LEGAL PROFESSION UNIFORM LAW APPLICATION ACT 2014

Table of Provisions

PART 1--PRELIMINARY

• 1 Purposes  
• 2 Commencement  
• 3 Definitions  

PART 2--APPLICATION OF UNIFORM LAW

Division 1--General application provisions

• 4 Application of Legal Profession Uniform Law  
• 5 Exclusion of legislation of this jurisdiction  
• 6 Override of Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006  
• 7 Disallowance of Uniform Regulations  
• 8 No double jeopardy  

Division 2--Further application provisions

• 9 Meaning of various terms used in Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria)  
• 9A Meaning of law firm  
• 10 Designation of local authorities and tribunals  

Division 3--of Part 5.4

• 11 Declaration of nominated fund and nominated trust authority  
• 12 Dealing with unclaimed money  
• 13 Approved insurance policy  
• 14 Fidelity fund and fidelity authority  
• 15 Dispute resolution and professional discipline for lawyers who are judicial officers in relation to previous conduct  
• 16 Referral for costs assessment to be to Costs Court  
• 17 Issuing authority for search warrants  
• 18 Pecuniary penalties to be paid into Public Purpose Fund  
• 18A Part 3 of Schedule 4 applies  

PART 3--LOCAL REGULATORY AUTHORITIES

Division 1--Victorian Legal Admissions Board

• 19 Establishment  
• 20 Functions and powers  
• 21 Membership  
• 22 Judge or retired judge appointed as member  
• 23 Resignation and removal  
• 24 Meetings  
• 25 Validity of acts or decisions  
• 26 Staff and consultants  
• 27 Delegation  

Division 2--Victorian Legal Services Board

• 28 Continuation of board under new name  
• 29 Relationship to the Crown  
• 30 Objectives  
• 31 Functions and powers  
• 32 Membership  
• 33 Chairperson and deputy chairperson  
• 34 Judge or former judge appointed as chairperson  
• 35 Appointed members  
• 36 Payment of members  
• 37 Acting appointments  
• 38 When does a member's office become vacant?  
• 39 Meetings  
• 40 Conflicts of interest  
• 41 Resolutions without meetings  
• 42 Validity of acts or decisions  
• 43 Immunity  
• 44 Delegation  
• 45 Performance targets etc.  
• 46 Annual report  
• 47 Other reports  

Division 3--Victorian Legal Services Commissioner

• 48 Establishment  
• 49 Functions and powers  
• 50 Relationship to Victorian Legal Services Board  
• 51 Appointment of Victorian Commissioner  
• 52 Acting Victorian Commissioner  
• 53 Vacancy of Victorian Commissioner's office  
• 54 Validity of acts and decisions  
• 55 Immunity  
• 56 Delegation  
• 57 Annual report  
• 58 Other reports  

Division 4--General provisions for the Victorian Legal Services Board and Victorian Commissioner

• 59 Staff and consultants  
• 60 Mediators  
• 61 Immunity for mediators  

PART 4--ADMISSION, PRACTISING CERTIFICATES AND REGISTRATION CERTIFICATES

Division 1--Admission

• 72 Admission fees  
• 72A Fees for assessments regarding foreign qualification or training  

Division 2--Australian practising certificates

• 73 Australian practising certificate fees and fidelity fund contributions  
• 74 Timing of application for renewal of local practising certificate  
• 75 Late application for renewal of practising certificate  

Division 3--Australian registration certificates

• 76 Australian registration certificate fees and costs  

Division 4--General

• 77 Time limit for review applications in relation to certificates  

PART 5--TRUST ACCOUNTS

Division 1--Statutory deposits intoPublic Purpose Fund

• 78 Definitions  
• 79 Required deposit amount  
• 80 Determination of required deposit amount  
• 81 Requirement to deposit with the Victorian Legal Services Board  
• 82 Deposit amounts to be paid to Public Purpose Fund  
• 83 Repayment by Victorian Legal Services Board  
• 84 Division does not apply to controlled money accounts  
• 85 Exemption by Victorian Legal Services Board  
• 86 Multiple trust accounts  

Division 2--Authorised deposit-taking institutions

• 87 Arrangements with ADIs  

Division 3--Approved clerks

• 87A Person not to act as approved clerk without approval  
• 88 Approval of clerks  
• 88A Suspension or revocation of approval of clerk on request  
• 88B Suspension or revocation of approval of clerk for other reasons  
• 89 Application of the Uniform Law to approved clerks  
• 89A Review of decision to refuse, suspend or revoke approval  
• 90 Rules for approved clerks  

Division 4--External examinations and investigations

• 91 Costs of external examinations and investigations  

PART 6--LEGAL COSTS

Division 1--Legal Costs Committee

• 92 Legal Costs Committee  
• 93 Functions of the Legal Costs Committee  

Division 2--Practitioner remuneration orders

• 94 Practitioner remuneration orders  
• 95 Publication and availability of practitioner remuneration order  
• 96 Disallowance by Parliament and application of Subordinate Legislation Act 1994  

Division 3--Costs assessment

• 97 Appeal from decision of Costs Court  

Division 4--Costs disputes

• 98 Definitions  
• 99 Determination of costs disputes by VCAT  

PART 7--PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE

Division 1--Legal Practitioners' Liability Committee

• 100 Legal Practitioners' Liability Committee  
• 101 Liability Committee not to represent the Crown  
• 102 Functions and powers  
• 103 Membership  
• 104 Qualifications for membership  
• 105 Payment of members  
• 106 Acting members  
• 107 Meetings  
• 108 Resolutions without meetings  
• 109 Validity of acts or decisions  
• 110 Conflicts of interest  
• 111 Staff and consultants  
• 112 Confidentiality  
• 113 Annual report  

Division 2--Legal Practitioners' Liability Fund

• 114 Requirement for Liability Fund  
• 115 Payments into Liability Fund  
• 116 Payments out of Liability Fund  
• 117 Investment of Liability Fund  
• 118 Levies  

Division 3--Professional indemnity insurance

• 119 Competition and Consumer Act 2010  
• 120 Terms and conditions of insurance  

PART 8--FIDELITY COVER

Division 1--Fidelity fund

• 121 Requirement for fidelity fund  
• 122 Purpose of fidelity fund  
• 123 Payments into the fidelity fund  
• 124 Payments out of the fidelity fund  
• 125 Solvency  
• 126 Payments to liquidators etc.  
• 127 Payments to Public Purpose Fund  

Division 2--Contributions by and levies on approved clerks and community legal services

• 128 Annual contributions  
• 129 Levies  
• 130 Victorian Legal Services Board may recover contribution or levy  

Division 3--Supplementary provisions for contributions and levies

• 131 Contributions and levies not to exceed prescribed amount  
• 132 Employer must pay contribution or levy or reimburse employee  

PART 9--PUBLIC PURPOSE FUND

• 133 Public Purpose Fund  
• 134 Financial arrangements for Public Purpose Fund  
• 135 Accounts in Public Purpose Fund  
• 136 General Account  
• 137 Statutory Deposit Account  
• 138 Distribution Account  
• 139 Funding of Legal Profession Uniform Framework  
• 140 Expenses of Victorian Legal Services Board  
• 141 Expenses of Victorian Commissioner  
• 142 Expenses of VCAT  
• 143 Legal aid funding  
• 144 Funding of law-related services and activities  
• 145 Victorian Legal Services Board may take into account previous funding  
• 146 Further legal aid funding  
• 147 Payments to fidelity fund  
• 148 Payments to local professional associations for continuing legal education programs etc.  
• 149 Timing of payments and instalments  

PART 9A--REGISTERS AND REVIEWS

Division 1--Victorian legal profession register

• 150 Victorian legal profession register  

Division 2--Register of disciplinary action

• 150A Definitions  
• 150B Keeping of the register  
• 150C Information recorded in the register  
• 150D Publication of the register  
• 150E Quashing of disciplinary action  
• 150F Lawyer with injury or illness  
• 150G Effect of non-disclosure orders  

Division 3--Reviews of disciplinary action

• 150H Time limit for review application in relation to determination of unsatisfactory professional conduct  

PART 10--GENERAL

• 151 Information sharing  
• 152 Liability of principals  
• 153 Investigation of offences and contraventions  
• 153A Classification of offences  
• 154 Prosecution of offences  
• 155 Judicial review by Supreme Court  
• 156 Regulations  

PART 11--REPEALS AND AMENDMENTS

• 157 Legal Profession Act 2004  

PART 12--TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Division 1--Preliminary

• 162 Definitions  
• 163 General transitional provisions  

Division 2--Local regulatory authorities

• 165 Legal Services Board  
• 166 Legal Services Commissioner  

Division 3--Admission, certificates and business practice

• 167 Admission fees  
• 168 Barristers' practising certificates  
• 169 Government lawyers  

Division 4--Trust accounts

• 171 Approved clerks  

Division 5--Legal costs

• 172 Practitioner remuneration orders and Legal Costs Committee  

Division 6--Fidelity cover

• 173 Fidelity fund  
• 174 Contributions to fidelity fund  

Division 7--Professional indemnity insurance

• 175 Legal Practitioners' Liability Committee  
• 176 Insurance terms and conditions  
• 177 Exemptions  
• 178 Liability Fund  

Division 8--Public Purpose Fund

• 179 Public Purpose Fund  

Division 9--General

• 180 References to old Act  
• 181 Community legal centres  
• 182 Time limits  

Division 10--Justice Legislation Amendment (Court Security, Juries and Other Matters) Act 2017

• 183 Approval of clerks  
• 184 Rules for approved clerks  

Division 11--Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Amendment Act 2019

• 185 Substituted entity  
• 186 Validation  

Division 12--Workplace Safety Legislation and Other Matters Amendment Act 2022

• 187 Elected members of the Victorian Legal Services Board  

Division 13--Justice Legislation Amendment Act 2023

• 188 Definitions  
• 189 Register of disciplinary action  
• 190 Review application in relation to determination of unsatisfactory professional conduct  
• 191 Classification of offences  
• SCHEDULE 1
ENDNOTES