About OPALS

Older Persons ACT Legal Service (OPALS) is a specialist service within Legal Aid ACT and provides legal help to older people in Canberra.

We can help you with legal issues involving elder abuse, enduring powers of attorney, guardianship, and financial arrangements with family members. We will also refer you to other services if needed.

We are a confidential legal service, and we will not take any action without your consent first.

We can assist you by advocating on your behalf with your family or services, through letters or, if necessary, through mediation and court proceedings. We are very flexible with how we provide our service and understand that a legal issue does not always mean you end up in court.

Please note: while we can provide limited advice about wills and estates, we do not assist in drafting or preparing wills.

To find out more about elder abuse, financial arrangements with family members or any other area of law affecting older people, please see our factsheets.