Legal Aid WA Connect

From 2 December 2024, Legal Aid WA will commence using Legal Aid WA Connect to manage grants of aid that are allocated to private practitioners.

Private practitioners on our panels and lists, can use Legal Aid WA Connect to do a range of things including:

submit applications for legal aid on behalf of clients
request extensions to grants of aid
check the progress of applications, and
lodge tax invoices for payment by Legal Aid WA.

You will need to request a username and password to access Legal Aid WA Connect. Access is given to lawyers on our panels and lists, as well as their administrative staff.

Do I need to have access to Legal Aid WA Connect?

Every practitioner on our panels should have their own access to Legal Aid WA Connect. Firms can also ask for access to be given to administrative staff. Each person with access is given their own username and password to login to Legal Aid WA Connect.

You must not share your access with another person.

Your login details are used to identify who submitted an application or tax invoice for payment, which is important when your files are being assessed for merit, or audited at a later date.

Applications for legal aid made by a practitioner on behalf of a client, and claims for payment under a grant of aid, must be submitted through Legal Aid WA Connect.

How do I request access to Legal Aid WA Connect?

Firms and sole practitioners who had access to Grants Online before 2 December 2024, will be provided access to Legal Aid WA Connect from 11 am on 2 December 2024.

Firms and sole practitioners wanting access to Legal Aid WA Connect for the first time should complete the Firm Activation Form. You can request access for multiple panel practitioners and admin staff using the one form.

To add or remove access for new or leaving employees, you need to complete the Legal Aid WA Connect Login Access Form. This form should also be used if you are moving to a different firm and wish to be able to access Legal Aid WA Connect at your new firm.

Each form includes instructions on emailing the completed form to Legal Aid WA.

You can ask for access to Legal Aid WA Connect when you apply to become a member of one of our panels. Your request form will be held, pending the outcome of your panel application. Alternatively, you can use these forms to ask for access to Legal Aid WA Connect after you have been accepted onto one of our panels.

What if my contact details have changed?

Please email panel@legalaid.wa.gov.au to let us know your new contact details (phone number, postal address, email). The sender must use an email account with access to Legal Aid WA Connect.

Can administrative staff submit an application for legal aid for a client?

Yes, applications for legal aid can be submitted by administrative staff using their own login account. The Lawyer’s Declaration should only be completed by administrative staff if a lawyer has checked the application and given instructions about its legal merit. Otherwise, the application should be submitted on the basis that ‘the legal merit of this application cannot be determined at this time’.

Due to the significance of the Lawyer’s Declaration on legal merit and auditing purposes, lawyers must not share their login details.

You can find out more about using Legal Aid WA Connect in the User Guide.

Core Share

Core Share is a tool used by Legal Aid WA to share documents securely with external users, including private practitioners on the Legal Aid WA Panels.

When Legal Aid WA assigns a new grant of aid to a panel or list member via the new Legal Aid WA Connect system, we will send any relevant documents to the practitioner via Core Share.

You can find out more about using Core Share in the Core Share User Guide.

Get help

The Legal Aid WA Connect User Guide is available for lawyers and admin staff. If you would like to know more about registering for or using Legal Aid WA Connect, please email panel@legalaid.wa.gov.au.

The Private Practitioner Manual also has information on using Legal Aid WA Connect to lodge and manage applications for grants of aid, including submitting claims for payment.

For technical support accessing Legal Aid WA Connect after 11 am on 2 December 2024, please email techsupport@legalaid.wa.gov.au or phone our dedicated private practitioner Help Desk on (08) 9261 6585.

For assistance using Legal Aid WA Connect, please lodge a ticket on the system as outlined in the Legal Aid WA Connect User Guide, email connectsupport@legalaid.wa.gov.au or phone the Grants support team on (08) 9261 6204.