Compliance

Compliance and monitoring

The Private Lawyer Quality Standards Unit (PLQS) monitor the delivery and quality of legal services provided by panel member law practices.

We use proactive (file reviews, regular reports and data analysis), responsive (complaint investigations) and risk-based monitoring tools. 

Panel member law practices must comply with any investigation or audit in relation to assigned legal aid work, as stipulated in the Service Agreement. Where ongoing non-compliance is identified, the ultimate sanction will result in the removal of a panel member law practice or an associate from undertaking legal aid work.

Legal Aid NSW will monitor the delivery and quality of legal aid work and support panel member law practices through training, templates and other services available to them as panel members.

For further information on monitoring tools and possible outcomes, please review our Quality Management Guidelines. 

Quality Standards

The Quality Standards contain the practice standards, client service standards, panel requirements and law practice requirements.

These requirements:

• apply to all legal practitioners who undertake legal aid work
• provide clarity on the quality of legal services expected to be delivered when undertaking legal aid work
• form part of the law practice’s obligations in accordance with the Service Agreement once executed.

Service agreement

The Service Agreement (the Agreement), once executed, sets out the terms on which Legal Aid NSW and the law practice have agreed for the provision of legal aid work. The Agreement is made available following a successful panel application, and automatically terminates when the law practice ceases to be a panel member.

In executing the Agreement, the law practice agrees to ensure compliance with the Legal Aid Commission Act, 1979, the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), the Quality Standards and Legal Aid NSW policies, guidelines and fee scales. 

Removals process

Legal Aid NSW can remove a law practice from some or all panels, or deem an associate at the law practice ineligible to undertake legal aid work. The grounds for removal are set out in the Service Agreement.

Please refer to the Removal Guidelines for further information.

If you have any questions about compliance, please email Private Lawyer Quality Standards Unit or call (02) 9219 5662.