Preferred supplier update — August 2022
This month:
Circuit court briefing policy
There are a number of areas throughout Queensland where circuit courts have been established for District and Supreme Court sittings.
Legal Aid Queensland’s circuit court briefing policy has been in place since January 2018 and relates to all criminal matters heard on circuit court sittings in Queensland and applies to all Legal Aid Queensland criminal lawyers, preferred suppliers and LAQ’s Counsel Chambers.
LAQ’s In-house Counsel Chambers is responsible for administering circuits throughout Queensland and that LAQ’s Public Defender retains the sole authority to brief counsel for circuit sittings.
As part of their obligations, preferred suppliers are asked to review the circuit court briefing policy to ensure their continued compliance with this policy.
Communications & CLE update — New Guide
Legal Aid Queensland has produced a new guide called Is it legal? What you need to know about using your phone and social media.
What is it about?
The guide provides information about cyberbullying, sexting and image-based abuse, including:
- social media Q&A
- case studies
- legal definitions for cyberbullying, sexting, image-based abuse and other online activities
- examples of what can happen if the laws are broken.
This replaces the popular Cyberbullying, Sexting and Facebook guide.
Who is this resource for?
This guide is designed for young people, 10 years and older, parents and teachers.
How can I access it?
You can download or order for free via the LAQ website
QLS Guidance Statement — No. 30 Transfer of Files
Practitioners are reminded of their ethical duties when transferring a client’s file – please see Guidance Statement - No.30 Transfer of files published by the QLS Ethics and Practice Centre.
Your Story Disability Legal Support
Your Story Disability Legal Support is a free national service which empowers people with disability to safely share their story with the Disability Royal Commission and connect with local support services. The service’s latest newsletter can be viewed here.
Continuing professional development
Recorded CPD seminars are available on Grants Online under the Information Resources tab.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
The latest information about COVID-19 for preferred suppliers can be viewed here.
All persons entering Queensland Courts are strongly encouraged to wear a face mask.
Preferred suppliers are reminded to ensure they are confident in their ability to respond to COVID-19 by understanding the risk, minimising it where possible and complying with government and court directions.
Feedback
We welcome feedback and comments from clients, the community and our suppliers. As preferred suppliers you play an important role in helping us to provide quality legal services to disadvantaged Queenslanders. If you would like to provide comments or suggestions to us about our services, policies, processes or staff members, you can complete a contact form or email us at complaints@legalaid.qld.gov.au at any time.
Your feedback is important to us. We ensure a senior staff member investigates all issues raised thoroughly and we analyse all feedback every quarter to see what processes and services can be improved.