Section 29A panels firm application form
Complete this form if you are a private law practice seeking inclusion on any of Victoria Legal
Aid’s section 29A practitioner panels.
You should familiarise yourself with the Section 29A panels firm entry requirements before
completing this form, as it contains important information about how VLA will assess whether a
firm meets the entry requirements. It can be found on the forms page of VLA’s website
(http://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/information-for-lawyers/doing-legal-aid-work/panels/opening-oficl-panel/forms).
Forms must be completed electronically and submitted via email to [email protected]. You
will need Adobe Reader version 8.0 or later to complete this form. You can save and re-enter
this form at any stage.
Part 1 – Firm details
Firm identification
Provide details to help us identify the firm in our records. Firms must be member of the section 30 general referral panel
and must register for ATLAS+ before submitting this form.
1. Firm name
2. ABN
3. ATLAS+ office reference number
Part 2 – Application details
Contact for this application
Provide details for a direct contact person who can authorise this application, handle any queries about the application
and sign on behalf of the firm.
4. Name
5. Email
6. Phone
Panel membership
Provide details of the types of legally aided work the firm is interested in undertaking.
7. Select the panel/s on which the firm is seeking inclusion.
Independent Children’s Lawyer Panel
Family Law Panel
Indictable Crime Panel
Family Violence Panel
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Victoria Legal Aid
Section 29A panel application form: private law firms
Summary Crime Panel
Child Protection Panel
Legal practitioners
Provide details of the legal practitioners within the firm who will work on legal aid files.
8. List all legal practitioners within the firm, identifying each practitioner’s area/s of practice, and
whether the practitioner is an accredited specialist in any area/s of law. (For example, ‘Jane
Smith, criminal law and family law, accredited specialist in criminal law’.)
Part 3 – Entry requirements
The firm must demonstrate or provide further information about its capacity to meet any of these requirements, if
requested. See the Section 29A panels firm entry requirements for information about how the requirements are assessed.
The number of the entry requirement relevant to each question is included in parenthesis at the end of the question.
Case management (1)
9. Does the firm have an adequate system to record details of each practitioner’s open files? (1A)
Yes
No
10. Does the firm have an adequate diary system to record the key dates for each practitioner’s
open files? (1B) Yes
No
11. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to generate reports on legal aid files? (1C) Yes
No
12. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to identify the location of a file? (1D) Yes
No
13. Does the firm have a secure place to store files? (1E) Yes
No
14. Does the firm have financial management structures in place to enable practitioners to invoice
legally aided matters in a timely manner? (1F) Yes
No
Supervision (2)
Skip to requirement Conflict (3) if the firm is applying solely for membership of the Independent Children’s Lawyer Panel.
15. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to ensure that practitioners and staff have the
appropriate education, training, skills and experience to do legal aid work competently? (2A)
Yes
No
16. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to regularly review and consider practitioners’
caseload to ensure that it is manageable? (2B) Yes
No
17. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to enable certifiers to adequately supervise
work done on their files by anyone other than themselves? (2C) Yes
No
Conflict (3)
18. Does the firm have an adequate system in place to enable practitioners to check for conflict of
interest? (3A) Yes
No
19. Does the firm have adequate arrangements in place to enable practitioners to avoid conflict of
interest where the practitioner’s own interest is involved? (3B) Yes
No
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Victoria Legal Aid
Section 29A panel application form: private law firms
Client care (4)
20. Does the firm have an adequate infrastructure to provide a private environment for clients? (4A)
Yes
No
21. Does the firm have an internal complaints management process in place? (4B) Yes
No
Part 4 – Declaration
In submitting this application you acknowledge that all information disclosed is true, that you have read and understand
your rights and obligations arising from the entry requirements and that you understand that VLA will check internal and
publically available records to verify information provided or requested as part of the application process.
Furthermore, in submitting this form you authorise VLA to place all materials submitted as part of the applications process
before a designated Panel Selection Committee.
You will need to print this page, sign it then scan and submit it electronically with your application.
Signature
Name of signatory
Date
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