The Legal Profession Uniform Law (LPUL) and its extended framework commenced in New South Wales and Victoria on 1 July 2015. The LPUL created a new uniform system of legal professional regulation in those jurisdictions.
LPUL is a new system of legal professional regulation in New South Wales and Victoria with common legislation and rules.
The legal framework of the LPUL is comprised of four elements:
- the Uniform Law itself which is applied in both New South Wales and Victoria in identical terms
- Application Acts in both New South Wales and Victoria which set out:
- functions and powers of local authorities
- admission fees
- transitional arrangements and jurisdiction specific regulations
- Uniform Rules made under the LPUL which are common to both jurisdictions
- guidelines and directions issued by the Legal Services Council or Commissioner to local regulatory authorities about the exercise of their functions under the Uniform Law and Uniform Rules.
The LPUL created two additional regulatory bodies to oversee the uniform scheme:
- The Legal Services Council
- The office of the Commissioner for Uniform Legal Services Regulation who is also CEO of the Legal Services Council.
These new bodies set the policy framework for the uniform scheme by:
- making Uniform Rules to set obligations;
- issuing guidelines and directions to local regulatory authorities to bring consistency of approach across jurisdictions
- advising Government on any necessary amendments.
The new LPUL bodies augment, but do not replace, the original regulatory bodies in both New South Wales and Victoria.
Queensland practitioners working in New South Wales and Victoria
The LPUL has practising entitlements for practitioners from Queensland and other Legal Profession Act jurisdictions. There are differences between Queensland regulation and the Uniform scheme and practitioners are advised to familiarise themselves with the LPUL requirements. Guidance material for Queensland practitioners can be found at the bottom of this page.
