Victorian Consolidated Regulations

LEGAL PRACTICE (ADMISSION) RULES 1999 - SECT 3.11.

Requirements of Principal

3.11. Requirements of Principal



(1) Except with the approval of the Board of Examiners, an eligible legal
practitioner must not enter into articles in Victoria as Principal under the
articles unless the practitioner has been in private practice for a continuous
period of not less than 5 years, during at least 2 years of which the legal
practitioner has been in practice as an eligible legal practitioner.

(2) Except with the approval of the Board of Examiners-

   (a)  an eligible legal practitioner must not engage more than 2 articled
        clerks at any one time; and

   (b)  the partners of a law firm or directors of an incorporated legal
        practice must not engage more than the following number of articled
        clerks at any one time-

   (i)  4 articled clerks in the case of a law firm of 2 Australian legal
        practitioners or an incorporated legal practice with 2 legal
        practitioner directors;

   (ii) 5 articled clerks in the case of a law firm of 3 Australian legal
        practitioners or an incorporated legal practice with 3 legal
        practitioner directors;

   (iii) 6 articled clerks in the case of a law firm of 4 Australian legal
        practitioners or an incorporated legal practice with 4 legal
        practitioner directors;

   (iv) in the case of a law firm of 5 or more Australian legal practitioners
        or an incorporated legal practice with 5 or more legal practitioner
        directors-6 articled clerks and an additional articled clerk for each
        member of the law firm or each legal practitioner director of the
        incorporated legal practice (as the case requires) in excess of 5.

(3) Each of the persons referred to in rule 3.09(3) must not engage more than
8 (or any greater or lesser number that the Council may in any case determine)
articled clerks at any one time.