03 9415 9999 03 9415 9999
  • Catholic Clergy Claims
    Catholic Clergy Claims
    Dr Vivian Waller has acted in claims against Catholic Clergy since 1995.
  • State Ward Claims
    State Ward Claims
    Dr Viv Waller has acted for former wards of the state of Victoria since 1997 when she commenced group litigation on behalf of many former residents of the Ballarat Orphanage who were abused in care.
  • The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
    The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
    Established in January 2013, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse investigated how institutions like schools, churches and sporting groups responded to allegations of child sexual abuse.

The Trauma Informed Practice Model

Waller Legal is committed to the Trauma Informed Practice Model

The Trauma Informed Practice Model

We know that talking about sexual assault can be hard.

Waller Legal adopts a trauma informed practice approach to providing legal services. We are aware that a person may be triggered or re-traumatised by a re-telling of their history. While talking to us about the abuse and the impact it has had on you is a necessary part of us working together, we attempt to minimise distress wherever possible. 

We try to make it as easy as we can by giving you information and choices.  If you have given an account of the abuse already, such as in a police statement, we’ll give you the option for us to obtain and read the police statement first so you don’t have to say it twice.

 

Key features of our approach include:

(a)   Taking the time to explain the process to clients and answer any questions.

(b)   Obtaining any documents which may be available in which the client has already given an account of events to see if it is possible to avoid taking a further statement;

(c)    Empowering clients with as much choice as possible, for example, providing them with the option to meet in person or talk by telephone, bring a support person or come alone, write things down themselves or talk it through.

(d)   Asking clients to nominate their preferred contact method, such as mail, email or phone.

(e)    Exploring alternative dispute resolution processes where possible.

(f)   Negotiating with defendants about changes to processes that might be required to accommodate an individual client’s needs.

(g)   Advocating on behalf of clients and making sure they don’t have any direct contact with defendants, such as church personnel, unless they choose to.

(h)    Exploring ways to include pastoral responses where appropriate.

(i)    The provision of trauma informed training to our staff.

 

We don’t always manage to avoid upset but we try hard to minimise factors that are within our control.  We constantly think about ways to improve our services and we welcome your feedback. 

If you would like to discuss a potential claim for compensation, please call the office on 03 9415 9999 or email the team at info@wallerlegal.com.au.
In pursuit of justice
In The News
Testimonials

  • I feel so fortunate to have gone through this with you and your great team.

    The delicate way you approach very sensitive issues made this whole process a lot more comfortable than I would ever have imagined.  I will forever be grateful to you and your amazing team for taking my case.

    From me and all the other survivors, thank you so much.

    N,M,J

  • Viv Waller spent many hours over months gathering, sorting and preparing our evidence and my statement - a statement which was webcast around Australia and the world. 

    Viv Waller has spent her professional career solely helping and assisting people who were sexually assaulted as children by those in religious organisations.  In so many cases she had taken the power from the perpetrator and given it back to the survivor.

    Viv Waller’s work is essential.  Her guidance, abilities and professionalism lead me through a most overwhelming and daunting task which I can only thank her for.

    Chrissie Foster

  • Everything is different now.  My journey is over now.

    KF

  • Thank you for what you did, what you said and who you are, your thoughtfulness will always be remembered with more gratitude that you could ever know.

    Cheryl

  • What Dr Waller has achieved for me is nothing short of a miracle.  At the age of 60 I was feeling very upset at the abuse that I had encountered as a very young girl at the hands of a Salesian Brother.  My dealings with the Salesians many years later to try and resolve the matter left a very bitter taste in my mouth.  In fact, they made me feel abused all over again.  Vivian Waller was referred to me by Broken Rites, and that was the day my life changed.  I am so grateful that my words feel a little trite.

    Vivian has a no nonsense approach, keeps you on track, is honest, and like a dog with a bone, she keeps you going to have the desired outcome.  The world needs more Vivians.  Myself and my family are forever grateful to you.  Thanks mate, you’re my hero.

    Cathie

  • I have thought of you often and the journey and the process of the last couple of years.  As a survivor you can think that every end step will be closure—arrest, guilt, sentencing, criminal case finished, civil case complete.  But there is never really an end.  Each part of the process is just a step closer to healing and closure.  You and your staff did a fab job of walking me through the civil case.

    For six months the money has sat idle in an account I can’t touch.  It feels as though if I touch it I am accepting it as silence money and once again feeling gagged.  But I am getting there.  It will be used towards a fresh start.  Hope for a more whole and healed future.  Thank you for being part of the process.

    Thank you for your professionalism, support, and persistence.

    KD

  • Again we cannot thank you enough for all your dedication and hard work over the past few years, we would not have made it without your persistence and dogged determination to get this to settlement stage, many others would have settled for less. We now have a girl who has beaten the odds, and whose self esteem has rocketed, is confident, and especially is calm!

    We wish you all good things in life, as without lawyers like yourself who will take the risk of taking on the "untouchables" we would not have kept our girl on track or most importantly, alive. The road for her is still to be traveled, but this will assist in making the journey less troubled, and we hope with time and continued therapy she will see herself as a complete person and not as a shadow of who she could be.

    You will be forever in our thoughts.

    TJ

  • Dear Viv and Staff, thank you so much. You are all wonderful.

    E, L & J

  • I would like to thank you for all you have done for me. The steps taken thus far have helped me greatly. Without your help I am not sure where I would be today, on behalf of myself and my family THANKYOU SO MUCH.

    Garry

  • Six years after the settlement:

    It has been a long and well-travelled road for our girl, but I never thought I would see the day when she is as happy as she is now.  I was so happy when she decided to study nursing!  The settlement that she received enabled her to study full time over the past three years without having to worry about working while studying.

    What happened to our daughter, and to us as a family, will never go away, however, our daughter has managed to pick up the fragments of her life and move on. The horrors of what have happened will not disappear, perhaps just fade as more joyful occasions occur in her life.

    I want all of you to know what a tower of strength and support you were to all of us and that without you, our daughter’s life would have turned out very differently.

    You are always in our thoughts with gratitude for what you achieved.

    TJ
Back To Top
Call Waller Legal