Important information for private lawyers acting on behalf of Legal Aid or who want to join the Legal Aid General Panel On this page |
About the panel
Legal Aid may engage private practitioners to perform Legal Aid services as determined by the Legal Aid Act 1977 and the Legal Aid (General Panel) Determination 2010 (No 1).
To act on behalf of Legal Aid, a private practitioner must be a member of the Legal Aid General Panel.
Reference documents
- How to manage Grants of Aid
- Scale of costs
- Clause list – list of extension types per legal matter
- Add or remove practitioners form
Terms of membership
Members of the Legal Aid General Panel, must agree to and abide by:
- the General Panel Services Agreement
- the General Panel Practice Standard
- the General Panel Practice Compliance Audit Requirements.
Scale of costs
The fees payable for services delivered by members of the General Panel are detailed in the General Panel Scales of Costs.
To apply for funding, you will need to use the corresponding extension code from the clause list.
Apply to become a member
To be considered for membership of the General Panel, you need to apply to Legal Aid.
How to apply
To apply:
- Check that you meet the requirements for a private practitioner as defined in the Legal Aid ACT Act 1977.
- Read, and if you agree, sign the Legal Aid ACT General Panel Service Agreement.
- Complete the Legal Aid ACT General Panel Application for Membership form.
- Submit the form and your supporting documents to client.services@legalaidact.org.au
After you apply
Legal Aid will review your application. We’ll contact you about the outcome of your application.
Manage your membership
Grants of legal assistance are managed through LAGRANTS 2.0 portal.
Read the LAGRANTS 2.0 process guide to learn how to register, log in and manage grants through the portal.
Change practitioners attached to your membership
General Panel members can supervise practitioners to undertake work for Legal Aid ACT. You must provide the details of any supervised practitioners to Legal Aid.
Use the add or remove practitioners form to advise Legal Aid of any changes to the practitioners you supervise to undertake work for Legal Aid.
Manage your Grants of Aid
Receiving an initial grant does not guarantee that your client will receive funding for the entirety of their legal matter. There may be restrictions on the legal assistance funding available.
The How to manage Grants of Aid document provides more guidance on day-to-day questions frequently asked by General Panel members.