Legal Project Management Plan & Checklist
Purpose of this Guide: Use this plan when your client is an Affected Family Member (AFM) seeking to vary, extend, or revoke an active Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) in Victoria. This step-by-step roadmap guides practitioners through conflict checking, MARAM risk assessments, VLA funding applications, drafting via the Magistrates' Court CMS Portal, executing declarations of truth, and representing the client at mentions and contested hearings.
Jurisdiction: Magistrates' Court of Victoria (or Children's Court of Victoria if the applicant is a minor). Governed by Part 4, Division 8 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic). Forks cover respondent-initiated leave applications under section 109 and police-initiated FVSN conversion proceedings.
The Process at a Glance: Review the active order and conduct a MARAM risk assessment. Reconcile active family law parenting orders to prevent conflicting conditions. Draft and file the application along with the Declaration of Truth via the CMS Portal. Serve the respondent via police. Attend the mention to request an interim extension order if protection is at risk. If contested, file and serve the Further Details of Allegations within the court-directed timetable. Represent the client at the contested final hearing. Download the sealed order and verify LEAP database updates.
Use this fork when representing an Affected Family Member (AFM) in a police-initiated Family Violence Safety Notice (FVSN) conversion proceeding in Victoria. This step-by-step roadmap guides advocates from immediate FVSN service through to first mention listing, drafting further details of allegations, and contested trial representation.
Use this fork when representing a respondent who is applying to vary or revoke an active Family Violence Intervention Order (FVIO) in Victoria. This step-by-step roadmap covers satisfying the section 109 leave gateway, gathering behaviour change program certificates, calculating the absent respondent 21-day window, and representing the client at the contested leave and final hearings.
Key Legislation and Case Law: Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) - s 100 (variation and revocation), s 106 (extension), s 107 (interim extension orders), s 108 and s 109 (standing and leave threshold for respondents), s 109(2A) (absent respondent 21-day window), s 113(a) (notification of former child protected persons, as amended), s 116 (appeals with non-extendable 30-day limit), s 123 and s 123A (contravention offences), s 153A (false Declaration of Truth is an indictable offence). Subject to progressive amendments under Act No. 5/2025 and Act No. 11/2025 modifying sections 100, 106, 109, and 110. Appeals are strictly non-extendable under s 116(2)(c) as confirmed in [Carroll v Browne [2021] VSC 253](https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/vic/VSC/2021/253.html). Case management follows Practice Direction 1 of 2026 via the CMS Portal.
* Disclaimer: We're nobody's lawyer, because we aren't lawyers. You are, so you know better than to take legal advice from an app. We also aren't accountants or dog trainers - just digital spirit guides taking zero liability for any of this. This site exists to gather the collective knowledge of practitioners like you. Verify everything and submit your feedback on the Family Violence Intervention Order (Applicant) matter plan to improve the playbook. THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE, it's a request for input.
This legal matter plan provides a structured workflow for Family Law cases, outlining the standard DISPUTE_LITIGATION process. Utilize these tracking templates to manage your legal cases efficiently.
| Field | Token | Type | Required | Defined in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matter(4) | ||||
| Matter numberⓘ | matter.matterNumber | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter title | matter.title | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter typeⓘ | matter.matterType | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Matter status | matter.status | text | - | inheritedmatter-core |
| Client(1) | ||||
| Client name | matter.clientName | text | Required | inheritedmatter-core |
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