Information technology

Ongoing improvements to our Client and Case Management System (CCMS) allow Legal Aid NSW and LawAccess NSW staff to view available advice appointments across the state and book clients at the point of first contact, saving time and providing a better service.

Following the integration of LawAccess NSW and Legal Aid NSW, the old customer management system used by LawAccess NSW was replaced with LA Connect, which uses the same application platform as CCMS.

LA Connect provides LawAccess NSW staff with one system to capture data, make referrals, book appointments for Legal Aid NSW services, allocate intake to specialist teams and send correspondence to customers.

We commenced a project that will build a single, public-facing LawAccess NSW and Legal Aid NSW website that better caters to the needs of all our clients and partners.

The new website will offer a single-entry point for our customers and clients. It will match customers with appropriate services and resources based on their needs and empower them with the information they need to understand their legal issues and answer their own legal questions.

We have commenced a pilot to give people charged with criminal offences a simple, easy way to ask for legal help before their court date. Some clients are not prepared for court on the day of their appearance, and in most cases their matter needs to be adjourned causing unnecessary delays for courts.

The Defendant portal website (JusticeHub) will help people charged with a criminal offence in NSW to prepare for court, register for court appearance reminders and access legal help from Legal Aid NSW. Clients can access the hub using a QR code and their mobile device and fill in a simple form to receive information from Legal Aid NSW staff or an advice clinic booking.

Access to advice will allow clients to be more confident about what will happen when they first attend court.

This year we continued a program of work to lift our cyber security, receiving external funding for the three-year roadmap that we developed in 2020–2021. This program of work, which formally commenced in early 2022 and runs until mid-2024, will provide greater assurance to our clients that their data and information is well protected and reduce the risk of a significant cyber-attack.

We continued to develop a culture of cyber security in 2021–2022 through training, running email phishing simulations and mandatory online training for all staff and contractors.

This year we implemented a range of process and system changes to improve our internal ICT service management. With staff working from home during COVID-19 lockdowns and flexible working arrangements consistently in place, these improvements were essential to ensure we could provide adequate support during this difficult period.

• We will deliver a consolidated and intuitive website to make it easy for clients and lawyers to find the resources and services they need.
• We will deliver a beta version of our client portal.
• We will continue to enhance our Client and Case Management System (CCMS) by improving document storage options and adding in further functionality.
• We will commence work on the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program client and case management system.
• We will continue to enhance our cybersecurity.