^{2 November 2026} 

Responding to feedback from the profession

 The Legal Profession Reference Committee (LPRC) is established under section 11A of the Legal Services Commission Act 1977 to provide advice to the Legal Services Board on matters referred to it. 

The Committee includes representatives of the Legal Services Board, Legal Services staff, and members of the profession nominated by the Law Society of South Australia and the SA Bar Association. It meets at least twice a year. 

Committee members welcome feedback from panel lawyers on issues that may warrant the Committee's consideration. Contact details for current members are available on the Governance and Reports page of the Legal Services website. 

At its meeting on 20 October, the Committee asked Legal Services to provide further information to the profession about grants processing time guidelines, and regional travel, meal and accommodation allowances. 

Indicative processing times for grants requests 

The Grants Team receives approximately 3,000 items of correspondence and 300 phone calls each week, including legal aid applications, extension requests, commitment certificate payment requests and general enquiries. 

The team aims to process all requests within 15 business days of receipt. For commitment certificate payments, this aligns with the timeframes set out in Treasurer's Instruction 11 – Payment of Invoices and Claims. 

To support this target, Legal Services has introduced measures including request triaging and enhanced workforce planning during peak periods. However, processing times may occasionally exceed 15 business days due to demand. 

If your request has not been processed within 15 business days, please contact the Panels Team on (08) 8111 5531 and we can follow up. 

Urgent requests 

Where a matter requires urgent attention, please contact the Grants Team as soon as possible. 

Urgent requests should be emailed to grants@lsc.sa.gov.au with "URGENT: RESPONSE REQUIRED BY [date]" in the subject line. 

The following requests will be treated as urgent: 

• recovery order applications and responding documents 
• airport watchlist applications 
• new care and protection applications before the Youth Court 
• applications for criminal law appeal funding 
• applications for Supreme Court bail reviews 
• initial grant applications for extended supervision orders where the hearing is scheduled within 2 weeks of the application. 

Please do not mark a request as urgent unless it falls within one of these categories. 

We ask that when making a commitment to counsel, witnesses or experts, you remember that all funding requests remain subject to assessment and approval. 

We recognise that exceptional circumstances can arise. If you have an urgent request that falls outside these categories, please contact the Panels Team directly on (08) 8111 5531. They can liaise with the Grants Team on your behalf. 

Travel, meal and accommodation allowances 

Legal Services' travel, meal and accommodation allowances are currently informed, in part, by ATO Determination TD 2025/4. 

Following feedback from the profession, Legal Services is reviewing these allowances and will provide an update in the next edition of Panel Matters. 

In the meantime, if you believe a decision may leave you out of pocket, please contact the Panels Team on (08) 8111 5531.