By Henry Ea -
In 2001, a "brave and innovative" experiment was launched to simplify the legal maze for the people of New South Wales. This year, LawAccess NSW celebrates 25 years as the state’s primary ‘front door’ to the justice system, assisting a staggering 3.7 million customers since its inception.
Operated by Legal Aid NSW, LawAccess provides free legal information and referrals as the state’s main entry point to the justice system. Now, as it enters its third decade, the service is embracing artificial intelligence and expanding digital channels to meet a surge in demand.
In the 2024–25 period alone, LawAccess staff answered more than 165,684 calls, reflecting a challenging social and economic climate.
Amanda Templeman, Principal Manager of Customer Experience and Contact Centres—who has been with the service for 24 of its 25 years—tells LSJ Online that while the legal questions remain similar, the people asking them are facing deeper challenges.
“The biggest change we’re seeing is the volume of enquiries … but also that while the problems are the same, the vulnerabilities leading to complexity are increasing,” she says, noting that legal problems are no longer just legal. “Financial pressures, housing pressures, and domestic violence, increase the need for different types of support.”
“For us, what stands out is people really being appreciative that a service like ours exists and that we’re really there to make this less scary.”
Beyond the traditional phone call
In response to the growing complexities of legal problems, LawAccess has moved beyond traditional phone calls. The introduction of webchat has proven to be a game changer for accessibility.
Contrary to the belief that webchat is only for the younger generation, Templeman explains that the service has actually become a critical lifeline for those with diverse needs: it provides a silent, secure channel for victims of domestic violence to seek help when speaking aloud is unsafe, offers the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community a direct line of engagement without the need for a middleman, and allows culturally and linguistically diverse users to process information at their own pace via written English. By diversifying its contact methods, LawAccess ensures that safety, clarity, and direct access are never compromised by the limitations of a standard voice call.
LawAccess began as a joint venture between the Attorney General’s Department, the Law Society of NSW, the NSW Bar Association, and Legal Aid NSW to reduce service duplication. Now, twenty-five years on, this partnership remains strong.
Templeman highlights that the organisation maintains a “really, really close relationship” with these agencies through a quarterly advisory committee, ensuring the service stays grounded in the real-world experiences of those seeking legal help.
“[W]e get to talk to them about how the service is operating and really sharing what we’re learning from the front in terms of service provision, and they’re also sharing their experiences,” she says.
The service also functions as a critical bridge to the private sector, which Templeman describes as a “valued partner” essential for those who cannot be assisted by the public sector alone. She highlights that for many people, “there is no other service available to them in the legal assistance sector”, or they may simply be “better served by the private profession who have the expertise and the capability” to handle specific matters.
In the last financial year, LawAccess facilitated 8,535 electronic referrals to the Law Society’s Solicitor Referral Service. This accomplishment ensures clients are effectively connected with the appropriate legal expertise.
“[W]e also recognise that the private profession does amazing work in the pro bono space as well … so we’ve been working really, really closely with the Law Society to leverage their pro bono service and increase the visibility and awareness of that pro bono service,” Templeman notes.
“We’re the starting point, we’re not the solution,” she states. “We’re really at the front lines … we are trusted with people’s stories, and we’re trusted with people’s beginnings, and we need to hand that over to somebody else so that they can get the help that they need. So for us, what stands out is people really being appreciative that a service like ours exists and that we’re really there to make this less scary.”
Improving efficiencies with AI
In January 2025, LawAccess introduced ‘BetterSearch,’ an AI-driven co-pilot designed to empower their Information Officers by enabling them to query the Legal Aid NSW database using natural language rather than rigid, traditional keywords.
She notes that this internal tool has fundamentally shifted the workflow; search times have plummeted from nearly a minute to mere seconds, drastically reducing staff cognitive load and customer hold times. By automating the technical heavy lifting, the AI enables officers to move away from screen-staring and toward empathetic listening, ensuring a more human-centred service.
“[W]e are seeing that, when we are spending time with people, we’re spending time with them in the right way. We’re actually talking to them. We’re engaging with them. We’re connecting with them, rather than needing to have them on hold while we try and find what the information is that we provide,” she says.
The introduction of AI has also produced measurable results in onboarding: new trainees gain confidence and transition to live calls significantly faster than before, resulting in a notable improvement in training efficiency.
“[T]hey’re feeling that they can do this … and that they can make that step from theory into practice.”
Looking ahead, Templeman sees AI playing a larger role in quality assurance and data analysis, but she remains firm that technology will never replace the human element.
She says it’s about creating a space where people feel heard and feel better for speaking to them. “We want to make sure that that’s still there, but we also want to use technology to be more efficient so that we can help more people. And I think AI is the opportunity to do that.”
Reflecting on a quarter-century of impact, Templeman highlights that LawAccess’s major achievements are tightly linked to its partners, stating, “We couldn’t have done the work that we do without our partners … without leveraging the capability and capacity of the sector.”
She says LawAccess sees itself as serving the entire legal community, including private practitioners and local agencies. By acting as a trusted gateway, LawAccess ensures a seamless handover to a network of quality services dedicated to achieving the best outcomes, blending digital reach with local expertise.
While providing a high-quality, state-based digital entry point, Templeman is clear that LawAccess is designed to complement, not replace, the services developed within communities.
“We value that, and we just want to support those services the best way we can.”
