InBrief

Standards

Any barrister who has, in the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, received fees in advance – that is, as described in the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulation 2015 (the LPULAR), money on account of legal costs for legal services in advance of the provision by the barrister of the legal services – must appoint an External Examiner to carry out an examination of the clause 15 account for the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018. Clause 15(2) of the LPULAR also requires that a copy of the External Examination report be provided to the Bar Council by no later than 7 June 2018. The External Examination report template, which has been amended from 2017, is available on the Bar Association’s website under the heading ‘Fees in Advance’ here.

It is essential that a barrister who receives fees in advance examines clause 15 of the LPULAR in detail. Links to the legislation can be found on the Bar Association website by following this link.

Barristers who have previously notified the Bar Association of the opening of a trust money account will be sent letters containing instructions on how to appoint an external examiner shortly.

Any questions? Please contact the Bar Association’s Legal Officer, Angela Huang, on (02) 9232 4055 or pcd@nswbar.asn.au.