Preferred supplier newsletter – July 2024
Stay up to date with the latest news and information for law firms that provide legal aid services.
In this issue:
Fee increase from 1 August 2024
LAQ is pleased to advise that from 1 August 2024 we will increase fees paid to solicitors, barristers and other service providers in State and Commonwealth law matters.
We understand that increasing costs are impacting our partners and we are committed to increasing the fees we pay to providers when it is financially possible to do so.
This fee increase has been made possible thanks to specific additional funding provided to LAQ in the 2024-25 Queensland Budget and the 2024-25 Federal Budget.
The fee increases are as follows:
- All hourly rates for solicitors in State and Commonwealth law matters will be paid at $150 an hour.
- The hourly rate for counsel has also been increased by approximately 4.9 percent for State law matters and 6.8 percent for Commonwealth law matters.
- Fixed fees or event fees for solicitors and barristers (conferences, mentions, preparation, etc.) have also increased for State and Commonwealth law matters.
- Disbursements for items such as reports, giving evidence, service, travel, and accommodation have also increased by 4.9 percent and apply across State and Commonwealth matters.
- Fees payable to counsel to prepare for Commonwealth family law trials have increased from 6 hours to 12 hours.
- Fees payable to expert report writers in Commonwealth family law matters have also increased by more than 28 percent to align with the fees payable in State child protection matters.
Increased fees will be applied where the request for legal aid is approved on or after 1 August 2024. The fee increases do not apply retrospectively, and any grants issued prior to 1 August 2024 will be paid at the rate that applied when the grant was issued.
Lawyers in private practice play a vital role in delivering legal services to financially disadvantaged people across the state and without their ongoing support, LAQ would be unable to adequately service the legal needs of our clients. Thank you for partnering with us to help meet legal need in Queensland.
Full details of the increases are published in the Grants Handbook – Scale of Fees and will be available online from 1 August 2024.
Spotlight on Everett’s Family Law
Kathryn Lloyd & Kristyn Everett with LAQ’s Peter Delibaltas
Everett’s Family Law is based in Mackay and have been a preferred supplier to LAQ since 2012. They have undertaken legal aid work as independent children’s lawyers since 2002.
Kristyn Everett, Principal Solicitor, told us that Everett’s Family Law choose to do legal aid work because ‘it is important for everyone to have access to justice, regardless of financial circumstances.’ For the team, the reward is in ‘assisting and advising the most vulnerable people in our community.’
Recently LAQ’s Grants team recognised Everett’s Family Law as a firm ‘always willing to take complex family matters.’
Thank you to Kristyn and the team for your ongoing partnership with LAQ. We could not do this work without you.
Want to feature your firm in our newsletter or social media? We would love 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 psupp.coordinator@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
Supreme Court Practice Direction 2024/5 – Criminal List
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court Practice Direction 2024/5 commenced for criminal law proceedings in Brisbane.
LAQ has advice to help optimise and streamline processing your accounts when invoicing for grants of aid for matters under the practice direction.
- The initial Supreme Court grant provides for two mentions.
- When claiming accounts, you may claim case conferences required under Practice Direction 2024/5 as an additional mention.
- For expensive case matters, time spent at case conferences under Practice Direction 2024/5 can be claimed through usual assessment and claim processes.
- Please include dates and details in the ‘outcomes’ section when submitting your account, to enable LAQ to assess additional mentions on standard grants.
For more information, email Grants Team 10 on grantsteam10@legalaid.qld.gov.au or call 3917 0996.
District Court Practice Direction 3 of 2024 – a new approach to sexual violence offence proceedings
A Sexual Violence Case Management Pilot will begin in the Brisbane and Ipswich District Courts on 2 September 2024, with the aim of minimising delays, providing greater certainty to all court users and reducing the potential for re-traumatisation of witnesses.
The pilot is part of Practice Direction 3 of 2024, which was announced on 19 July 2024. For all indictments presented on or after 2 September 2024, the practice direction will take effect.
LAQ will be making grants of aid available for pilot matters. We will provide more details about this soon, so please keep an eye out for an email with further information. In the meantime, to support you in preparing for the pilot’s implementation, the court is holding the following information sessions:
- Thursday 15 August 2024, 4:30–6:30pm, Banco Court, QEII Courts of Law (Brisbane)
- Tuesday 20 August 2024, 4:30–6:30pm, Banco Court, QEII Courts of Law (Brisbane)
- Tuesday 27 August 2024, 4:30–6:30pm, Ipswich Courthouse.
Register now to attend in person or via livestream.
Contacting young people in youth detention
The Department of Youth Justice has developed a factsheet for legal representatives supporting young people who are on remand in custody.
The factsheet covers how to contact young people in detention in a timely way including phone numbers and email addresses for youth detention centres across Queensland.
It also includes visiting hours and information about arranging urgent visits. Please note, if a young person is held in a watch house, you can contact the watch house directly to arrange either a video link or telephone call with your client.
View the Contacting a young person in a youth detention centre factsheet.
New look for Grants Online
We have heard your feedback and have been working to improve your experience using Grants Online, including improvements to your day-to-day tasks, like the grant of aid application and extension screens, and the invoicing screens.
Your refreshed Grants Online will feature a new look and easier navigation. We are planning a new landing page as well as developing tool tips for key pages and you will soon be able to upload multiple files at once.
The refresh project will be finalised in the coming months, so watch this space. Thank you to the preferred suppliers who have assisted us to refresh Grants Online so far!
National Legal Aid survey
National Legal Aid (NLA) is conducting a nation-wide survey to collect information about the legal aid sector and how best to support private practitioners who undertake this important work.
Your participation in the survey will help build an accurate picture of legal aid work around Australia. The survey link will be shared in the coming weeks, for those who wish to participate. LAQ and NLA value your insights and your time responding.
LAQ’s library services are here to help you
We have been developing materials about the LAQ library resources on offer to help you provide legal assistance to your clients. Check out our new overview of library services for preferred suppliers.
Soon we will be launching some tutorials about how to get the most out of our LAQ library research databases for your matters.
Continuing professional development (CPD)
Looking for professional development opportunities to boost your CPD points? Many of LAQ’s CPD seminars are recorded and available on Grants Online under the Information Resources tab.
Check out our upcoming webinars and training
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 for more information.
Blurred Borders Queensland training – The third session in Mount Isa is being held on Thursday, 1 August from 9 – 11am and 1 – 3pm.
Read more about Blurred Borders and register (2 CPD points).
July CPD/training wrap-up
We presented several sessions in July which were open to preferred suppliers and eligible for CPD points.
Blurred Borders Queensland – 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. The training about how to use these resources with clients was held in Brisbane, Logan and Mount Isa. Read more about Blurred Borders.
Domestic and Family Violence Duty Lawyer Training (Cairns) – This specialist court training aims to equip lawyers and support services with the knowledge to appear in a specialist domestic and family violence court. Want accreditation as a DFV duty lawyer? Lawyers must have completed the state-based duty lawyer accreditation training. Email dv.dutylawyer@legalaid.qld.gov.au to register for the next training. More information: familylawservices.training@legalaid.qld.gov.au
Youth Practitioner Certification training – This full day compulsory certification program is for all youth lawyers undertaking Childrens Court duty lawyer and/or file work. If you have any questions about this training and future sessions, please email youth.certification@legalaid.qld.gov.au
Criminal Law Reform Update session - This session provided criminal law practitioners with an update on legislative changes relevant to their practice. It followed up on the Recent Criminal Law Reform session held by LAQ in March 2024.
Child Safety’s Enhanced Intake and Assessment Approach – This session covered transformational change in intake and assessment services, an overview of approach, flexible and proportionate pathways designed to support children and families, and positioning of cultural knowledge, wishes and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. (1 CPD point)
Family Law Act Amendments - This community legal education session focused on the significant changes which came into effect in May 2024, with a focus on parenting cases and how they apply to the Family Law Courts. (1 CPD point)
Preferred supplier applications
Application packages to be a preferred supplier for 2024-27 are available on the LAQ website. It is not too late to apply.
If you are still keen to apply or would like assistance with the application, please email our preferred supplier team at psupp.coordinator@legalaid.qld.gov.au – they are here to help.
Thank you to those who have already reapplied. We look forward to continuing to work with you to deliver vital services to our financially disadvantaged clients.
Changes to your Grants team details
We have recently reviewed our firm allocations to better support the partnership between Grants and preferred suppliers.
Grants teams will now be assigned to practitioners by geographical area.
This will achieve consistency and help us get a better understanding of the legal environment in each area.
Preferred suppliers who have multiple offices in different locations will be managed by the same team. Best efforts have been made to place you in the corresponding team for that geographical location however, there are a few instances where this was not achievable.
Any firms who have been moved to another team will receive an email over the next few days from their new team providing new contact details.
We will also send an email out to firms who have remained in the same team so that you have up to date contact details for your dedicated grants team.
Publications and resources
Our new Answering your questions about child support and proving paternity factsheet will help answer questions for your clients who need help with child support related issues and the process for DNA testing to prove paternity.
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