Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to the Panels Project site - this site will provide you with the latest information and news regarding the implementation of panels of private legal practitioners.

The Grants Division of the Legal Aid Commission of NSW is embarking on wide ranging reforms to the delivery of legal aid services in NSW. These reforms include the creation of panels of private legal practitioners to represent legally aided clients.

The panels initiatives will give rise to the following benefits:

• An agreed level of service delivery standards for legal aid clients
• Transparency in the allocation of work to private legal practitioners
• A closer working relationship with private legal practitioners through audit and education
• Access to grants of legal aid and streamlined application and account payment processes via electronic lodgement facilities. Once panels are implemented, grants of aid may only be made to practitioners who have been appointed to a panel.
• Improved communication between the Commission and private practitioners
• Access to targeted training, information sharing and legal conferences arranged by the Commission.
• A partnership relationship conducted in accordance with a service provision agreement entered into between the Commission and practitioners.

Project Background

Following consultation with the Law Society and New South Wales Bar Association, the Commission has developed a set of documents which will constitute the panel documents. These will be used for the purposes of selecting practitioners onto the first panel, being the Children’s Crime Specialist Childrens Court panel. These documents will also formalise the relationship between the Commission and private practitioners.

The documents are the Expression of Interest; the Service Provision Agreement; and practice standards.