About The Law Handbook

The Law Handbook is Victoria’s most trusted, practical guide to the law since 1977. Updated every year by more than 80 voluntary legal experts, our leading guide to the law covers over 90 common legal topics in Victoria.

This resource includes detailed information about areas of the law that affect people in their everyday lives including tenancy, consumer protection, anti-discrimination, family violence and custody matters, through to environmental and employment law. It also provides information on emerging legal issues and changes to the law.

The Law Handbook is a valuable plain English resource for lawyers, teachers, students, community workers, activists and members of the community alike.

The Law Handbook online is brought to you by Fitzroy Legal Service with the generous support of the Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria.

Four people promoting Fitzroy Legal Service with signs 'Legal Resources Book' in front, two are looking towards the camera; one person is wearing sunglasses.

Past editions

  • A poster for 'The Law Handbook 2024', which is a practical guide to law in Victoria. The cover features torn paper design elements with a black and white background and bold text in various colors.
  • A graphic design cover featuring the silhouette of stacked books with a blue background. Text on the right side reads 'The Law Handbook 2023', with a subheading 'Your practical guide to the law in Victoria.' A small white label in the top left corner says 'Fitzroy Legal Service.'
  • Cover of a law handbook titled 'The Law Handbook' with a crescent shape made of the years 2020-2022 in white, gold text above and below, and a note sticker in the top left corner reading 'Fitzroy Legal Service'.
  • Cover of The Law Handbook 2021 featuring an illustrated owl with vibrant feathers, perched on a colorful scooter, with a pink background and text indicating it is a practical legal guide for Victoria.
  • Cover of a legal handbook titled 'The Law Handbook 2020: The Practical Guide to the Law in Victoria' with large 2020 in red, yellow, and black circles, and the Fitzroy Legal Service Inc. logo in the bottom left corner.
  • Cover of 'The Law Handbook 2019' featuring a classical painting of Lady Justice with a blue paint stroke over her eyes, holding scales, with the title and subtitle in large text.
  • Cover of the 2018 edition of The Law Handbook, a practical guide to the law in Victoria, featuring a stylized photo of a historic building with a red and pink background.
  • Book cover for 'The Law Hand Book 2017', featuring large black text and a pink hand silhouette in the center, on a light textured background, with small magenta text indicating it is a practical guide to law in Victoria.
  • Book cover titled 'The Law Handbook 2016' with a maze design and subtitle 'Your Practical Guide to the Law in Victoria'.
  • Cover of The Law Handbook 2015, featuring a mosaic of colorful letters spelling out 'The Law Handbook 2015,' arranged in a grid on a white background with additional text indicating it is a practical guide to the law in Victoria.
  • Book cover with a yellow background featuring the title "The Lap Handed book 2014" and a small bird perched on the letter "A", with the subtitle "Your practical guide to the law in Victoria" at the bottom.

Your book sale funds our next edition

Buying The Law Handbook means investing in access to justice.

We believe the law should belong to everyone. Through The Law Handbook, we put this belief into action.

As a not-for-profit organisation, all the money we receive from book sales goes directly back into producing the next edition of The Law Handbook.

Every year, we work with legal experts to produce up-to-date, accurate information on the law. We then work to write, print, and distribute hard copy versions, update our online version, and explore new ways to bring legal information to the community.

We do this because we believe in the right to accessible legal information.

Purchase your own copy, and help fund our next edition.

Buy The Law Handbook
Black and white spray paint artwork on a wall which says 'Fitzroy'.

FAQs

  • The Law Handbook is Victoria’s most trusted, practical guide to the law since 1977. Updated every year by more than 80 voluntary legal experts, our leading guide to the law covers over 90 common legal topics in Victoria.

    This resource includes detailed information about areas of the law that affect people in their everyday lives including tenancy, consumer protection, anti-discrimination, family violence and custody matters, through to environmental and employment law. It also provides information on emerging legal issues and changes to the law.

  • The Law Handbook is produced by Fitzroy Legal Service, a community legal centre based in Naarm's inner north.

    Through service delivery, community legal education, and advocacy, we work to address the root causes of injustice for those most locked out of the legal system. The Law Handbook is one of our flagship projects, with almost 50 editions published.

    Learn more about us at our website: https://fls.org.au/

  • The Law Handbook is designed to be used by everyone with an interest in or question about the law in Victoria.

    Because we believe the law should belong to everyone.

    You can use The Law Handbook to:

    • Find legal information that may apply to your life

    • Reference while studying, teaching, or practicing the law

    • Stay up to date on the legal system to support your clients

    Acknowledging this, The Law Handbook is available in a variety of formats, and accessible for free online.


  • The print and online versions are identical. You will miss out on any information if you access The Law Handbook online.

    If you are able to, purchasing the Law Handbook helps support our next edition, and means you have a copy you can own, reference, and markup.

  • If you need a lawyer please see ‘Legal services that can help’ in Chapter 2.3: Legal Services that can help.

  • If you are interested in being a contributor to next edition of The Law Handbook, send us an email at lhbeditor@fls.org.au.

  • The next edition of The Law Handbook will be released in early 2027.

    To be the first to hear about its release, you can subscribe to our mailing list.