This section sets out the following information about costs payable under grants of assistance in Commonwealth family law and child support matters:
- Family law costs management
- General costing principles
- Fee increases
- Grants pathways
- Fee table 4: Commonwealth family law and child support matters
4.1 – Lawyer professional costs (excluding ICL costs)
- Stage 1 – early intervention: advice, negotiation and dispute resolution
- Stage 2 – initiating litigation
- Stage 3 – preparation for trial
- Stage 4 – trial costs in the federal family courts
- Stage 5 – appeals in the Family Court
4.2 – Independent children’s lawyer professional costs
- Stage 1 – first court hearing and FDRS for ICLs
- Stage 2 – litigation for ICLs
- Stage 3 – trial costs for ICLs
4.3 – Counsel costs and daily circuit fees
4.4 – Lawyer-assisted family law property mediation – professional costs
- Stage 1 – early intervention – dispute resolution
- Stage 2 – urgent litigation in property disputes in any court
- Stage 3 – preparation for trial, federal family courts
- Stage 4 – trial costs in the federal family courts
Fees outlined in these tables are effective from 1 January this year. For fees payable prior to this date, see Archived versions of the Handbook.
Reviewed 21 February 2022
In this section
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- Handbook
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- 3 – Criminal law guidelines
- Guideline 1.1 – ‘not guilty’ plea in the Magistrates’ Court
- Guideline 1.2 – ‘guilty’ plea in the Magistrates’ Court
- Guideline 1.3 – Assessment and Referral Court List matters
- Guidelines 1.4 and 1.5 – social security prosecutions
- Guideline 2 – traffic offence charges in the Magistrates’ Court
- Guideline 4.1 – County Court and Supreme Court pleas
- Guideline 5.1 – proceedings in the Criminal Division of the Children’s Court
- Guideline 6 – bail applications in the Children's, Magistrates’, County and Supreme courts
- Guideline 7.1 – criminal appeals to the County Court
- Guideline 7.2 – interlocutory appeals to the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 7.3 – appeals to the High Court
- Guideline 7.4 – leave to appeal against sentence in the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 7.5 – appeal against sentence in the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 7.6 – leave to appeal against conviction/conviction and sentence in the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 7.7 – appeal against conviction/conviction and sentence in the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 7.8 – election to renew leave to appeal against conviction and/or sentence in the Court of Appeal
- Guideline 8 – stay applications under the Criminal Procedure Act
- Guideline 9 – hearings under the Crimes (Mental Impairment and Unfitness to be Tried) Act
- Guideline 10 – Serious Offenders Act 2018
- Guideline 11 – Supreme and County Court breach proceedings
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- 4 – Commonwealth family law and child support guidelines
- Notes on the Commonwealth family law and child support guidelines
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- Guideline 3 – international child abduction
- Notes on Guideline 3
- Guideline 3.1 – litigation in matters involving international child abduction
- Guideline 3.2 – FDRS in matters involving international child abduction
- Guideline 3.3 – appointment of an ICL for litigation relating to international child abduction
- Guideline 3.4 – appointment of an ICL for FDRS in matters involving international child abduction
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- Guideline 5 − child support and child maintenance
- Guideline 5.1 – advice and negotiation for adults in child support matters
- Guideline 5.2 – litigation and administrative review for adults in child support matters
- Guideline 5.3 – advice and negotiation for adults in child maintenance and adult child maintenance matters
- Guideline 5.4 – FDRS in adult child maintenance matters
- Guideline 5.5 – litigation for adults in child maintenance and adult child maintenance matters
- Legal assistance for children in child support and child maintenance matters
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- Guideline 7 − special medical procedures involving children
- Guideline 7.1 – litigation for adults for special medical procedures involving a child
- Guideline 7.2 – appointment of an ICL in litigation relating to special medical procedures involving a child
- Guideline 7.3 – litigation for child litigants for special medical procedures involving them
- Family law costs management
- Important information about FDRS
- Jurisdiction of family law proceedings
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- 5 – Commonwealth civil law guidelines
- Guideline 1 – general guideline for Commonwealth civil matters
- Guideline 2 – social security and other benefits: administrative appeals
- Guideline 3 – assistance for migration cases
- Guideline 4 – equal opportunity and discrimination cases
- Guideline 5 – war veterans' matters
- Guideline 6 – other Federal Court and High Court proceedings
- Guideline 7 – Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
- Guideline 8 – extradition proceedings
- Guideline 9 – NDIS administrative appeals
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- 6 – State family guidelines
- Introduction to state family guidelines
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- Guideline 7 – judicial review of the Family Division of the Children's Court, County Court or Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision
- Notes on Guideline 7 – judicial review of the Family Division of the Children’s Court, County Court or Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal decision
- Notes on fees and other costs payable in State family law matters
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- 7 – State civil law guidelines
- Guideline 1 – general civil claims of $5000 or more
- Guideline 2 – Mental Health Tribunal cases
- Guideline 2a – supervised treatment orders
- Guideline 3 – guardianship and/or administration cases in the Guardianship List
- Guideline 4 – coronial inquests
- Guideline 5 – equal opportunity or discrimination cases
- Guideline 5a – Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal cases
- Guideline 6 – family violence protection order cases
- Guideline 7 – adoption
- Guideline 8 – evictions at VCAT
- Guideline 9 – Supreme Court
- Guideline 10 – infringements cases
- Guideline 11 – witnesses appearing before the chief examiner or examiner
- 8 – Public interest and strategic litigation
- 9 – Standard grants assessment process
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- 16 – Applying for a grant of legal assistance
- How to apply
- Does a person need a lawyer to help them apply?
- Helping a client apply for a grant of legal assistance
- How to fill in the application form
- Giving false information or omitting relevant information in the application
- Late applications and time limits
- How to apply for further assistance, or additional assistance
- Submitting the application
- Urgent applications
- Applications by children
- Applications to take legal action against VLA
- Applications by VLA staff for a grant of legal assistance for themselves
- 19 – Standard terms and conditions
- 20 – Abandoning legal assistance
- 21 – Finalising grants of legal assistance
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- 23 – Payments to lawyers and service providers
- Professional costs
- Counsel's fees
- Payments to agents
- Duty lawyer schemes
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- Disbursements
- Interim claims for authorised disbursements
- Table OO – VLA rates for reimbursement of authorised disbursements/expenses
- Table Q – Expert reports and court attendances in family law matters
- Table S – Expert reports and court attendances by psychologists and psychiatrists in criminal matters
- Cost ceilings
- Stage of matter limits
- Lump sum fees
- 26 – Complaints and feedback
- Invoice, forms and worksheets
- Handbook archive
- Contact us