Introduction

The Legal Services Agency (LSA) is an independent Crown entity, headed by a general manager, who reports directly to the Legal Services Agency Board. On 1 July 2011, when the new Legal Services Act 2011 will take effect, LSA staff and functions will be integrated into the Ministry of Justice – into a new Legal Services and Treaty Group within the Ministry. From 1 July the 2011 Act establishes a new framework that brings a number of significant changes to the way legal aid and other publicly funded legal services are administered.

The purpose of these seminars is to provide information to you, the providers of legal aid, about the changes to legal aid services this year and into the future. The seminars are intended to provide practical information on what you need to know and do from 1 July.

These seminars are also designed to show you what you can expect over time from the changes enabled by the Act and from the Government’s broader direction and focus. This includes changes introduced by the Government it says “to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of legal aid, and to ensure that the legal aid system is sustainable.”