National Legal Profession Reform Project

On 5 February 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed that further work needed to be done to nationalise regulation of the legal profession in Australia. The National Legal Profession Reform Project was established and has launched a website that includes the background papers of the project, previously circulated to consultative group members, and papers available to the general public.

View the website at www.ag.gov.au/legalprofession to download the various papers, find out who is involved in the project or for further information. 


Additional Papers:

• The Law Society of Western Australia's policy position in relation to the reform project (2 November 2009)
• Taskforce Paper on Business Structures - Law Practices (25 November 2009)
• Hon Robert McClelland MP, Federal Attorney General's speech at Law Summer School 2010 on the topic (26 February 2010)
• Hon Robert McClelland MP, Federal Attorney General's interview with The Australian newspaper on the draft Bill consultation (14 May 2010)
• Overview of Regulatory Framework for National Regulation of the Legal Profession (22 December 2010) 
• Draft Legal Profession National Law (December 2010) 
• Draft Legal Profession National Rules (December 2010)

Submissions to National Taskforce
Below are joint submissions by the various state and territory law societies and bar associations that have been submitted in response to the National Legal Profession Reform project taskforce's discussion papers released in late 2009 and the Federal Government's draft Bill consultation period in mid-2010: 

• Business Structures – Law Practices 
• Costs 
• Trust Money 
• Fidelity Cover 
• National Legal Services Ombudsman 
• Regulatory Framework and Ombudsman
• Letter from LCA re Regulatory Framework
• Law Society of Western Australia Submission to the National Legal Profession Reform Taskforce (August 2010)
• Law Council of Australia Submission to the National Legal Profession Reform Taskforce (August 2010)

The Law Society of Western Australia's Immediate Past President Dudley Stow is a member of the consultative group and welcomes your comments. Please email them to president@lawsocietywa.asn.au

You can also find out more on this reform project at the Law Council of Australia's website.