Legal Services Board

Legal profession rules

What are legal profession rules?

In Victoria, legal practitioners and law practices are subject to a framework of legal profession rules made by the Board and, with the approval of the Board, by the Law Institute of Victoria and the Victorian Bar.

Legal profession rules for Australian legal practitioners or locally-registered foreign lawyers may make provision for any aspect of legal practice, including standards of conduct expected of practitioners or lawyers to whom the rules apply. The current rules include rules about conduct and rules about continuing professional development.

Legal profession rules may apply to Australian legal practitioners, incorporated legal practices, multi-disciplinary partnerships, locally-registered foreign lawyers and approved clerks in Victoria.

Failure to comply with legal profession rules by an Australian legal practitioner or locally registered foreign lawyer may constitute unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct.

Proposed new rules

Where the Board intends to make or approve new legal profession rules, it will consult publicly unless, in the opinion of the Board, the rules are minor or technical.

For consultation to occur, the Board will publish a notice explaining the purpose of the proposed rule, explaining how copies may be accessed, and inviting comments and submissions on the proposed rule within a period of 21 days or more. Current notices will be published on this page.

There are no current notices at this time.

Rules applicable to barristers

The following legal profession rules currently apply to barristers:

Rules applicable to legal practitioners other than barristers

The following legal profession rules currently apply to legal practitioners other than barristers: