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ATLAS+ information and updates

ATLAS+ is Victoria Legal Aid's online system for practitioners to lodge and track legal aid applications, extensions and invoices.

If you have already registered, you can log in at ATLAS+.

If you are a private practitioner and want to register, see Register to use ATLAS+.

ATLAS+ updates

New template: A Multiple Accused in Consolidated Summary Crime Matters

A Multiple Accused in Consolidated Summary Crime Matters template is now available.

The following professional costs must be selected: 'Consolidated – acting for two accused' or 'Consolidated – acting for three or more accused'. To ensure the correct invoice is generated, please select the correct preparation grant for urgent and standard applications. The invoice generated for 'Consolidated – acting for three or more accused' type matters allows for the exact third of the fee as per Table A of the VLA Handbook for lawyers.

If acting for four or more accused, please contact the ATLAS+ Help Desk on (03) 9269 0600 before submitting an invoice so that the fees can be manually modified. It is anticipated that these instances will be infrequent.

ATLAS+ upgrade aids efficiency for practitioners and grants officers

Recently VLA upgraded the ATLAS+ system to include more than 70 technical changes. And while practitioners won’t experience significant changes in how they use ATLAS+, the new release has made the system more efficient for practitioners and VLA grants officers.

These behind the scenes system enhancements include:

  • Administration changes that make it easier for grants officers to access information making query times and processing faster.
  • More detailed, meaningful error messages for some functions to assist with identifying and amending invalid or missing information.
  • Certain screens now default to ‘expanded’ making it easier and faster to navigate around the screen.
  • ‘Back to search’ button added to search result.
  • Invoices now show work items in a more logical manner making reconciling and processing invoices faster.
  • Unassigned files will be able to be offered to panel practitioners more regularly.

In the next release of ATLAS+, mobile web services will be introduced allowing practitioners to use ATLAS+ on their tablet devices in court.

System 'time out' issue

Q. Why does ATLAS+ ‘time out’ and what can I do to retrieve my data?

A. All organisations have a ’time out’ limit for online systems as a security measure to minimise any risk of fraudulent use or hacking of the system. When you ‘time out’ you can easily retrieve your data using the application file number, which is issued as soon as you select a template in ATLAS+. Take a note of this file number.

Whenever ’next’ is selected at the end of each page, the application is automatically saved in ATLAS+. Alternatively, you can press ‘save’ at any time. Should you ‘time out’, enter the file number in the ‘edit/review’ link to retrieve your application data.

Status of grants applications

Not all applications for a grant of legal assistance can be automatically processed. These include where:

  • the application is submitted via a VLA Assessed template
  • ATLAS+ recognises a potential duplicate client or matter
  • a Special Disbursement is required which cannot be auto-assessed
  • further information regarding income and assets may be required, which prevents ATLAS+ from auto-assessing the application. After an application has been entered into ATLAS+ it will have an Application Status of ‘submitted’. This means that VLA has received the application. If the application has only been saved and not yet submitted it will have an Application Status of ‘draft’.

If a grants officer needs to review your application for a grant of legal assistance, it may take some time. When a decision is made, the letter will appear in your ATLAS+ inbox.

External claim reference

When including an external claim reference in your application for a grant of legal assistance, please do not use any symbols in the reference including:

  • a full stop (.)
  • a comma (,)
  • a slash (/ or \)
  • any of the symbols from the top row of your keypad.

File outcome

When finalising a file please complete the File Outcome in ATLAS+. The File Outcome should not be sent through as an attachment.

Means test calculation

If a means test is required to see if a client is eligible for assistance, before keying in all of the client information you can do the following:

  • go to New Application
  • in the Applicant Details link go to the Income and/or Asset page and enter in the client financial information 
  • click on the Means Test Results page to see if the client is eligible for assistance

Note: You will receive error messages if information is not keyed into the required fields, click Ok to get to the Means Test Results page.

If you would like to proceed with the application click on the Applicant Details link so the required fields can be entered from the beginning of the application.

Updating client details

All client details must be updated directly in ATLAS+ and not submitted via correspondence.

Fee increases from 1 October

On Saturday 1 October, VLA’s 10 per cent increase to all professional fees and disbursements came into effect as did the additional increase to brief fees for summary crime contested hearings in the Magistrates’ Court and Children’s Court.

The new fee scales have been updated in ATLAS+ and in the VLA Handbook for lawyers. As well as the current fees, the Handbook also links to the pre-1 October 2011 fee scales as a reference.

Lawyers are reminded to update any hard copy fee schedules and invoices that they use as a reference with the new fee scales.

Retrospective aid requests

To ensure that client information remains up-to-date and accurate, VLA requires all applications to be submitted without delay. If such delay becomes necessary and the application is older than 14 days at the time of submission, you must:

  • affirm with the client that the personal and financial details provided in the application are still correct
  • make changes as required
  • submit the application to VLA noting the 'signed date' in ATLAS+ as the day of the affirmation
  • have a note on file setting out the client's instructions (affirmation of application details provided), the date they were obtained and any changes made to the application.

Please note: an application form signed more than 90 days before the submission date will not be accepted and a new form must be completed.

For further information about documentary requirements in ATLAS+ relating to the application form, please refer to the Notes on the guidelines – simplified grants assessment process.

Reconsideration and review requests

If seeking a reconsideration or review on a decision that has been made on a grant of legal assistance please submit the request using the appropriate links in ATLAS+. For all other requests such as advice that the grant is to be terminated, please submit use the Submit Correspondence link in ATLAS+.

Costs Indemnified

When submitting a Costs Indemnified claim, the only agency that is set up for auto contributions in the 'Agency' drop down list is the Appeals Costs Board. If the Costs Indemnified relates to any other agency such as Victoria Police, please enter this information in the '3rd Party Details' field.

Amendments to extension for Simplified Criminal Law Trial template

All trial extension templates for standard single-counsel trials now have 'additional trial days' as a standard choice item. This will extend to the Talented Junior Counsel Program (TJCP) items in due course.

Updating client details

To amend and update client details such as address, living arrangements and income details use the ‘Update Client Details’ link in ATLAS+.  There is no need to generate correspondence regarding this.

Training support available

In response to the need for more training, VLA has put in place a dedicated ATLAS+ Systems Trainer, Joy Maganiotis. VLA trainers recently trained over 233 practitioners across the state. To register or enquire about training email atlastraining@vla.vic.gov.au.

Contact us

You can contact VLA's Assignments Unit on (03) 9269 0600 or 1800 677 402 (toll-free for rural callers) between 8.45 am and 5.15 pm weekdays or email atlashelpdesk@vla.vic.gov.au.

If you have any feedback or complaints about ATLAS+ please email atlasfeedback@vla.vic.gov.au.

More information

ATLAS+ instructional videos 

Register to use ATLAS+

Tips for using ATLAS+