Victoria Legal Aid

How we are improving our services

Find out about the reviews and public consultations Victoria Legal Aid has undertaken to improve its services.

Find out about the reviews and public consultations we have undertaken to improve our services.

Better justice, every day

The Better justice, every day project is about making the biggest difference we can for our clients and the community by creating a fairer system.

We have completed a review of our child protection services. The 36 actions we have committed to are aimed at Victorian children, young people, parents and carers benefitting from legal help that is more effective, high-quality and as widely available as possible.

Read the Child protection legal aid services review.

County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court pilot

Read about the County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court pilot that has been established in Victoria.

Criminal appeals review

The review of criminal appeals was established in response to community concerns over some high profile criminal appeals.

Read Criminal appeals review.

Delivering high-quality criminal trials

We undertook a public consultation process to examine options for improving the quality of legally aided criminal trials in Victoria.

Read about the five actions for change that we identified.

Education strategy project

To improve and set the direction for the provision of education and learning, we are laying the groundwork for the development of an education strategy.

Read about the Education strategy project.

Equitable briefing strategy

To promote fairer briefing practices and create more opportunities for women and diverse counsel.

Read about our annual targets and objectives in the Equitable briefing strategy.

We undertook a public consultation process to improve our family law legal aid services and ensure they are fair, as widely available as possible and sustainable.

Read about the 35 actions that will be implemented over the next three years.

Family violence – our response

We are working with the State Government and others, including police, courts, family violence services and community legal centres, to improve the way we respond to family violence. We are committed to the elimination of violence in the community.

Read more about our response to family violence.

Flexible forum test pilot

From 1 July 2019, Victoria Legal Aid and Legal Aid NSW will be piloting a more flexible forum test.

The flexible forum test pilot arose from the Cross-border Justice Report which identified the need for VLA and Legal Aid NSW to work together more effectively to support the legal needs of people living along our shared border.

The pilot has been extended to 30 June 2021 to enable an evaluation of the pilot to be completed. Following the evaluation, a decision will be made as to whether the flexible forum test should be part of the forum test guideline on an ongoing basis.

Read more about the Flexible Forum Test guideline.

Means test review

We are working with the community and our stakeholders to review the way we assess financial eligibility for grants of legal assistance.

Read more about the Means Test Review.

Priority client framework review

We are reviewing our priority client framework, which forms part of the way we make decisions about who receives legal aid services. This will feed into a broader decision-making approach for our Board and for service provision.

Read more about out Priority client framework review.

Summary crime evaluation

Victoria Legal Aid is working with the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales in a new research and evaluation alliance to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of legal assistance for summary crime matters.

Read more at Summary crime evaluation.

Disclaimer: The material in this print-out relates to the law as it applies in the state of Victoria. It is intended as a general guide only. Readers should not act on the basis of any material in this print-out without getting legal advice about their own particular situations. Victoria Legal Aid disclaims any liability howsoever caused to any person in respect of any action taken in reliance on the contents of the publication.

We help Victorians with their legal problems and represent those who need it most. Find legal answers, chat with us online, or call us. You can speak to us in English or ask for an interpreter. You can also find more legal information at www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Reviewed 29 March 2022

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