Table E sets out the fees payable by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) for indictable cases proceeding through the committal stream in:
- the Criminal Division of the Children's Court
- the Magistrates' Court.
These fees are effective from 1 January this year. For fees payable prior to this see Archived versions of the Handbook.
| Service/proceeding | Hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|
The lump sum general preparation fee covers the work involved in:
| 4 | $672 |
Brief analysis and case strategy fee | 4 | $672 |
Additional preparation (contested committal/negotiations):
| 5 | $840 |
| Appearance committal mention/case conference/summary jurisdiction application/application for leave to cross-examine witnesses VLA will pay for subsequent committal mention only if, either:
| 2.5 | $420 |
Ground rules hearing (daily appearance fee) | - | $454 |
| Special mention | 1 | $168 |
| Appearance on contested committal: day 1 Where a plea is heard at committal no additional fee is payable | – | $1202 |
| Appearance on contested committal: day 2 Where a plea is heard at committal no additional fee is payable | – | $1084 |
| Jail conference Plea fee except where a plea on day of committal contest | – | $174 |
| Committal which resolves as a plea in the Magistrates’ Court, and which is heard on a day other than the committal contest (this can be the same day as the committal mention) | – | $503 |
| Sentence fee (heard on another day other than the plea day) | – | $299 |
Practitioners can claim these fees using ATLAS or submitting a tax invoice.
Printing of depositions from disk if:
- printing is necessary and
- there are more than 2000 pages to print.
VLA will only pay for pages in excess of 2000 at the rate of 15 cents per page or at commercial rates, whichever is less. The lawyer must obtain approval in advance from VLA.
Reviewed 31 December 2022