About the Victorian Legal Services Board
The Victorian Legal Services Board is an independent statutory authority, responsible for regulation of the legal profession in Victoria. Originally established under the Legal Profession Act 2004, the Board’s role and functions now come under the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014.
The Board’s aims are to:
- ensure the effective regulation of the legal profession and the maintenance of professional standards
- address the concerns of clients of law practices and lawyers through the regulatory system and provide for the protection of consumers of legal services
- ensure the adequate management of trust accounts, and
- ensure that the Legal Profession Uniform Law is implemented effectively in Victoria.
Key responsibilities
- issuing, renewing, suspending, cancelling and imposing conditions upon practising certificates
- maintaining the Australian Legal Profession Register (Victoria)
- administering funds set out under the Act
- monitoring, inspecting and investigating lawyers’ trust accounts
- investigating and determining claims against the Fidelity Fund
- administering external interventions of law practices
- advising the Legal Services Council on the making of legal profession rules
- prosecuting breaches of the Act, including applying for removal of lawyers’ names from the Supreme Court roll where necessary, and
- making grants to enhance the legal system, legal services and legal education.
Regulatory Statement
The Board has developed a statement of regulatory approach, which sets out the strategic direction which the Board will take in regulating the legal profession in Victoria. The regulatory statement is outlined below:
The Victorian Legal Services Board, where appropriate or relevant to Victoria, will work within the framework of a nationally consistent approach to legal practice and will develop and maintain effective legal practice regulation that both identifies and appropriately ameliorates the risk for Victorian legal consumers and addresses the issues of the legal practitioners. The Board will also promote high professional standards amongst legal practitioners and will work with other professional bodies to achieve these standards.
The Board’s mechanisms for maintaining these standards range from less formal persuasive processes to formal legal enforcement processes where appropriate, all of which are aimed to achieve maximum regulatory compliance in accordance with the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 and its subordinate rules and regulations. As an independent Victorian statutory authority, the Board does not act on behalf of particular interests. The Board does not provide professional or commercial advice, mediation or conciliation services.
Practitioner Remuneration Order
Under the Uniform Law, a person may inspect or purchase a copy of the Practitioner Remuneration Order at the office of the Victorian Legal Services Board. The Practitioner Remuneration Order, which commences on 1 January 2017, is available at no cost here: Practitioner Remuneration Order 2017 (223KB PDF).
A copy of the Practitioner Remuneration Order which commenced on 1 January 2016 is also available at no cost here: Practitioner Remuneration Order 2016 (910KB PDF).
Corporate Policies
Download our:
- Policy – Privacy (70KB PDF)
- Policy – Freedom of Information (72KB PDF)
- Policy – Protected Disclosure (59KB PDF)
Further corporate policies are available from the Policies and Guidelines page.
Records management
The Board ensures the disposal of all public records are in accordance with the Retention and Disposal Authority for Records produced by the Public Records Office Victoria.
View the Authority for Records for the Victorian Legal Services Board, or alternatively, visit the Public Records Office Victoria website for further information.