- Published:
- Thursday, 17 July 2025 at 12:48 pm
Promoting equitable briefing practices benefits legal aid clients, by ensuring legal representatives represent the diversity of the community that we serve.
Our pilot Family Law Trial Counsel Development Program aims to support equitable briefing, by pairing diverse junior counsel with experienced lead counsel mentors for practical trial experience.
The program aims to build on the success of the Criminal Law Trial Counsel Development Program, which has been running for over 14 years to develop quality advocates at the junior Bar.
These pathways ensure that legally aided clients can access skilled and experienced trial counsel.
About the pilot Family Law Trial Counsel Development Program
Delivered in collaboration with the Victorian Bar, the program will fund both junior and lead counsel to appear in family law trials together, where a grant of legal assistance would usually only cover one counsel.
The initial stage of the pilot Program will involve four junior counsel from the Victorian Bar. Each junior counsel will be briefed in up to three trials over a two-year period.
Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) Chambers Associate Director Madeline Ryan says the program is a key initiative of our Equitable briefing strategy.
‘Providing this training and development opportunity is an important way that we can help to promote diversity in the legal profession,’ said Madeline.
‘Selecting counsel to brief is often based on their prior experience, so it can be difficult for junior counsel to establish and build their practice, especially if they are diverse.
‘We are offering the pilot Family Law Trial Counsel Development Program to diverse junior counsel . Our aim is to help them to build their trial experience under the mentorship of a highly experienced lead counsel.’
Seeking expressions of interest from junior and lead counsel
Junior counsel
We are now seeking expressions of interest by 5 pm Monday 28 July 2025 from junior counsel who are:
- women
- gender diverse
- First Nations
- culturally diverse
- people of colour
- LGBTQIA+
- living with disability.
Expressions of interest from junior counsel must include:
- a written application (maximum 500 words) addressing the key selection criteria and outlining your experience as a family law advocate
- a copy of your current curriculum vitae
- a letter of support from a referee. Your referee should provide brief reasons why you are suitable for the program, as well as your advocacy strengths and areas for development.
Junior counsel who would like to participate in the program should submit their expression of interest via email to fltcdp@vla.vic.gov.au
Lead counsel
We are also seeking expressions of interest from suitably experienced lead counsel to join the program as mentors.
As lead counsel you will bring:
- a minimum of seven to 10 years at the Bar appearing primarily in family law matters
- significant family law trial experience, including in complex matters (both parenting and property
- experience appearing on behalf of the Independent Children’s Lawyer
- demonstrated ability in mentoring and training junior advocates.
Expressions of interest should include a brief outline referencing these points and why you wish to be a leader in the program.
Lead counsel should submit their expressions of interest via email to fltcdp@vla.vic.gov.au by 5 pm Monday 28 July 2025 to participate in the initial pilot.
Expressions of interest from lead counsel are also welcome after this date for future intakes.
More information
For any queries about the program, please contact fltcdp@vla.vic.gov.au
Read more about our Equitable briefing strategy
Updated