About Law Manual Online

Law Manual Online is a free pool of plain language legal information. It is designed to empower everyday people in Aotearoa New Zealand to know their legal rights.

Are you in a tricky situation? Do you feel done wrong by? It’s likely that the law has something to do with it and that the Law Manual Online can help you figure it out. Law Manual Online is about making the law easy to understand so you can decide your next steps when you’re dealing with a problem.

Law Manual Online contains a wide range of information from Community Law’s easy-to-read manuals and guides. It includes content from:

  • Community Law Manual
  • Lag Law: Your Rights in Prison and On Remand
  • Pregnancy Rights
  • Rights at School in Kura (formerly Problems at School).

You can buy physical books from our online bookshop.

The publications team at Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley created and take care of the Law Manual Online and all of the listed guides. We want the Manual to be useful to everyone, especially those most negatively affected by capitalism, colonisation, racism, sexism, ableism and all the other systems of oppression causing harm to our communities.

We are a not-for-profit charity and we are not part of the government. Our content is created for the community, by the community. If you have any feedback or notice any important content areas that we’ve missed, please let us know.

Email us at publications@wclc.org.nz or write to us at PO Box 24005, Wellington 6142.

Help the manual

We’re a small team that relies on the generosity of all our supporters. You can make a one-off donation or become a supporter by sponsoring the Manual for a community organisation near you. Every contribution helps us to continue updating and improving our legal information, year after year.

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Also available as a book

The Community Law Manual

The Manual contains over 1000 pages of easy-to-read legal info and comprehensive answers to common legal questions. From ACC to family law, health & disability, jobs, benefits & flats, Tāonga Māori, immigration and refugee law and much more, the Manual covers just about every area of community and personal life.

Buy The Community Law Manual

Lag Law: Prisoner's Rights

Lag Law answers heaps of common questions you might have if you’re going to prison, you’re in prison, or you’re getting out of prison. It talks about your rights in prison, and sets out the laws and rules that affect you when you’re put in prison . 1 free copy for people in prison and the whānau of someone in prison. If that’s you, email laglaw@wclc.org.nz for your free copy

Buy Lag Law: Prisoner's Rights

Pregnancy Rights

A basic, plain language guide that contains practical answers to questions about pregnancy and the law. It covers sex and consent, options after a positive pregnancy test, what help you can get with school, work, and parenting and more. Pregnancy Rights is written for young pregnant people, their whānau and advocates.

Buy Pregnancy Rights

Find the Answer to your Legal Question

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