Back up duty scheme

The Back Up Duty Scheme (BUDS) operates at courts serviced by Legal Aid NSW to supplement in-house Legal Aid NSW solicitors in the provision of duty assistance and urgent casework. Private practitioners are appointed to the BUDS lists for regions and included courts through an expression of interest process coordinated by the Criminal Law Executive.

Practitioners allocated duty work as part of the BUDS appear for clients in first appearances, pleas of guilty, mentions, adjournments, section 32 applications and bail applications subject to Legal Aid NSW policy and guidelines.

Practitioners appointed to the BUDS are also eligible to be allocated urgent case work including defended hearings and other matters requiring expenditure. In some locations this includes District Court and Children's Court matters.

If you are interested in joining BUDS, please read through the Back Up Duty Scheme information package (PDF, 319 kb) and submit your expressions of interest to backupduty@legalaid.nsw.gov.au. Your application will be reviewed at the next meeting scheduled. 
 
Please find below the meeting dates scheduled for 2024:

• February: 27 February 2024
  
• April: 23 April 2024
• July: 23 July 2024
  
• September: 24 Sep 2024
  
• November: 26 Nov 2024

These dates are subject to slight variations based on the availability of committee members, in the event your application doesn’t make the cutoff date, it will be received at the following meeting scheduled.

Please note if you are currently on a BUDS list, you do not need to reapply.

For queries relating to the Back Up Duty Scheme please email backupduty@legalaid.nsw.gov.au.

For information about providing duty assistance at locations not serviced by in-house Legal Aid NSW solicitors, please email the Duty Solicitor Scheme Coordinator: dutyscheme@legalaid.nsw.gov.au, call (02) 9219 5122 or read more on the Duty solicitor scheme page.