Our Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring Victoria Legal Aid meets its statutory objectives and carries out its functions and duties in accordance with the Legal Aid Act 1978.
These include:
- using best endeavours to make legal aid available throughout the state
- determining priorities for the provision of legal aid
- controlling and administering the Legal Aid Fund
- providing funding for community legal centres
- liaising with professional bodies to facilitate the appropriate use of services provided by private practitioners
- carrying out legal education programs for the public and sections of the public who have special needs for legal education
- undertaking research into all aspects of legal aid and making recommendations to the Attorney-General about desirable law reform based on practice experience
- informing the public of legal aid services provided and the conditions on which those services are provided
- working with other legal aid commissions.
Board meeting public proceedings
To read the Board meeting minutes, see Public record of our Board meetings in our Library Catalogue.
Board members
Our Board is made up of a chairperson and six directors nominated by the Victorian Attorney-General and appointed by the Governor-in-Council. At least one member must have experience in financial management, at least one must have experience in public management, at least one must have experience with criminal proceedings (either as a legal practitioner or a judicial officer) and at least one must have experience in other areas of legal practice engaged in by Victoria Legal Aid or its officers.
Bill Jaboor, Non-Executive Director and Chairperson
Bill was appointed as Chairperson of the Victoria Legal Aid Board on 1 October 2017. Bill has a distinguished public sector career as CEO of several local governments and has helped drive education, employment and development projects across the state for more than four decades. Bill holds a Masters in Business Administration from Deakin University and has also completed a course in the John F. Kennedy School of Government’s State and Local Government Program at Harvard University.
Andrew Saunders, Non-Executive Director
Andrew Saunders is an experienced transformation leader for complex business, organisation and digital change, with broad experience in the health, government, finance and insurance sectors. He is currently a Board Director for Eastern Health and Dental Health Services Victoria, and Chair of the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HiMSS) Asia Pacific. Andrew’s previous roles have included health chief information officer for Victoria, board director of Alfred Health, and chief executive for WorkSafe and the Transport Accident Commission’s Information and Technology Shared Solutions. Andrew was appointed July 2019.
Clare Morton, Non-Executive Director
Clare Morton has extensive and broad-ranging experience as a legal and policy professional, as well as an executive officer within both the legal and government sectors. Clare holds a law degree and a social work degree from the University of Melbourne and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Recent roles include executive officer at the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria and acting CEO of the Coroners Court of Victoria. Clare has contributed to significant reform for victims in the criminal justice system and has been instrumental in staff health and wellbeing projects. Clare is currently Chair of the Coronial Council of Victoria and has a long involvement in the community through the community legal centre sector. Clare was appointed in October 2020.
Elly Patira, Non-Executive Director
Elly Patira has broad-ranging experience as a legal, regulatory and public policy professional. She is currently a commissioner at Victoria’s Essential Services Commission. Elly previously held senior executive roles in the public sector, including as CEO of Aboriginal Investment NT, deputy secretary, First Peoples – State Relations Group in the Department of Premier and Cabinet and interim CEO at the Yoorrook Justice Commission. She is the co-founder of Australian Lawyers for Remote Aboriginal Rights and has experience in the community legal sector, as a top-tier commercial lawyer, as a legal advisor during the Fijian constitution-making process and as a native title and land rights lawyer. Elly holds degrees in arts and law from the University of Melbourne and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.
Robbie Campo, Non-Executive Director
Robbie Campo has extensive experience in governance, strategy, financial oversight, legal and regulatory policy, brand and communications, people and culture, public affairs, risk and operations. She has held senior executive roles in the superannuation industry for over two decades. Robbie has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and was appointed in October 2016.
Llewellyn Prain, Non-Executive Director
Llewellyn Prain has a background in commercial litigation, public policy, strategy and corporate governance. She is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors with board experience in the infrastructure, disability, health and alternative dispute resolution sectors. She is Deputy Chair of Greater Western Water and a consumer director on the Victorian Public Transport Ombudsman board. She has held senior roles in several government agencies, including Victoria Legal Aid and WorkSafe, and ran her own business for seven years. Llewellyn has a vision impairment and is a strong advocate for the strengths and rights of people with disability. She is a Williamson alumnus and the founder of WaterAble, a network for people with disability and their allies in the Australian water industry. In 2021 she won a Victorian Disability Award in the emerging leader category.
Llewellyn Prain on LinkedIn(opens in a new window)
Tal Karp, Non-Executive Director
Tal is the CEO of Y Australia, an Olympian, lawyer and organisational strategist. She is an expert advisory panel member for the Federal Government’s Play our Way program and a non-executive director of Y Careers. Tal previously held senior legal practice and strategy roles with Victoria Legal Aid, the Sentencing Advisory Council, the Department of Justice and the Victorian Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence. She was also associate to Justice Hayne of the High Court of Australia. Tal ran her own strategy firm, Sixfold Consulting Group and was a senior expert at Right Lane Consulting. Formerly a Change our Game champion for the Victorian Government, Tal served on the boards of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, Football Victoria and Y Australia. Tal was appointed in December 2020.
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