Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW)
The Legal Profession Uniform Law Act (LPUL) commenced in NSW on 1 July 2015.[1]
The Uniform Law creates a common legal services market across NSW and Victoria, encompassing almost three quarters of Australia’s lawyers. The scheme aims to harmonise regulatory obligations while retaining local performance of regulatory functions.
The Uniform Law regulates the legal profession across the two jurisdictions, governing matters such as practising certificate types and conditions, maintaining and auditing of trust accounts, continuing professional development requirements, complaints handling processes, billing arrangements and professional discipline issues.
The Uniform Law creates two bodies:
- The Legal Services Council, and
- The Commissioner for Uniform Legal Services Regulation, who also acts as CEO of the Legal Services Council
Together these bodies will set the policy framework for the new scheme and refine the way it operates by:
- Making rules about how the scheme operates
- Issuing guidelines and directions to local regulatory authorities to make sure the law operates consistently across jurisdictions, and
- Advising Attorneys-General on any potential amendments.[2]
References
- ↑ "Legal Profession Uniform Law Act". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ↑ "A new framework for practicing law in NSW". Retrieved 31 July 2016.