Preferred supplier newsletter – August 2024
Stay up to date with the latest news and information for law firms that provide legal aid services.
In this issue:
Spotlight on Maloy Law
Pictured (L-R) LAQ’s Peter Delibaltas with Matthew Maloy and Lavonda Maloy
Based in Bundaberg and servicing the Wide Bay region, Maloy Law has been a preferred supplier to LAQ since 2017. Directors Matt Maloy and Lavonda Maloy told us they undertake legal aid work because everyone ‘should have access to expert legal advice and representation’.
The team at Maloy Law chooses to provide legal aid services across crime, domestic and family violence, family law and child protection matters, with five solicitors now on board. They also provide independent children’s lawyer and separate representative services. The firm practices in these areas of law which require the highest level of negotiation and advocacy skills.
Always client focused, Maloy Law strives for ‘the resolution of client matters in a manner that achieves the best results for them while causing the least apprehension’.
Thank you to Matt, Lavonda and the dedicated team at Maloy Law for your ongoing partnership with LAQ. We could not deliver legal aid services to Queenslanders without you.
Want to feature your firm in our newsletter or social media? We would appreciate being able to recognise the fantastic work private practitioners are doing in delivering legal aid services around the state. If you would like to get involved, please email partner.engagement@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
New practice direction for sexual violence case management
The District Court of Queensland Practice Direction Number 3 for 2024 – Sexual violence case management has introduced new requirements for proceedings involving sexual violence offences. Where appropriate it requires practitioners to attend:
- a case review hearing
- a mediated case conference
- a trial readiness hearing.
In response to the practice direction, LAQ has created an additional grant of aid to remunerate practitioners for the additional case management requirements. The additional grant of aid applies to all sexual violence offence proceedings in the District Court which are part of the Sexual Violence Case Management Pilot in Brisbane or Ipswich.
The new practice direction requirements can be read in full in this LAQ webpage announcement.
Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCoA) update
LAQ representatives met recently with His Honour Justice Baumann as well as members of the Queensland Law Society, Bar Association of Queensland and Family Law Practitioners Association. His Honour shared some updates from the courts.
The FCFCoA updates to note include:
- No further trial dates are available in 2024.
- 23 matters deemed ready for trial do not currently have trial dates. When the diary is set for 2025, these matters will be allocated dates.
- There are 7 legacy matters still in the court.
- The court is transitioning to a new process where local registry matters will be dealt with by local registrars. This will maximise local knowledge and enhance communication.
- In Division 2, matters will be double listed. This means 2 matters will be listed to commence before each judge, however neither will have priority. In Division 1, there is no double listing.
Attendees at this meeting also provided His Honour with feedback about issues experienced by practitioners. The topic of subpoenas was raised, specifically around limitations on practitioners providing these to experts and the significant undertakings required. His Honour committed to investigating this issue, with a view to reducing the burden on practitioners.
The group also recommended to the court that an Indigenous list be established in Far North Queensland.
Family Law Pathways Network – webinar series
In response to the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 (Cth), the Attorney-General’s Department has developed a webinar series to guide you in the rollout of these important changes to the parenting framework.
With the changes to the Act commencing on 6 May 2024, the National Family Law Pathways Networks team developed some resources with family law practitioners in mind.
If you missed the live webinar sessions, you can view the recordings. There are four webinars in the series, including:
Applications for aid submitted by a preferred supplier
When you submit an application for legal aid through the electronic lodgement system, as a general rule the matter will be referred back to your firm. Please be aware that LAQ reserves the right to allocate any matter to our in-house team where there are reasonable grounds for doing so.
Q. Which applications do we reserve the right to allocate?
A. We may exercise the right to allocate the matter to the in-house practice where a matter is identified as a potentially expensive matter. Information about potentially expensive matters is available here.
Q. How many matters are allocated away from a supplier to the in-house practice each year?
A. Only a small number of cases each year are allocated to our in-house practice.
Explore LAQ’s Criminal Judgments Database
A video and tip sheet have been developed to help you search LAQ’s Criminal Judgments Database. The database is available free to your firm to help you with your legal research. It contains an archive of criminal and related civil judgments from Queensland courts and the High Court, including unreported and older decisions.
For guidance about using the Criminal Judgments Database, refer to our tip sheet and video demonstrating how to get relevant results from your search. Both resources have been developed by our library team to make it easier for preferred supplier firms to research caselaw.
The database is available through Grants Online, under the Information Resources tab.
Need further assistance with this database? Contact the library at library@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
Continuing professional development (CPD)
LAQ’s Edwina Yasso with participants at Blurred Borders training.
Looking for professional development opportunities to boost your CPD points? Many of LAQ’s CPD sessions are recorded and available on Grants Online under the Information Resources tab.
Look out for invitations to our upcoming webinars and training, free to preferred suppliers. Some training may also be relevant to your team.
August CPD and training wrap-up
We presented several sessions in August which were open to preferred suppliers and eligible for CPD points.
Blurred Borders Queensland – Mount Isa 31 July and 2 August, Mackay 20-23 August. This training has been continuing around the state during August. Blurred Borders is a set of resources that helps to make complex legal problems easier to understand. It was designed to help First Nations people but can also be used to improve communication with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, young people and people who are living with disabilities. Read more about Blurred Borders. If you would like to request a training session for your team or in your community, please contact cle@legalaid.qld.gov.au. (2 CPD points)
Best practice briefing and instructing counsel – 23 August, online. This session is designed to provide best practice guidance on instructing counsel, maximising the relationship with counsel, and the different roles between the instructor and counsel with a particular focus on trials and hearings. (1 CPD point)
Domestic and Family Violence Duty Lawyer training – 26 August, Bundaberg and 30 August, Maroochydore. This specialist court training aims to equip lawyers and support services with the knowledge to appear in a specialist domestic and family violence court. Email dv.dutylawyer@legalaid.qld.gov.au to register for the next training or email FamilyLawServices.Training@legalaid.qld.gov.au or for more information.
Workplace sexual harassment webinar – 28 August from 1-2pm. This free webinar covers the types of conduct and behaviours that may be considered sexual harassment and explains how to best support your clients in these matters. This webinar is suitable for community lawyers as well support workers, financial counsellors and other members of your team who may support clients who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. You can call us on 07 3917 0477 or email webinars@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
For any enquiries regarding the CPD events, please email learning@legalaid.qld.gov.au
Contacting your Grants team
When you call your Grants team, our phone system is designed to ensure your inquiry is handled as efficiently as possible. Here is how it works:
When calling, you will be asked what your role is. Your answer helps your Grants team assist you quickly with the most appropriate information. If all our team members are busy assisting other callers, you will be provided with two options:
- remain on hold and the next available team member will speak with you as soon as possible or
- leave a voicemail for your team to return your call, this is usually within one business day.
We dedicate staff to the team lines between 8.30am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. The team lines are the best way to get in touch with us.
Publication of the month
If you support clients with family law matters, you may find our Need help to sort out a family law problem? publication will help clients understand their options. This publication outlines how a family dispute resolution conference may help resolve parenting issues, spousal maintenance or property settlement without going to court.
LAQ produces more than 100 publications and resources from factsheets to posters, brochures, wallet cards and comprehensive legal information guides to help you support your clients. You can check out the publications on the LAQ website and they can be ordered online at no cost. For more information about our publications or to order copies of the duty lawyer session report form, email publications@legalaid.qld.gov.au