Legal Aid services are government funded, means-tested legal services which help people experiencing disadvantage access legal representation and access to justice and enable courts to operate more efficiently. Legal aid is provided via a mixed model by directly employed, in-house practitioners and private practitioners who are paid from legal aid grants which Legal Aid Commissions allocate to approved clients. 

This report focuses on the group who undertake the bulk of legal aid representation: private practitioners. Findings come from a survey of 1010 private practitioners who obtained or sought legal aid work via the panels or preferred supplier lists managed by Legal Aid Commissions in each State and Territory. 

Findings show the characteristics of private practitioners; the resource and case-related challenges they face in delivering legal aid; and the ways they could be better supported and retained.