Legal Services Board
Multi-disciplinary partnerships
A multi-disciplinary partnership (MDP) is a partnership between one or more Australian legal practitioners and one or more persons who are not Australian legal practitioners.
General requirements MDPs
Legal practitioner partners of an MDP are responsible for the management of the legal services provided by the MDP in Victoria.
Each legal practitioner partner of an MDP must comply with the disclosure obligations in the Legal Profession Act 2004 (Vic) (“the Act”).
A disqualified person must not be a partner of an MDP, nor may a disqualified person be engaged or paid in respect of the provision of legal services by the MDP.
Income derived by the MDP from the provision of legal services may be shared with the partners of the MDP as long as they are not disqualified persons.
Notification of intention to engage in legal practice
Before it starts to engage in legal practice in Victoria, an MDP must give written notice to the Board in the approved registration form.
For further information see Forms.
Professional indemnity insurance
The Act requires each MDP to obtain professional indemnity insurance with the Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee (Vic) before engaging in legal practice in Victoria. An MDP must also maintain that insurance at all times whilst engaging in legal practice in this jurisdiction.
Law practices, including those that maintain professional indemnity insurance in another Australian jurisdiction (in accordance with corresponding laws) may apply for an exemption from this requirement.
For further information see Professional indemnity insurance.
Trust Accounts
As with all law practices, an MDP that receives trust money must maintain a general trust account in Victoria and comply with provisions in the Act, its regulations and relevant legal profession rules relating to trust money and trust accounts.
For further information see Trust money and Trust accounts.
Appropriate management systems
Each legal practitioner partner of an MDP is required by the Act to ensure that there are appropriate management systems implemented and maintained to enable the provision of legal services by the MDP:
- in accordance with the professional obligations of Australian legal practitioners and other obligations imposed by the Act, regulations or legal profession rules; and
- so that those obligations of Australian legal practitioner partners and employees are not affected by other employees or partners of the partnership.
Structuring your law practice
The Board does not provide legal or professional advice in relation to structuring your law practice.