Legal Profession Uniform Regulations Victoria
The Uniform Law on Legal Professions (Vic) (the Uniform Act) came into force on July 1, 2015. The Uniform Act replaces the Legal Profession Act, 2004 and the rules and regulations made under that Act. The Uniform Law Framework preserves the existing rights of legal practitioners from other states and territories to practise in New South Wales and Victoria. The Legal Board has prepared this fact sheet for practitioners in other states and territories. Uniform rules may apply to qualified entities (including Australian lawyers, law firms and foreign lawyers registered in Australia), Australian lawyers who are not Australian lawyers, former Australian lawyers, former foreign lawyers registered in Australia, former Australian lawyers, persons applying for a licence, lay employees of law firms and authorised employees. Failure to comply with the Uniform Rules may constitute unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct. The Commissioner of Legal Services is the designated local regulatory body that receives and handles complaints about the legal profession. This includes complaints about the conduct of a lawyer. The aim of the reforms is to create a common market for legal services in New South Wales and Victoria, underpinned by a single regulatory system. The Unified Act regulates matters such as the practice of certificate types and conditions, the maintenance and auditing of escrow accounts, professional development requirements, complaint handling, settlement agreements, and professional discipline matters. An Interjurisdictional Legal Services Council has been established to oversee and promote a consistent approach to the regulation of the legal profession and the provision of legal services in New South Wales and Victoria, as well as a Commissioner for the Uniform Regulation of Legal Services. Day-to-day regulation remains the responsibility of existing regulators in New South Wales and Victoria.
Complaints concerning the legal profession are mainly dealt with in Chapter 5 of the Unified Act. 1 July 2015 will mark an important milestone in the way the legal profession is regulated in New South Wales and Victoria, when the Uniform Legal Profession Act will replace the Legal Profession Act 2004 in those two jurisdictions and the rules and rules enacted under these Acts. The following Uniform Rules apply only to lawyers: To report a broken link, use the “Was this content helpful?” feature. Thumbs down at the bottom of this page. In Victoria and New South Wales, lawyers and law firms are subject to the same regulatory framework as the Uniform Rules for the Legal Professions developed by the Legal Services Council. These rules are set out in the Uniform Application of the Laws in the Legal Profession Act, 2014. The regulatory power is provided for in the Uniform Act for the Legal Profession and is defined very broadly. Uniform Acts may be enacted for all matters which the Uniform Act requires or permits to be set out in the Uniform Acts, or which are necessary or expedient for the administration or implementation of the Uniform Act. The Uniform Rules are available on the Legal Services Council website. The page you are looking for has been moved or no longer exists. The Framework for Uniform Law consists of a legal profession Uniform Act; uniform general rules; a consistent CPD, legal practice and code of conduct for lawyers; a uniform CPD and professional rules for lawyers; and uniform admission rules. The Uniform Act was enacted in Victoria and passed by New South Wales in early 2014.
The Uniform Rules have now been approved by the Attorneys General of New South Wales and Victoria and published on the New South Wales Government website, with an effective date of 1 July 2015. If you do not find the information you are looking for, you can contact us. Return to the Conseil des services juridiques home page or use the search at the top of the page. If you have any comments on how the Uniform Act works, please send an e-mail Uniform.Law@Lawcouncil.asn.au The following uniform rules apply to all persons applying for authorisation: Information is available on the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner website about: The Uniform Act provides that any person may file a complaint with the Commissioner of Legal Services: that involves a consumer matter or a disciplinary complaint, or both.