Legal Services Board

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• LEGAL PROFESSION
  • Practising in Victoria
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    • CLC employees and volunteers
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Community legal centre employees and volunteers

• On this page:
• Practising certificates – employees
• Practising certificates – lawyers who volunteer
• See also:
• Community legal centres

A community legal centre (CLC) is a “law practice” within the meaning of the Legal Profession Act 2004 (Vic).

Practising certificates – employees

Employees of CLCs who engage in legal practice must hold employee or principal practising certificates, as with any other law practice.

Each community legal centre must employ a supervising legal practitioner who must hold a principal practising certificate.

Practising certificates – lawyers who volunteer

A person may engage in legal practice as a volunteer at a community legal centre on any “type” of practising certificate. For example, if you hold a corporate practising certificate, you may nonetheless engage in legal practice as a volunteer at a community legal centre.

A lawyer who wishes to practise only as a volunteer at a community legal centre may apply for a “volunteer” practising certificate which authorises legal practice only as a volunteer at a community legal centre. There is no fee for such a practising certificate.

Please note that the volunteer practising certificate authorises volunteer legal practise only at a community legal centre. If you wish to provide pro-bono legal services to a person or body other than a community legal centre, you may be required to hold a principal practising certificate.

For information on registration and professional indemnity insurance requirements for CLCs, see Community legal centres.

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• page updated 23.05.2008