Private Practitioner Short Service Scheme contracts

What are we doing?

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) engages private practitioners to deliver duty lawyer and short legal services via Private Practitioner Short Services Schemes (PPSSS), formerly known as the Private Practitioner Duty Lawyer Schemes (PPDLS).

We are introducing standard contracts, to provide consistency and transparency in how we engage private practitioners to deliver these services.

Why are we doing this?

Our private practitioner partners perform an essential role in assisting us to meet our statutory obligations to coordinate legal services for the community in the most effective, economic and efficient manner.

In recent years legal need has outstripped private practitioner supply in some areas of legal practice and regions. This issue has become more evident in the context of COVID-19 and the resulting court backlogs have increased our need for a sustainable pool of suppliers to provide our clients with the legal assistance they need.

Our strategic goals include working with partners to address systemic issues in the justice system and ensuring decisions about resource allocation are transparent, clear and understood by our partners.

We have successfully trialled the use of standardised contracts for private practitioners delivering short services for our Help Before Court scheme and recently established PPSSS services at Moorabbin and Werribee Courts.

We are now introducing standard contractual agreements for all practitioners delivering duty lawyer and other short services to ensure:

an open and transparent process that gives suitably experienced practitioners the opportunity to apply to join short service schemes in areas where these are established
greater consistency in the delivery of duty lawyer and short legal services
COVID-19 related backlogs and intermittent demand pressures are effectively managed
shortages in the supply of legal services are identified and addressed in a systemic way.

Contractual agreements will also better support private practitioners by establishing clear obligations and expectations for all lawyers delivering these services including occupational health and safety obligations owed to and shared with private practitioners.

What is the PPSSS?

VLA funds and delivers legally aided services across Victoria through our in-house practice, private practitioners and community legal centre practitioners. This is known as mixed model service delivery. As part of the mixed model, private practitioners deliver duty lawyer services and short legal assistance services through the PPSSS. Established PPSS Schemes provide legal assistance in:

Summary Crime (including Help Before Court)
Youth Crime
Child Protection
Family Violence Intervention Orders.

Read more information about private practitioner duty lawyer and short services.

Benefits of contracts for VLA and our private practitioner partners

Contractual agreements will provide a foundation for accountability between practitioners and VLA, with a formal process for how firms and VLA scheme co-ordinators work together in the delivery of duty lawyer and other short legal services.

Standard contracts will also provide VLA and our private practitioner partners with:

a clear understanding of obligations owed to and by practitioners in the delivery of duty lawyer and short legal services, including occupational health and safety obligations
information about a firm or practitioner’s eligibility to deliver duty lawyer and short legal services.

The process to enter a PPSSS Contract

We will conduct an open application process across all regional VLA office locations to provide interested and eligible firms with an opportunity to apply for a PPSSS Contract.

Interested firms will complete an Application Form which will be assessed by an internal VLA Assessment Panel before we require firms to sign a contract.

We acknowledge that many private practitioners have currently or recently participated in a PPSSS (or PPDLS) scheme. The application process will allow these firms to be exempt from certain requirements in the process. This will ensure the application process is streamlined, fair and an appropriate level of recognition will be afforded to the experience of practitioners currently and or recently delivering these types of legal services.

Firms may apply to enter a PPSSS contract agreement across multiple regions however VLA will be applying a principle of “local first” and preference will be given to suitably qualified and experienced local practitioners.

We will adopt a phased approach to rolling out PPSSS contracts across the state.

Region	Relevant VLA office	Applications open	Applications close
Loddon/Mallee	Mildura and Bendigo	04/07/2022	25/07/2022
South West	Ballarat and Horsham	25/07/2022	15/08/2022
North East	Ringwood and Shepparton	15/08/2022	05/09//2022
South West	Geelong and Warrnambool	29/08/2022	19/09/2022
South East	Gippsland and Frankston	12/09/2022	03/10/2022

The application process for the metropolitan Child Protection PPSSS will occur towards the end of the regional roll out due to the need to consult with practitioners about roster arrangements. More information on the planned approach for this scheme will be provided by VLA’s Child Protection Program to practitioners.