Briefing another lawyer
If you are assigned a grant of aid and are unavailable for a court appearance, it is possible for you to instruct another lawyer to appear. You must follow the provisions in the Private Practitioner Manual about briefing an agent.
Who can I brief as an agent?
The Private Practitioner Manual has detailed information on who you can brief if you are unavailable to personally attend court.
Generally, you must brief a practitioner who is also on the panel for that type of matter. There are some exceptions in the criminal law jurisdiction where you can arrange for a non-panel member to appear. These exceptions are fully explained in the Private Practitioner Manual.
In appropriate circumstances and where you have attempted to brief another panel practitioner but there is not one available, you can seek prior approval from Legal Aid WA to brief a non-panel member to appear. Legal Aid WA will generally require that the non-panel member has the minimum post-admission experience applicable to members of the relevant panel.
A request for approval must be made using the online form below and be submitted as soon as possible.
