Case Study - Legal Aid Australia

Making Legal Support Accessible and Trauma-Informed

Family violence law in Australia is complex, varies by jurisdiction, and can be difficult to navigate—especially for people in crisis. National Legal Aid set out to change that, developing a digital platform to bring clarity, consistency, and support to those who need it most.

Codacora partnered with National Legal Aid to design, build, and maintain a secure, accessible, and multilingual resource, co-created with input from legal experts, victim-survivors, and advocacy organisations. The result is a trusted national hub used daily by individuals, families, and frontline service providers across Australia.

Designing for Sensitivity and Clarity

Legal information — especially about family violence — must be both accurate and accessible, but also delivered with empathy and care. Our UX and content design approach centred on trauma-informed principles: reducing cognitive load, supporting emotional safety, and offering control to the user.

Key design decisions included:

• Plain language and structured guidance: Legal topics are broken into digestible steps, with clear definitions, links to services, and guided pathways through complex topics.
• Soft, stable visual design: A warm, grounded aesthetic avoids clinical or institutional tones, helping users feel safe and supported.
• Multi-device accessibility: Whether on mobile in a moment of need or via desktop in a support centre, the experience remains consistent, calm, and clear.

Our goal was not just to deliver information, but to ensure that every visitor felt oriented, respected, and empowered.

A National Resource, Co-Designed with Experts

This wasn’t just a website project — it was a coordinated national initiative. We worked closely with:

• Legal Aid commissions across all Australian states and territories
• Family violence advocates and trauma specialists
• Multilingual accessibility consultants
• Frontline service workers and those with lived experience

This collaborative process shaped both the content structure and the feature set, resulting in a platform that meets real, diverse user needs — not just policy requirements.

Built for Performance, Protection, and Scale

Given the sensitivity of the subject matter and the wide range of users, security, performance, and inclusivity were all critical. We engineered a platform that’s technically resilient and socially responsible.

Highlights:

• WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance
• Multilingual support in over 20 languages, including options for simplified layouts and translated guidance
• Secure hosting with advanced firewalls and protected admin access
• Daily uptime monitoring, rate limiting, and analytics firewalls
• Modular architecture for content flexibility and jurisdiction-specific updates

With over 100 unique daily visits and a growing national profile, the platform continues to serve as a digital lifeline for people seeking answers and support.

Ongoing Support and Rapid Content Updates

Family law changes. Fast. That’s why our work with National Legal Aid didn’t stop at launch.

We continue to provide:

• Ongoing maintenance and support, ensuring stability, security, and fast response times
• Rapid content updates aligned with legal reform, jurisdictional changes, or government messaging
• Stakeholder onboarding, helping internal teams and contributors maintain and extend the platform over time
• Usage analytics, guiding future development and content prioritisation

This sustained partnership ensures the platform remains trusted, current, and operational — even as laws evolve and needs shift.

Outcome: A Safer, Clearer Path Through Complexity

National Legal Aid’s digital platform now acts as a centralised, accessible, and inclusive resource for individuals, families, and frontline workers navigating family violence law. With trauma-informed design, multilingual support, and robust infrastructure, it’s a rare example of a government-aligned service that puts real user needs first.

Every page reflects the mission: to empower Australians with clarity, safety, and access to justice.