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 Necessary use of Legal Representation  Solicitor  Barrister (Both have different fee structures)  Court fees  Disbursements (Tasks undertaken outside of court time) i.e., Evidence gathering  Loss of income due to time off work  No compensation for costs in criminal sphere 3

 Funding provided by the state and commonwealth governments  Low cost or free legal representation  This is a limited service (Finite funding)  Predominantly Criminal and Family disputes  Budget may be applied meaning party is responsible to cover remaining costs  gov.au/sites/ id.vic.gov.au/files/vla- resource-grants-of-legal- assistance-guide-and- application-form.pdf gov.au/sites/ id.vic.gov.au/files/vla- resource-grants-of-legal- assistance-guide-and- application-form.pdf 4

 Greater funding = greater services available for those in need  Improves access to the legal system (in particular civil cases)  Regional areas have inadequate funding and services  VLA is currently providing assistance to government to improve administration of social security benefits to at risk groups 5

 Increased funding has been provided to assist with ADR in all courts to assist with early resolution  Reduces court and legal fees  Assists with timely resolution of disputes  Reduces number of trials  Assists with more people accessing the system due to affordability. 6

 Legal firm deducts their fee from any outcome you may receive  Can lower out of pocket expenses for individuals  If you loose, the majority of your legal fees may not be charged to you.  Some fees may be required to be paid such as expert evidence fees.  If you win, the other party may be required to pay your legal fees.  It is a requirement upon you to know the terms and conditions of the ‘No win, no fee’ practice. 7

 Utilisation of electronic filing, storage and exchange of documents  Saves court and legal representation time by parties not required to present documents personally to the court  CourtView system trailed in the Supreme Court, to rolled out to all courts and VCAT  Telecourt system. Prisoners can be present via court link (Video) rather than in person. 8

 Criminal Procedure Act (Vic) 2009 enables this scheme to operate  Allows judges to indicate to the defence what the sanction is likely to be if a Plea of Guilty is to be entered.  Attempts to promote an early PG and hence reduces the number of trials  An early PG enables a discount in the severity of a sanction to be provided. 9

 Questions 1 – 5 Page 410 of text book 10