This section has information to help practitioners manage grants of aid that are assigned to them by Legal Aid WA.
Grants of aid to private practitioners
Legal Aid WA has two divisions involved in managing grants of aid to private practitioners:
- our Standards and Engagement team oversees our panels and lists, including membership applications, practitioner compliance, audits, and complaints.
- our Grants Management team makes decisions on individual applications for grants of aid, including extensions, payments, transfers and client contributions.
Grant of aid allocation
Some grants of aid to clients are not allocated to private practitioners. These ‘in house’ grants are assigned to lawyers employed by Legal Aid WA.
If a client’s grant can be assigned to a private lawyer, the client can nominate their lawyer of choice. The nominated lawyer is ordinarily allocated the grant of aid, if they are on the panel type that matches the grant of aid.
If the client does not nominate a lawyer who is on the relevant panel, or that lawyer is unavailable, Legal Aid WA may allocate the grant 'in house.' or to the next available practitioner on the relevant panel.
Funding for an Independent Children’s Lawyer, Child Representative, or Dispute Resolution Chairperson, is not allocated to an individual client. The term ‘list’ is used to show that funding for these matters is not subject to the allocation rules that apply to panel matters. Legal Aid WA may allocate the grant to any available practitioner on the list.
Practitioner unavailability
If you are a member of a Legal Aid WA panel or list, you will be referred grants of aid unless you have a conflict, or do not have capacity on a temporary basis. If you are unavailable to accept new grants of aid from Legal Aid WA, you must notify Panel immediately at panel@legalaid.wa.gov.au or on (08) 9261 6829 with details of the length of time you expect to be unavailable.
If you are temporarily unavailable, you will not be removed from the panels and lists but will not be allocated new grants until you become available. You can still submit new applications through Legal Aid WA Connect on behalf of a client and be allocated the grant as their nominated practitioner of choice.
Reviewed: 20 July 2026