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Grants handbook

The Grants handbook sets out how to apply for a grant of legal assistance and the guidelines and conditions of receiving a grant. It also explains the payment structures for private lawyers who perform legal aid work.

Chapter 1. Victoria Legal Aid - PDF, 83.0kb Grants handbook chapter about Victoria Legal Aid, including legal services and locations
Chapter 2. Qualifying for legal assistance - PDF, 3.3mb Grants handbook chapter about qualifying for legal assistance. This chapter includes information on types of matters funded by legal aid; the means test; reciprocity agreement; and the united nations convention on the recovery abroad of maintenance.
Chapter 3. Applying for legal assistance - updated May 2009 - PDF, 77.0kb Chapter outlining information about applying for a grant of legal assistance, including how to fill an application, where to send it, documents that should accompany an application, urgent grants and how VLA deals with late applications.
Chapter 4. Conditions of Assistance - PDF, 170.0kb This chapter outlines conditions of legal assistance. It includes the general terms of assistance, contributions, charges on property, costs payable by VLA, limits on legal assistance and VLA's debt policy.
Chapter 5. Private practitioners and legal aid - PDF, 158.0kb Grants handbook chapter about work guidelines for private practitioners and legal aid, including the referral panel, stage of matter limits, extending a grant of legal assistance and abandonment of legal assistance
Chapter 6. Payments for private practitioners – updated November 2009 - PDF, 676.0kb This chapter outlines costs payable to private practitioners. It explains in detail the fees that can be charged by solicitors and barristers for providing legal services to assisted persons.
Chapter 7. Reconsiderations, reviews, complaints & disputes - PDF, 47.0kb Grants handbook chapter about reconsiderations, review and complaints about the provision of legal assistance
Chapter 8. Other providers of legal aid - PDF, 43.0kb Grants handbook chapter about legal aid services provided by community legal centres, LIV, public interest law clearing house, etc