Practice management training: Exemption and extension

April 1st, 2012
x
Bookmark

By Barbara Whittle

The Law Society of South Africa and its training division, Legal Education and Development (LEAD), have been approached with queries from attorneys wishing to apply for extensions and exemption from the mandatory practice management training requirements. All queries regarding exemptions and extensions must be referred to the attorney’s relevant provincial law society and not to LEAD.

Attorneys can apply for extension to the relevant law society if they have not yet completed the practice management training course and their first Fidelity Fund certificate is about to expire. If the extension is granted, the attorney will get a second Fidelity Fund certificate, but will have to complete the course before the second certificate expires.

The prerogative to grant an extension lies solely in the discretion of the relevant provincial law society and this will depend on the reasons advanced by the applicant.

An attorney who has prior experience in practice management or has the necessary qualifications can approach the relevant provincial law society to apply for exemption from attending the practice management training course.

Should such an application for exemption be successful, the attorney will be exempted from attending the training.

Attorneys should note that attendance of practical legal training school courses does not serve as a basis for an application for exemption or extension.

LEAD offers a six-month practice management training course for admitted attorneys. This course was made mandatory by the introduction of ss 8 to 10 of the Judicial Matters Second Amendment Act 55 of 2003, which stipulate that all attorneys who are issued with an Attorneys Fidelity Fund (AFF) certificate for the first time after 14 August 2009 must complete a practice management training course to the satisfaction of the relevant statutory provincial law society. This means that attorneys who want to practise for their own accounts will be issued with their first AFF certificates, but will not be issued with a second certificate unless they provide proof to the provincial law society that they have completed a practice management training course with an accredited institution. LEAD is such an accredited institution.

  • The deadline for the second intake for practice management training is 15 June 2012. Further information is available on the LEAD website at LSSALEAD.org.za or tel: (012) 441 4600.

Compiled by Barbara Whittle, communication manager, Law Society of South Africa, barbara@lssa.org.za

This article was first published in De Rebus in 2012 (April) DR 16.

X
De Rebus