About the Tribunal
About the Tribunal
The Legal Aid Tribunal was established as an independent judicial body on 1 July 2011 under the Legal Services Act 2011. The Act establishes the Tribunal body with powers to review decisions about granting of legal aid, awarding costs against a legally aided opponent, and the amount payable to a listed provider (under transitionary powers).
The purpose of the Act is to promote access to justice by establishing a system that provides aid for legal services to people of insufficient means, and delivers those services in the most effective and efficient manner.
The function of the Tribunal is to consider applications for review, and to conduct and determine reviews of decisions. It conducts reviews based on written submissions called a ‘hearing on the papers’.
The Tribunal is made up of a Chair and up to 15 part-time members who deal with all reviews. The members are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice.The members are all lawyers who bring a range of legal expertise to deal with legal aid matters.
The Tribunal is supported by the Tribunals Unit in the Ministry of Justice whose staff provide registration, case management, and other administrative services. This is a division of the Ministry separate from the Legal Services Commissioner and his or her staff.
The Tribunal replaces the Legal Aid Review Panel (LARP), which is disestablished on 31 July 2011. The LARP was established under the Legal Services Act 2000 to review decisions the former Legal Services Agency made about legal aid.
