Guidance and assistance for individual members
Updated 1 July 2020
QLS support package to keep doors open and people in jobs
President Luke Murphy and CEO Rolf Moses announce QLS’ support package for Queensland’s legal profession as it operates through the COVID-19 economy.
QLS will provide the 13,000 practitioners in Queensland with access to a support package worth $9 million.
Specifically, this support package will provide Queensland practitioners with a:
Read the details of the support package or watch the video update today.
Expanded services from the QLS Ethics and Practice Centre
QLS is now providing three significant new services as part of our support package for the legal profession via the QLS Ethics and Practice Centre.
These new services provide for employment law advice service (ELAS), the general manager support service (GMSS) and the government funding assistance service (GFAS) which offer guidance on accessing government support due to COVID-19.
Each service is provided via an expert advisory panel and is free for members who meet the eligibility criteria. They will benefit with up to two (three for GFAS) hours of advice.
Financial assistance for individuals
For assistance of individuals we advise that the Australian Government’s support for Australians can be found here. In particular, you may be interested in the following:
- Income support for individuals;
- Payments to support households;
- Temporary early release of superannuation;
- Temporarily reducing superannuation minimum drawdown rates; and
- Reducing social security deeming rates.
Further, the Law Foundation-Queensland has the Benevolent Fund to assist QLS members in times of adversity by providing financial assistance to members who meet the required criteria. More information about the fund can be found here.
Assistance for individuals
Introducing LawCare Money Assist
QLS is proud to provide LawCare Money Assist. This exclusive member benefit can help you learn new financial habits and build the skills you need to help you overcome financial anxiety and insecurity during these uncertain times. If you experience financial unease due to COVID-19, your consultant can work with you to develop a realistic action plan to help you:
- Navigate conversations with your bank and financial institutions
- Pay debts sensibly and without facing extra costs
- Manage stress caused by personal financial challenges
- Learn new financial skills that improve your confidence when managing your finances
- Build new habits to better manage money, minimise stress and reduce personal conflicts
- Negotiate with creditors to obtain achievable payment arrangements
Contact LawCare to access Money Assist
Introducing LawCare Career Assist
This is an exclusive member benefit that can help you to navigate a major change in your professional life. If you experience loss of job or job-security anxiety due to COVID-19, your consultant can work with you to develop a realistic action plan to help you:
- overcome loss of job or job-security anxiety
- review and update your resume
- connect with employers still hiring
- manage stress.
To access Career Assist, members should call 1800 177 743. More information about Career Assist is on the LawCare portal.
Contact LawCare to access Career Assist
Accessing LawCare counselling support services
Lawcare is still available – but the service has been altered.
On Thursday 12 March, following their Pandemic Taskforce meeting, our LawCare provider Converge made the decision that LawCare appointments will move away from face-to-face to phone or teleconferencing via Skype or Zoom from Monday 16 March. This includes any previous scheduled appointments. Individual clients will be contacted directly to advise of this change.
As the COVID-19 situation evolves, we will continue to update the profession with information that will enable the continued management of safe operations.
We encourage you to keep using this invaluable member-only service.
Contact LawCare
CPD year extension
QLS Council extended the CPD year until 30 June 2020. The CPD year has now closed. Any continuing professional development (CPD) points obtained between 1 January 2020 and 30 June 2020 that were not attributed to the 2019/20 CPD year during the 2020/21 renewal process can be attributed to 2020/21 CPD year during your 2021/22 renewal process.
We have a variety of on-demand CPD resources available in our QLS Shop to help you with your professional development.
