Preferred supplier newsletter – March 2025
Stay up to date with the latest news and information for law firms that provide legal aid services.
In this issue:
Meet the team at MacDonald Law
Jag and Sarah-Jane MacDonald of MacDonald Law.
LAQ recently interviewed siblings Sarah-Jane and Jag MacDonald, of MacDonald Law, who have offices in Toowoomba, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast.
Sarah-Jane and Jag told us it is important to their team to undertake work that makes a material difference to individuals and the community. They are staunch advocates for access to justice for all.
Jag said accessing legal help should not be limited by a person’s financial circumstances.
“From the outset, we recognised the critical role LAQ plays in ensuring everyone has the opportunity of legal representation,” he said.
“Our firm is committed to providing high-quality legal services to those who need them most. Legal aid work aligns with our core values.”
Sarah-Jane and Jag MacDonald purchased the firm from their father, Shane MacDonald, in 2017. He had opened the firm in 2006 and commenced doing legal aid work that year. The firm was born with a principal solicitor who already had strong roots in social justice and helping financially disadvantaged Queenslanders.
Sara-Jane is an accredited specialist in family law who ensures at least 10 percent of her practice is spent on domestic violence matters, applying her knowledge to assisting vulnerable clients who have received a legal aid grant.
Sarah-Jane said individuals could be lost in the maelstrom of the justice system without appropriate, cogent advice.
“If the rights of individuals are trampled, so is the trust of the community.”
“Without lawyers who are willing to take a haircut on the fees, many will fall through the cracks. These impacts ripple throughout the community.”
Jag sums up why they do this important work: “We are able to work on often quite complex legal cases, and with vulnerable people to assist them with their legal matters. These are often matters that we may not otherwise be able to work on without the assistance of legal aid funding, due to their complexity and the costs involved.”
LAQ thanks Sarah-Jane, Jag, and the MacDonald Law team for their commitment to delivering legal aid services and helping us meet Queensland’s legal needs together.
Whether you are new to LAQ or an established preferred supplier, we would love to feature your firm in our newsletter or social media. To register your interest, please email partner.engagement@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
New LAQ Client and Partner Services division
Amber Buckland, Senior Executive Director, Client and Partner Services
In mid-2024, LAQ created a new organisational structure to help us respond to current and future challenges and opportunities. The structure included a new Client and Partner Services division, which brings together under one umbrella our grants, information, advice and partner service functions as well as a new team focused on digital/business transformation, all with a view to making it easier to do business with LAQ.
We are looking forward to continuing to build strong relationships with our partners and travelling throughout Queensland to meet with you to understand how we can improve the way we work together to deliver services for vulnerable Queenslanders.
Meet the Client and Partner Services division leaders:
Amber Buckland – Senior Executive Director, Client and Partner Services
Amber started her career as a lawyer in general practice, which included several years in a regional preferred supplier firm before joining LAQ and specialising in family law, child protection and domestic and family violence including the independent and separate representation of children. In her almost 20 years at LAQ, she has held leadership roles in the family law division, policy and law reform, regional and business partnerships, information and advice services, and most recently in the Grants division including as Acting Executive Director, until her appointment to her new role in August 2024.
Katrina Smith – Executive Director, Information, Advice and Partner Services
Katrina is a lawyer who has practised mainly in child protection and family law. She has a long history in the legal assistance sector having previously worked in private practice and at the Women’s Legal Service Queensland and the Women’s Legal Centre in the ACT. In her 20 years at LAQ, she has held multiple roles in our family law area including Co-ordinator of the Child Protection team. Since 2016, she has been the Director, Information and Advice Services, a role which now also includes responsibility for partner services.
Christopher Schrader – Director, Business Partnerships
Christoper was appointed as Director, Business Partnerships in December 2024. He joined Legal Aid Queensland in 2007 as a client information officer during which time he completed a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Queensland while also working in our grants and audit teams. He was admitted in 2009 and joined the LAQ criminal practice in 2012. He has practiced in Bundaberg, Mackay, and Brisbane, and since 2017 was a senior criminal lawyer in Southport until being appointed to his current role.
New grants guidelines and funding structure for Commonwealth Community Safety Orders
In response to the High Court’s decision in NZYQ on 8 December 2023, the Commonwealth Government introduced legislation to establish a new Community Safety Order (CSO) scheme under Division 395 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). New legal aid grants have been approved for matters related to the scheme.
This scheme allows for the Minister for Immigration to apply to the Supreme Court for a CSO in relation to an adult non-citizen who has been convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence, who has no real prospect of removal from Australia, and poses an unacceptable risk of seriously harming the community by committing a serious violent or sexual offence.
Under Division 395 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), there are two types of CSOs available:
- A Community Safety Detention Order (CSDO) – the effect of which is to detain the person in prison for the period the order is in force or
- A Community Safety Supervision Order (CSSO) – the effect of which is to impose conditions on the person for the period the order is in force.
In response to these legislative amendments, Legal Aid Queensland’s Board has approved a new Commonwealth Civil Law guideline which supports the consideration of legal aid funding for these matters. For further information, please refer to the Grants Policy Manual.
A new funding structure has also been established to provide grants of legal assistance for these matters. The new fee structure provides aid for:
New fee structure
| Grant of aid |
Solicitor |
Counsel |
| Responding to all applications (originating applications, variation applications, and periodic reviews)
|
$1,500 |
$1,926 |
| Additional procedural hearings or mentions (2)
|
$300 |
$428 |
| Application in a proceeding
|
$1,200 |
$1,304 |
| Preparation and attendance at day one of final hearing
|
$1,200 |
$1,637 |
| Additional days of preliminary or final hearing
|
$900 |
$1,304 |
| Counsel to provide opinion on prospects of success for an appeal or variation
|
$600 |
$856 |
| Preparation and attendance at day one of appeal
|
$1,650 |
$2,268 |
| Additional days of appeal
|
$900 |
$1,304 |
| Additional preparation (Extraordinary case)
|
$3,000 |
$3,424 |
| Additional preparation (Expensive case)
|
Hourly |
Hourly |
For further information, please refer to the Grants Handbook or contact your Grants Team.
Best Practice Guidelines for working with First Nations clients
LAQ’s Best Practice Guidelines for lawyers working with First Nations clients is a practical resource you can refer to when working with First Nations clients.
As part of LAQ’s First Nations Action Plan 2024-26, we recently reviewed our best practice guidelines for lawyers representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
The purpose of the review was to ensure the guidelines reflect our ongoing journey to provide trauma-informed, culturally appropriate, and high-quality services for First Nations clients.
Some key changes to the guidelines include:
- references to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients changed to First Nations clients
- additional principles included, e.g.
- Improve your understanding and
- Delivering client centred services
- additional practice points added under each of the five guidelines
- merging of some principles and guidelines
- inclusion of essential reports you may like to consider when delivering legal services.
We encourage you to read the new guidelines to assist you in effectively communicating with and delivering client-centred services for First Nations clients.
LAQ videoconferencing facilities
The LAQ video conference team is off to a flying start in 2025, processing hundreds of requests so that lawyers can stay connected with and take instructions from clients in custody. Our experienced team assists lawyers to book video conferences with centres right across Queensland, including youth detention centres.
Practitioners, including law clerks, wishing to access a Queensland Correctional Centre via videoconferencing must have a valid QCS Form 27(a). You can access a copy of the Form 27(a) here.
You can find further information about videoconferencing and make bookings by visiting the LAQ videoconferencing webpage.
Travel expenses for matters
Did you know that for most legal aid cases if a matter is referred, offered, or transferred to your firm by LAQ, we cover the travel costs involved?
- We usually pay travel expenses when we refer, offer, or transfer a matter and the distance travelled is more than 35 kilometres for a round trip from the practitioner’s office.
- Travel requests should be submitted through Grants Online as soon as the date and requirements are confirmed.
For further details, visit our travel and payment rules website pages.
National Legal Aid report launch
On 27 February 2025, National Legal Aid (NLA) announced the results from a national survey of over 1000 private lawyers delivering legal aid services, which took place last year. Many preferred supplier firms in Queensland took part and your responses made a valuable contribution to the report.
The first of its kind, this national legal survey shines a light on the lawyers who deliver essential legal aid representation services.
Some key findings from the survey highlighted in the report include:
- Private lawyers deliver over 70% of around 150,000 legal aid representation grants every year across the country.
- Legal aid lawyers value the work and giving back to the community, but there are barriers that limit their availability.
- A third of the private lawyers surveyed said they are planning to do less legal aid work in the next 5 years.
- There are no private lawyers available to do legal aid work in some rural and regional areas.
NLA represents Australia’s Legal Aid Commissions, including LAQ, and is calling on the Standing Council of Attorneys-General to commit to a review of Legal Aid Commission fees and grants structures. This will allow the Council to identify funding options that can support a greater commitment of resources.
LAQ is also responding to the call for more support for private lawyers by providing new training and CPD opportunities, library research and database training and opportunities to highlight the positive and impactful work preferred suppliers are doing in their communities.
Read the full report to learn more about the survey findings.
Free databases webinar recording now available
LAQ recently presented a webinar about how to navigate free online legal research tools for federal and state legislation as well as case law.
The session also covered techniques for searching specific legislation with a focus on criminal and family law, using strategies such as Boolean operators. Visit Grants Online to view a recording of the session.
Amelia Kimberlin, LAQ’s Training Librarian, has also prepared materials about LAQ databases to help you tackle your legal research. Check out LAQ’s library services webpage for database tip sheets and visit Grants Online for database tutorial videos.
If you have questions about your legal research, you can email the library at library@legalaid.qld.gov.au.
End of year CPD and training opportunities
With the end of the CPD year approaching, LAQ wants to make it easier for partner law firms to meet their CPD requirements and to stay up to date with legislative changes.
Sessions to book in March
Mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession – increasing resilience
Date and time: Tuesday 25 March at 1pm
Webinar information and registration link will be emailed, so please check your inbox soon.
Blurred Borders Queensland training
Brisbane
Date and time:
- Tuesday 25 March at 9 am and 1pm
- Wednesday 26 March at 9am and 1pm
Webinar information and registration link have been emailed, so please check your inbox.
Would you like LAQ to deliver a free training session to your colleagues or attend one of your staff meetings to talk about the Blurred Borders kits? Please get in touch by emailing cle@legalaid.qld.gov.au. Check out LAQ’s website to stay in the loop about our planned upcoming sessions.
Recorded CPD sessions
LAQ presented sessions on a range of topics in 2024 and 2025 that were open to private practitioners and eligible for CPD points. If you cannot make a session, most are recorded so you can watch them in your own time. You can access recorded CPD sessions via Grants Online under “Information Resources” and then “Continuing Professional Development”. Please note, sessions may take up to 3 weeks to appear following the event.
Publication of the month
One of LAQ’s most frequently viewed publications is the How to apply for a domestic violence order guide. If your firm delivers family law services, your clients may find it useful as well, so feel free to share the link or have copies available in your office.
This guide can help clients who have experienced domestic and family violence and want to get a domestic violence order or learn more about their rights. It takes a step-by-step approach to applying for a domestic violence order and includes sample forms.
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 for free. For more information about LAQ’s publications or to order copies of the duty lawyer form or duty lawyer session report form, email publications@legalaid.qld.gov.au.