Private Practitioner Short Service Scheme contracts

Purpose of PPSSS contracts

We engage private practitioners to deliver duty lawyer and other short services via Private Practitioner Short Service Scheme (PPSSS).

We provide consistency and transparency in how we engage private practitioners to deliver these services. Each approved private practitioner delivering short-service scheme work works with a co-ordinator from one of our offices.

Why are we doing this?

Our private practitioner partners perform an essential role in assisting us to meet our statutory obligations to coordinate legal services for the community in the most effective, economic and efficient manner.

Our strategic goals include working with partners to address systemic issues in the justice system and ensuring decisions about resource allocation are transparent, clear and understood by our partners.

We use standard contractual agreements for all practitioners delivering duty lawyer and other short services to ensure:

an open and transparent process that gives suitably experienced practitioners the opportunity to apply to join short service schemes in areas where these are established
greater consistency in the delivery of duty lawyer and short legal services
shortages in the supply of legal services are identified and addressed in a systemic way.

Contractual agreements better support private practitioners by establishing clear obligations and expectations for all lawyers delivering these services including occupational health and safety obligations owed to and shared with private practitioners.

What is the PPSSS?

We fund and delivers legally aided services across Victoria through our in-house practice, private practitioners and community legal centre practitioners. This is known as the mixed model of service delivery. As part of the mixed model, private practitioners deliver duty lawyer services and short legal assistance services through the PPSSS.

Established PPSS Schemes provide legal assistance in:

summary crime (including Help Before Court)
youth crime
child protection
family violence intervention orders.

Read more information about private practitioner duty lawyer and short services.

Benefits of contracts for Victoria Legal Aid and our private practitioner partners

Contractual agreements provide a foundation for accountability between practitioners and VLA, with a formal process for how firms and VLA scheme co-ordinators work together in the delivery of duty lawyer and other short legal services.

Standard contracts also provide VLA and our private practitioner partners with:

a clear understanding of obligations owed to and by practitioners in the delivery of duty lawyer and other short services, including occupational health and safety obligations
information about a firm or practitioner’s eligibility to deliver duty lawyer and other short

The process to enter a PPSSS contract

We conduct an open application process across all regional VLA office locations to provide interested and eligible firms with an opportunity to apply for a PPSSS Contract.

Interested firms complete an Application Form which is assessed by an internal VLA Assessment Panel before we require firms to sign a contract.

The application process is streamlined and fair, providing an appropriate level of recognition to the experience of practitioners.

Firms may apply to enter a PPSSS contract agreement across multiple regions however VLA will be applying a principle of “local first” and preference will be given to suitably qualified and experienced local practitioners.

Enquiries on how you can join one of the schemes can be addressed to the co-ordinator of Private Practitioner Short Legal Services at ppsss@vla.vic.gov.au