And a Border lawyer, who strongly advocated for the 12-month trial with Victoria Legal Aid and Legal Aid NSW, said it is a "positive move".

Hume Riverina Community Legal Service principal lawyer Sarah Rodgers said this approach had been used throughout the successful Victoria Legal Aid funded Continuity of Service project the community legal service ran from 2016 to 2018.

During the project, people were able to access grants of legal aid who lived in Victoria and had family law matters in the Federal Circuit Court at Albury.

"Removing this barrier will allow people to apply to for a grant of legal assistance even though the matter is being heard in the opposite state to where they live," Ms Rodgers said.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Our experience in the Continuity of Service project showed this flexibility was important for people living on the border.

"We know people in Albury Wodonga face barriers to accessing services that are not experienced by people living in other parts of Victoria and NSW, and without this flexible forum test, people would continue to be adversely impacted due to where they live."

But this is just one issue that cross-border communities are facing when it comes to the judicial system, according to Victoria Legal Aid director of services and innovation Peter Noble.

"Many border communities experience complex and unique challenges in accessing justice and have a proportionally higher demand for legal services than other parts of Victoria and New South Wales," he said.

"Other issues include bail, parole and community corrections orders by courts with the assumption that clients only travel interstate in exceptional circumstances and family law and child-protection matters are not always heard closest to where parents reside."

Mr Noble said while Albury-Wodonga is "no different to other cross-border communities" the new forum test pilot will ease the process for those accessing legal aid.

"Just the other day I heard about a scenario where a Border resident had to forego their justice of the peace because they moved homes just 200m, but this just happened to be interstate," he said.

"The new testing is focused on more client focus approaches and not administrative convenience."

The flexible forum test pilot came into effect on July 1.

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