The Law Council has produced a fact sheet outlining the regulations that apply to intergovernmental practitioners practising in New South Wales and Victoria from 1 July 2015. The Law Society has informed its members and the profession as a whole that on June 23, 2021, the Uniform Laws in the Legal Profession Bill was reintroduced in the Legislative Assembly after it expired prior to the 2021 election, and that the expected coming into force date of the Uniform Act remains January 1, 2022. Rule 11 of the Legal Profession Uniform Legal Practice (Solicitors) Rules 2015 (formerly NSW Rule 58) requires the following forms to be used in New South Wales: The introduction of a uniform system of regulation of the legal profession was an objective of the Law Council of Australia. Victoria and New South Wales passed the Uniform Act on 1 July 2015. This was seen as an important step towards a truly national profession and a positive example of the profession`s leading role in setting its own standards. On 5 February 2009, the Council of Australian Governments agreed that further work was needed to nationalise the regulation of the legal profession in Australia, and the National Legal Profession Reform Project was launched. Information documents on the project are available under ag.gov.au. In New South Wales, the practice and regulation of the legal profession is governed by the Uniform Act, which includes: Laws: Legal profession Uniform Act (NSW) Legal profession Uniform Application of Law Act 2014 Regs: Uniform Regulations of the Legal Profession, 2015 Uniform Regulations for the Application of the Laws of the Legal Profession 2015 Rules: Uniform General Rules of the Legal Profession General Rules 2015 Admission Rules Law Australian Rules of Conduct for Lawyers 2015 Rules of Legal Practice (Lawyers) 2015 Ongoing Professional Development Rules (Lawyers) 2015 Available information and resources include online tools, calculators, links to research papers, checklists and overviews of the various areas of the Law Society that help the profession maintain high standards. Uniform Law of the Legal Profession Australian Lawyer Rules of Conduct 2015 The Attorney General will keep the Bar and the profession closely informed. 7. In December 2020, prior to the 2021 Western Australian election, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly were prorogued.
Following the release, all bills before both Houses “lapse” and are withdrawn from parliamentary proceedings. As a result, the Uniform Law Application in the Legal Profession Bill, 2020 and the Uniform Law Application in the Legal Profession (Levie) Bill, 2020 are obsolete. These factsheets contain general introductory information on various aspects of the uniform law. The fact sheets will be completed and updated as the Uniform Act progresses in Western Australia: Unfortunately, the Uniform Law in the Legal Profession Bill (Bill), 2021 (Bill) and the Uniform Application of the Legal Profession Bill (Levy) (Bills), 2021 have not yet been passed by Parliament, and all indications are that the two bills will not be passed by Parliament until November 2021 at best. and, in the worst case, on or about the last day of the Legislative Council meeting on or about December 9, 2021. It is highly unlikely that both bills will enter into force in their entirety before the end of the year, as a number of transitional provisions are being prepared that are currently unknown. In 2020, the Uniform Law Application in the Legal Profession Bill 2020 and the Uniform Law in the Legal Profession (Levy) Bill 2020 were introduced in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly. The bills were passed by the Assembly and referred by the Legislative Council to the Standing Committee on Uniform Legislation, which reported on the bills in October 2020. The Law Society of Western Australia fully supports and has championed the adoption of the Uniform Legal Profession Act since 2014. Learn more about the historical context by clicking on the link below.
The LPUL bill has been passed by the Legislative Assembly and it is hoped that it will be passed by the Legislative Council before Christmas. However, given the uncertainty as to when Parliament will be able to pass the legislation, the Attorney General agreed to delay the proposed January 1, 2022. The Attorney General will consult with stakeholders when deciding on the new launch date. Each new launch date is subject to the LPUL bill, which is first passed by Parliament. For more information on the uniform law, see these resources. In response to the letter to the Attorney General, the Law Society was notified of the following on November 25, 2021: The bills were reintroduced in the Legislative Assembly on June 23, 2021. The following rules are out of date. See the rules relating to lawyers in the Uniform Law on the Legal Profession.