Since its inception, the philosophy of SMLS has always been the provision of accessible and comprehensive legal information and assistance as well as community legal education to disadvantaged members of the community. SMLS provides members of the community with the means, which may otherwise be unavailable to them, to become informed about their legal rights and how to enforce them. SMLS aims to empower and support members of the community to understand and make use of the law and the legal system to protect their rights and to increase their awareness of their legal responsibilities. A high proportion of our clients are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and have limited access to the legal system due to language barriers, lack of formal education and financial disadvantage. To ensure that these clients receive the fairest outcome possible, their matters may be taken on by the legal service. This does not in any way detract from our ethos of maximising the community’s ability to assist themselves. SMLS is located in Springvale, within the City of Greater Dandenong. The vast majority of our clients live or work within this municipality, however there are no geographical restrictions to our service and people from anywhere in Victoria are eligible to seek assistance from us. The needs of the people within our community, and indeed the community itself, are ceaselessly changing, necessitating that we constantly adapt to meet those needs, to ensure the ongoing provision of exceptional legal service.