"Legal aid" generally refers to the services that Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) or other legal aid commissions around Australia provide to help people resolve their legal problems. In Victoria, this includes services such as:
- legal information;
- legal advice; and
- ongoing legal help and representation.
When people think of legal aid they often think about getting one-on-one legal help from a lawyer. A grant of legal assistance through VLA can pay for some or all of the costs of a lawyer to:
- give you legal advice;
- help negotiate an agreement;
- prepare legal documents; or
- speak for you in court.
Some services can be used by everyone in the community; however, other VLA services, such as the provision of grants of legal assistance, are only available to people who cannot afford to see a lawyer.
VLA's Board sets the guidelines for funding matters under state law. The Commonwealth Government sets the priorities and guidelines for grants of legal assistance for Commonwealth law matters.
For further information regarding grants, see: "Grants of legal assistance", below.
The agencies that provide legal aid services can be grouped as follows:
- VLA;
- local community legal centres (CLCs) (e.g. Fitzroy Legal Service; Moreland Community Legal Centre; Central Highlands Community Legal Centre);
- specialist community legal centres for particular legal areas (e.g. Mental Health Legal Service; Environment Defenders Office);
- specialist community legal centres for particular groups (e.g. the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service; Women's Legal Service; Youthlaw); and
- some private firms offering free advice and assistance (through grants of legal aid or by referral from the Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) or the Law Institute of Victoria).
A list of VLA offices can be found in Chapter 2*4 Advice Directory.
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WHAT IS LEGAL AID? :: Last updated: Thu Jul 1st 2010