If someone needs ongoing help from a lawyer they may get a grant of legal aid. This is used to pay either a Tasmania Legal Aid lawyer (in-house) or a private lawyer. Most people who receive a grant of legal aid will need to pay a contribution between $60-$200.

Talk to us if you think you need ongoing help from a lawyer.

An application for a grant of legal aid needs to be made by a lawyer. If you don’t have a lawyer, you should speak with Tasmania Legal Aid first. Sometimes we may need to refer someone to a private lawyer but we will tell you if this needs to happen.

You can find out more by reading the following fact sheets:

• Fact sheet – Applying for a lawyer to help you (Easy English)
• Fact sheet – Applying for legal aid
• Fact sheet – How an application for legal aid is decided

For people in family law proceedings where there are allegations of family violence, a court may decide that only a lawyer will be allowed to do any cross-examination. Cross-examination is where a party asks questions of another party or witness in a court case. The ban exists because cross-examination by an alleged perpetrator can re-traumatise a victim. Where the ban applies, cross examination of both parties must be done by a lawyer.

Parties will need to engage a private lawyer or apply to us for a Legal Aid lawyer to do the cross-examination.

This arrangement started on 10 September 2019.

For more information about this see:

• Commonwealth Family Violence and Cross Examination of Parties Scheme
• Family Violence & Cross Examination Scheme Application Form
• Lawyers on Register of Family Violence & Cross Examination Scheme Form

The following guidelines are what we follow when deciding who can get a grant of legal aid:

• Guidelines – Grants of legal aid 
• Guidelines – Property mediation
• Guidelines – Civil disbursement fund
• Guidelines – Cross examination scheme

Tasmanians may be able to access financial aid for civil cases under the Civil Disbursement Fund scheme being run by Tasmania Legal Aid, where they have a private lawyer acting for them. 

• Application Form - CDF

The following describes the arrangements we have with lawyers who do the work:

• Fee scale guide (for grants of legal aid) 
• Fee scale guide (for property mediation) 
• Fee scale guide (for Cross-examination scheme)