Media enquiries

If you are from the media and would like us to help with your media enquiry, contact:

• Sophie Griffin, Manager, Program Communications
  Email: Sophie.Griffin@vla.vic.gov.au
  Phone: (03) 9269 0538 or 0427 916 923

• Alma Mistry, Senior Communications Advisor, Program Communications
  Email: Alma.Mistry@vla.vic.gov.au
  Phone: (03) 9280 3822 or 0418 381 327

• Naomi Woodley, Senior Communications Advisor, Program Communications
  Email: Naomi.Woodley@vla.vic.gov.au
  Phone: (03) 9280 3882 or 0409 281 304

News and media releases

Our news and media releases are listed in our News section.

We also have a regular eNewsletter that will keep you up to date with legal aid matters. See Legal Aid Brief.

Media spokespeople

Our experienced legal and community sector professionals can provide detailed information and background briefings on legal and social topics. They may also be available for interview or comment.

Certain restrictions may apply to any comment our lawyers are able to make.

Legal Aid Act

Under section 43 of the Legal Aid Act 1978 Victoria Legal Aid is generally prohibited from revealing any information about an applicant for legal assistance.

This means we cannot provide information that indicates a person has applied for or received legal aid.

Victoria Legal Aid funds the representation of the majority of defendants in criminal trials in Victoria. They may be represented by a Victoria Legal Aid lawyer or a private lawyer who is eligible to undertake legal aid work.

Some cases are high profile and attract considerable public interest. However, these clients have the same entitlements to privacy as all of our other clients.

Funding of serious criminal matters

The right to a fair trial is fundamental and it is vital that all people, rich or poor, have access to quality legal representation when they are accused of a serious crime.

Under the Legal Aid Act, we fund the representation of people accused of serious crimes when they cannot afford a private lawyer and they meet our eligibility criteria.

Read more about our role in criminal trials.

Our responsibilities to clients and courts

All lawyers have professional responsibilities to act on their clients’ instructions and respect their confidentiality.

They are also bound by obligations and responsibilities to the proper administration of the courts, and the integrity of the justice system. This means they must not act in ways that could interfere in court proceedings or mislead the court. This includes disclosing privileged communication or commenting on ongoing matters.

Request for comments on behalf of clients

On rare occasions a lawyer may be instructed by a client to make a public comment on their behalf.

This will only occur if the information is already in the public domain, comment won’t interfere with the administration of justice, and there is no breach of confidentiality.