Find out about the reviews and public consultations we have undertaken to improve our services.
Better justice, every day
The Better justice, every day project is about making the biggest difference we can for our clients and the community by creating a fairer system.
Child protection legal aid services review
We have completed a review of our child protection services. The 36 actions we have committed to are aimed at Victorian children, young people, parents and carers benefitting from legal help that is more effective, high-quality and as widely available as possible.
Read the Child protection legal aid services review.
County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court pilot
Read about the County Court Drug and Alcohol Treatment Court pilot that has been established in Victoria.
Criminal appeals review
The review of criminal appeals was established in response to community concerns over some high profile criminal appeals.
Read Criminal appeals review.
Delivering high-quality criminal trials
We undertook a public consultation process to examine options for improving the quality of legally aided criminal trials in Victoria.
Read about the five actions for change that we identified.
Education strategy project
To improve and set the direction for the provision of education and learning, we are laying the groundwork for the development of an education strategy.
Read about the Education strategy project.
Equitable briefing strategy
To promote fairer briefing practices and create more opportunities for women and diverse counsel.
Read about our annual targets and objectives in the Equitable briefing strategy.
Family Law legal aid services review
We undertook a public consultation process to improve our family law legal aid services and ensure they are fair, as widely available as possible and sustainable.
Read about the 35 actions that will be implemented over the next three years.
Family violence – our response
We are working with the State Government and others, including police, courts, family violence services and community legal centres, to improve the way we respond to family violence. We are committed to the elimination of violence in the community.
Read more about our response to family violence.
Flexible forum test pilot
From 1 July 2019, Victoria Legal Aid and Legal Aid NSW will be piloting a more flexible forum test.
The flexible forum test pilot arose from the Cross-border Justice Report which identified the need for VLA and Legal Aid NSW to work together more effectively to support the legal needs of people living along our shared border.
The pilot has been extended to 30 June 2021 to enable an evaluation of the pilot to be completed. Following the evaluation, a decision will be made as to whether the flexible forum test should be part of the forum test guideline on an ongoing basis.
Read more about the Flexible Forum Test guideline.
Means test review
We are working with the community and our stakeholders to review the way we assess financial eligibility for grants of legal assistance.
Read more about the Means Test Review.
Priority client framework review
We are reviewing our priority client framework, which forms part of the way we make decisions about who receives legal aid services. This will feed into a broader decision-making approach for our Board and for service provision.
Read more about out Priority client framework review.
Summary crime evaluation
Victoria Legal Aid is working with the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales in a new research and evaluation alliance to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of legal assistance for summary crime matters.
Read more at Summary crime evaluation.
Updated