LSSA news update

March 28th, 2019
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By Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele

Small claims court monetary jurisdiction increase

Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Michael Masutha, has increased the monetary jurisdiction of the small claims courts (SCC) from R 15 000 to R 20 000 with effect from 1 April. This increase will not influence any SCC cases that were opened before 1 April.

Conveyancing and notarial exam syllabi available

The syllabi for the 2019 conveyancing and notarial examinations are available on the LSSA website at www.LSSA.org.za under the tab ‘Legal practitioners’ ‘Professional examinations’. The Competency-Based Examination for Admission as a Conveyancer for 2019 can be written on 10 April or 11 September and the Competency-Based Examination for Admission as a Notary can be written on 11 April or 12 September. To register for the examinations, visit www.lpc.org.za

Call for applications to be on the List of Counsel under the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights’ Legal Aid Scheme

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has called for applications from citizens of African Union Member States to be considered for inclusion on the List of Counsel. The court has adopted a legal aid policy to guide the operation of its Legal Aid Scheme, which assists indigent applicants before the court.

The application forms in the four working languages of the African Union (English, Arabic, Portuguese and French) can be accessed on the court’s legal aid link http://en.african-court.org.

On admission to the list, counsel can be called at any time by the registry to provide legal assistance or expertise in relation to proceedings before the court.

Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply. There is no deadline for applications. For further information, contact the Registry through Meredith Lwanga at Meredith.Lwanga@african-court.org

Watch out for this scam

The Legal Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund (LPFF) has again issued a notice to warn legal practitioners of a scam targeting law firms in order to defraud them.

Legal practitioners are being contacted by a person claiming to be a ‘representative’ of the LPFF. The person informs the legal practitioner that overpayments or payments were made in error, and they try to induce the practitioner to repay the money.

Legal practitioners can contact Ernest Tshidzumba of the LPFF at (012) 622 3900 to report any suspicious behaviour.

Read the LPFF notice at www.fidfund.co.za

Sweeping of the 5% of interest earned on s 86(4) trust investments

The Legal Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund (LPFF) has informed legal practitioners that with effect from 1 March the banks that have entered into a banking arrangement, and those banks that will be entering into a banking arrangement with the LPFF will automatically sweep the 5% of trust interest earned on s 86(4) trust investments, in terms of s 86(5) of the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, to the nominated LPFF bank account.

According to the LPFF, the monthly sweep of 5% of interest earned will apply to all interest credited to a client’s s 86(4) trust investment from 1 March, irrespective of the date of the opening of the investment.

You can read the LPFF notice on their website at www.fidfund.co.za.

For more information contact Bonfils Barandereka at the Public Relations and Communication department of the LPFF at (012) 622 3900 or e-mail: bonfils.barandereka@fidfund.co.za

Nomfundo Manyathi-Jele, Communications Officer, Law Society of South Africa, nomfundom@lssa.org.za

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