, but it can be useful to have a lawyer to advise you.
If you do not have a lawyer, it might be a good idea to have other support. Find out about support that is available.
You can also talk to your lawyer about your options if you make a claim of historic abuse in State care, but do not accept the redress the government agency offers you.
Learn about making a claim of historic abuse.
Find a lawyer by:
If you can, try to find a lawyer with experience in record requests and/or abuse in care claims.
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