Some reasons you may want to surrender your practising certificate include:

• your role has changed and you no longer provide legal advice to clients or your employer;
• you have retired, or taken up work not involving legal practice;
• you’re taking an extended break from legal practice, including going on sabbatical or maternity leave;
• you gave an undertaking to VCAT, or to us, to stop practising.

Please let us know that you would like to surrender your certificate using the lawyer enquiry form. Select 'Practising certificate' and 'Apply for, modify or cancel my practising certificate' as the category. Once we update your record, you will no longer need to complete CPD or hold insurance.

Depending on your reasons for surrendering your certificate, you may be able to apply for a new practising certificate at a later date. 

Closing a practice

If you are a principal of a law practice and intend to close your practice, there are a number of other steps you should take. Please see our Closing a law practice page.

There are many reasons why you may need to modify your practising certificate. These include:

• you are required to handle trust money and your your current certificate does not permit it 
• you are required to change to another practising certificate type, such as changing from a corporate to a government role, or 
• you commenced partnership or intend to establish your own legal practice, and need to obtain a principal practising certificate. 

You can request most modifications to your practising certificate through LSB Online. If we refuse your request, we will explain to you why we have made this decision.

Please use our 'Changing my practising certificate' user guide or watch the video below to help you modify your practising certificate.

You can also view our frequently asked questions on 'Applying for a principal practising certificate' or 'Applying for or renewing a practising certificate'.
 

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Show cause events

‘Show cause events’ involve serious matters that may affect whether you are fit and proper to practise law. They can happen to you in Victoria or in any other Australian jurisdiction.

If you hold a current practising certificate, or a foreign lawyer registration certificate, you must tell us of any show cause events that have occurred to you.

If you are applying for a new practising certificate or registration certificate, you also must tell us of any show cause events that have happened to you at any time before you applied.

There are two kinds of show cause events; automatic and designated.

Automatic show cause events

These include:

• becoming a bankrupt; or
• being found guilty of a criminal offence (whether under Australian or foreign law); or
• being charged with or convicted of a tax offence.

If you hold a current certificate, you must notify us within 7 days of one of these events occurring. 
It does not matter if you were practising law at the time the offence occurred or not. It does not matter if the law prohibits any other persons from disclosing your identity. It is still a show cause event.

Designated show cause events 

These include:

• practising outside your practising certificate conditions;
• engaging in legal practice when not entitled to do so; and
• not holding professional indemnity insurance cover when required.

If we send you a notice about any of these, we may ask you to explain to us why we should not vary, suspend or cancel your certificate. You will have 28 days to provide us with your response.

What to do about a show cause event

Please notify us using the Notice of show cause event form. If you are a solicitor, please send the completed form to us directly. If you are a barrister, please send the completed form to the Victorian Bar.

Within 28 days, you must also tell us in writing why you believe you are still a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate, despite the show cause event.

Either we or the Victorian Bar will consider whether you are a fit and proper person. Our Fit and Proper Person Policy provides guidance on issues we may consider when deciding whether you are a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate.

If you fail to tell us of a show cause event, we may refuse to grant or renew your application for a practising certificate or registration certificate, or we may vary, suspend or cancel your existing certificate. (See sections 85 to 92 of the Uniform Law.)

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What do you need to disclose to us?

Over the course of your legal practice, your circumstances may change. Some changes affect how we can best contact you if we need to, while others can affect your ability to engage in legal practice. This page explains what those disclosures are and when you should make them.

Change of contact details

If your personal and/or professional contact details change, we need to know. It is vital that we have accurate records of all lawyers and law practices. This allows us to contact you about regulatory issues, such as renewing your practising certificate and changes to the law. Accurate records will also allow consumers to check and confirm that you are entitled to engage in legal practice.

If any of the following personal or professional details change, please let us know as soon as possible:

• your name;
• your address for service (e.g. your home or work address);
• your phone number;
• your email address;
• the business name and contact details of your employer; and
• if you run a law practice, your business name and contact details.

You can notify us of these changes through LSB Online.

If you are a locally registered foreign lawyer, you should notify us using the form: Notification of change of information – Australian-registered foreign lawyer.

If you have moved to Victoria from interstate or overseas, you must let us know within 14 days if you intend to practise law in Victoria.

Show cause or notifiable events

If you have a current practising certificate or a registration certificate, you must tell us of any ‘show cause events’ that has occurred For more information on show cause events, please see the Show cause events page.

Mental health issues

If you have a mental health condition and it does not interfere with your capacity to engage in legal practice, we do not require you to disclose it to us.

As the regulator, we are only concerned with issues (whether involving mental health or otherwise) that impact on a lawyer’s legal practice. Our focus is on encouraging lawyers to seek help from appropriate support services if they have a mental health condition.

We will treat all disclosures about your mental health with strict confidentiality and without discrimination. It will not necessarily lead us to decide that you are not fit to practise.

For more information on how we deal with mental health issues, please see our Mental Health Policy.

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Who must contribute?

Certain types of lawyers must make an annual contribution to the Fidelity Fund.  This needs to be done when you apply for a new certificate, or when you apply to renew your existing certificate. Approved barristers’ clerks and some foreign lawyers are also required to make an annual contribution.

Contribution amounts are set based on a range of factors, including practising certificate type and trust money received in a 12-month period.

We may adjust contribution amounts each year based on the balance of the Fidelity Fund and the advice of actuaries who help us manage the Fidelity Fund.

Contributions for the 2025-26 year

There are different fee requirements for Victorian lawyers, foreign lawyers and approved barristers’ clerks. See below for the fee category that applies to you.

Please note: where we refer to the amount of trust money handled below, we do not include ‘controlled money’ or ‘transit money’ that your practice may handle.

Trust money received for year ending 31 October 2024	If you or your law practice received $0 - $750,000 in trust money	If you or your law practice received more than $750,000 in trust money
Principal, employee or foreign lawyer authorised to receive trust money	$335	$667
Principal NOT authorised to receive trust money	$335	$667
Employee NOT authorised to receive trust money	$162	$162
Foreign lawyer NOT authorised to receive trust money	$162	$162
Approved barristers’ clerks	$335	$667

 Exempt lawyers 

• You do not have to pay a contribution if you are a barrister, a government lawyer, a corporate lawyer, an interstate lawyer, an employee or volunteer of a community legal service, or a principal or employee of a law practice that does not handle trust money.

Exempt foreign lawyers

• You do not have to pay a contribution if you hold a registration certificate that does not authorise you to receive trust money, and you work for a law practice that is not authorised to receive trust money.
• You do not have to pay a contribution if you hold a registration certificate that does not authorise you to receive trust money and you are not, and reasonably expect not to be, an associate of a law practice.

Contributions for the 2024-25 year

There are different fee requirements for Victorian lawyers, foreign lawyers and approved barristers’ clerks. See below for the fee category that applies to you.

Please note: where we refer to the amount of trust money handled below, we do not include ‘controlled money’ or ‘transit money’ that your practice may handle.

Trust money received for year ending 31 October 2023	If you or your law practice received $0 - $750,000 in trust money	If you or your law practice received more than $750,000 in trust money
Principal, employee or foreign lawyer authorised to receive trust money	$322	$641
Principal NOT authorised to receive trust money	$322	$641
Employee NOT authorised to receive trust money	$156	$156
Foreign lawyer NOT authorised to receive trust money	$156	$156
Approved barristers’ clerks	$322	$641

 Exempt lawyers 

• You do not have to pay a contribution if you are a barrister, a government lawyer, a corporate lawyer, an interstate lawyer, an employee or volunteer of a community legal service, or a principal or employee of a law practice that does not handle trust money.

Exempt foreign lawyers

• You do not have to pay a contribution if you hold a registration certificate that does not authorise you to receive trust money, and you work for a law practice that is not authorised to receive trust money.
• You do not have to pay a contribution if you hold a registration certificate that does not authorise you to receive trust money and you are not, and reasonably expect not to be, an associate of a law practice.

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To practise law in Victoria, you must be admitted to the legal profession in Australia, or hold a registration certificate as an Australian-registered foreign lawyer.

If you hold a practising certificate other than one issued in Victoria, New South Wales or Western Australia, you must notify us via our lawyer enquiry form that you intend to practise here. You will also need to provide us with a copy of your current practising certificate and evidence that you are covered by professional indemnity insurance. If the majority of your clients are located in Victoria, to continue to practise here after 30 June you will need to hold a practising certificate issued in Victoria.  

If you don’t hold a current practising certificate and you engage in legal practice, you will be committing as serious offence. For more information, see our Unqualified legal practice page.

You cannot practice law if you aren't covered by professional indemnity insurance. 

You must be admitted

All admissions in Victoria are managed by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board.

When you’re admitted to the legal profession in Victoria, you become an officer of the Supreme Court of Victoria. You must meet your professional obligations that come with being an officer of the Court under the Legal Profession Uniform Law and its supporting legal professional rules.

To appear in front of a federal court, your name must also be admitted to the High Court of Australia. 

You must hold a practising certificate

You must hold a practising certificate before you can begin legal practice. In Victoria, we issue practising certificates for all solicitors, while the Victorian Bar issues practising certificates to barristers on our behalf.

We will only grant you a practising certificate if you are:

• eligible to apply; and
• a fit and proper person to hold the certificate.

Eligibility

You’re eligible to apply for a Victorian-issued practising certificate if you anticipate that you will be based either solely or mainly in Victoria for the duration of your certificate.

If you live in Victoria but don’t know where your practice will be based, or you will practise Australian law overseas, you are eligible to apply for a Victorian practising certificate.  

You cannot hold two different Australian practising certificates at the same time.

Suitability

When you apply for your practising certificate or want to renew it, we’ll consider whether you’re a fit and proper person to hold one. We’ll ask you to tell us things about you in your application and take these into account when considering your application. 

Our Fit and Proper Person Policy outlines what we’ll consider.

Show cause events

Some events are called ‘show cause events’. This is something that casts doubt on whether you’re a fit and proper person to hold a practising certificate, including serious criminal offences, tax offences and bankruptcy.
You must notify us within 7 days of a show cause event happening to you. For further information about what makes up a show cause event and how to notify us, see the Show cause page.

Conditions on a practising certificate

Your practising certificate may carry conditions which we can add and remove as appropriate.

Conditions include:

• whether or not you are subject to supervised legal practise;
• whether or not you’re authorised to receive trust money; and
• the type of legal practice you are authorised to engage in (as a principal or an employee of a law practice, a corporate lawyer, a government lawyer, barrister, or as a volunteer at a community legal centre or on a pro bono basis).

You can volunteer at a community legal centre on any type of practising certificate. 

Once your practising certificate is granted, you must abide by its conditions. If you don’t, we can amend, suspend or cancel it.

Interstate-qualified and foreign lawyers

If you hold a current practising certificate from another state in Australia, or from an overseas jurisdiction, you may be eligible to practise in Victoria with special conditions.

Conditions for interstate-qualified lawyers

You can engage in legal practice in Victoria, but your practise will be subject to the same conditions imposed on your practising certificate in your home jurisdiction. We may also apply conditions to your practising certificate, if appropriate.

Conditions for foreign lawyers

Subject to certain exemptions, you must be registered with us as a foreign lawyer before you can practice the law of a foreign country within Victoria. You can’t practise Australian law.

If you hold a practising certificate issued in Australia, you can practise the law of a foreign country in Victoria, provided you are authorised by that foreign country to practise their law.

Exemption from registration as a foreign lawyer

If you meet one of the following criteria, you don’t need to apply to us to be registered as a foreign lawyer:

• you’re registered and authorised to practise as a lawyer overseas, but you only occasionally practice foreign law in Australia (that is, for no more than 90 days in any 12 month period); or
• you’re subject to a restriction imposed under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) that limits the period that you may undertake work or transact business in Australia, you don’t maintain an office in Victoria, you don’t become a partner or a director of a law practice, and you haven’t had a previous registration certificate suspended or cancelled.

What can a foreign lawyer do?

If you’re an Australian-registered foreign lawyer you can:

• do work or conduct business involving the law of the foreign country that you’re registered or authorised for;
• provide legal services in tribunals that are not bound by the rules of evidence;
• provide legal services in relation to arbitration proceedings or conciliation, mediation and other forms of consensual dispute resolution; and
• provide legal services outlined in the Legal Profession General Uniform Rules 2015.

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Professional indemnity insurance (PII) provides law practices with coverage against legal liability that may arise from their professional services.

Who must be covered?

If you are a lawyer working in private practice or for a community legal service, you must be covered by an approved PII policy before you can practise law in Victoria.

If you are engaged with multiple law practices, each practice must be covered by PII. It is the responsibility of the principal to ensure the law practice has appropriate PII cover.

Corporate legal practitioners and government legal practitioners are not required to hold PII except when engaging in legal practice as a volunteer (see Corporate and Government lawyers below).

Victorian lawyers in private practice

As a lawyer working in private practice, you must hold or be covered by an approved PII policy in Victoria, unless we have granted you an exemption. The Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee (LPLC) generally issues PII policies for Victorian lawyers who work in private practice.

If you hold a policy that is not issued by the LPLC, you will need to apply for a PII exemption (see exemptions below).

If you are a Victorian lawyer who is employed by an interstate law practice, the principal must provide us with a copy of the law practice’s approved interstate PII policy and a copy all of the interstate Principal Practising Certificates. They can do this via the lawyer enquiry form.

Community legal services

Community legal services must hold an approved insurance policy covering the CLS itself, each of the lawyers who work for it, and the actual work they do.

Both the National Association of Community Legal Centres and the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority offer approved policies to cover a CLS. If you hold a policy with them, you must submit your certificate of insurance annually to us through the lawyer enquiry form.

If you hold a policy with another provider, you will need to apply to have it approved pursuant to section 13 of the Uniform Application Act. You can do this by sending us a copy of the full policy via the lawyer enquiry form.

Corporate and government lawyers

If you’re a corporate or government lawyer, you don’t need professional indemnity insurance unless you are volunteering at a CLS (in which case the CLS will generally arrange PII) or intend to provide pro bono legal services outside of a CLS. In this case, you will need to be covered by insurance.

In certain cases, the Australian Pro Bono Centre may provide free PII to you if you are working on pro bono projects that have been approved by the Centre. You can find out more about this by contacting the Australian Pro Bono Centre.

Where you are unable to obtain PII through the Australian Pro Bono Centre, a private PII policy will need to be obtained, and you will need to apply to have the policy approved. You can do this by sending us a copy of the full policy and any schedules via the lawyer enquiry form.

Overseas lawyers practising in Victoria

If you are based overseas but practising remotely in Victoria, you will need to either hold a policy that is issued by the LPLC, or you will need to apply to us for an exemption (see exemptions below).

Foreign law and lawyers

If you’re an Australian-registered foreign lawyer, you don’t need to hold professional indemnity insurance. You don’t need to apply for an exemption from us, but you must tell each of your clients in writing whether you’re covered by other professional indemnity insurance or not. If you are covered, you must tell your clients the type and extent of your insurance.

For more information on practising as a foreign lawyer, see our foreign law and lawyers page.

Exemptions from professional indemnity insurance requirements

If you do not fall into one of the categories listed above and you hold insurance that is not issued by the LPLC, you will need to apply for an exemption by providing relevant documentation to demonstrate you hold appropriate coverage with another provider. The policy must comply with the minimum requirements for insurance that are set out in rule 78 of the Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015. An exemption will only be granted by the Board in cases where a policy complies with the minimum requirements of PII.

You can apply for an exemption by submitting a copy of your full PII policy and a summary of how your policy complies with the minimum requirements. A template table outlining the minimum requirements can be found here. Your application can be submitted via our lawyer enquiry form.