Reform bill hits COAG
The draft legislation to achieve national regulation of the legal profession has finally been presented to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) after months of consultation within the
The draft legislation to achieve national regulation of the legal profession has finally been presented to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) after months of consultation within the industry.
The bill proposes a number of reforms including establishing a national legal services board and ombudsman to act as the central, uniform standard setter; creating national practising certificates and a national register of lawyers' admissions to allow lawyers to practice nationally, without any additional requirements; and introducing a new option of "conditional admission" to allow foreign lawyers to practice in Australian jurisdictions with greater ease.
The draft Legal Profession National Law and the accompanying National Rules were created by a specialist taskforce and consultative group appointed in April 2009 as part of a plan to achieve national regulation of the legal profession through uniform legislation.
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