Changes to the Practice Standards and Measures for VLA Practice Standards

We have made changes to our Practice Standards to ensure compliance with responsible management of the legal aid fund. Changes have also been introduced in the Measures for VLA Practice Standards, to implement a decision of our Board.

The changes include:

• As part of their ‘knowledge of and compliance with the law’ obligations specified at Practice Standard 3.1, practitioners in all their dealings with clients and us must ensure they act with a high degree of probity, and do not engage in fraudulent or corrupt behaviour.
• Previously, our Board approved a requirement to prepare a case strategy as a component of the preparation fee on broadband child protection grants. To support this decision, the Measures for VLA Practice Standards 4.2(f) have been amended in case of state child protection matters, and practitioners are now encouraged to record evidence on file of using a case strategy plan. While it is up to practitioners on how they evidence this work on their file, we highly recommend the use of the Case Strategy Plan tool.

More information

Read more about Practice Standards.

Download the documents.

A template for the Case Strategy Plan tool can be accessed at Child protection in the Family Division of the Children’s Court.

Email panels@vla.vic.gov.au for more information about changes to the Practice Standards and Measures for VLA Practice Standards.