NOTICE TO ALL ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
By Section 5(2) of the Legal Profession Act, a person shall not practise as a lawyer except by virtue of and in accordance with a practising certificate which shall be issued by the General Legal Council on payment to the Secretary of the General Legal Council of the prescribed fee.
The prescribed fees payable under section 5(2) of the Legal Profession Act in respect of the year 2016 are as follows:
| NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE QUALIFYING AS ATTORNEY-AT-LAW | FEE PAYABLE |
|---|---|
| 1) Attorneys-at-law of less than five (5) years | J$10,000.00 |
| 2) Attorneys-at-law of five (5) years standing but less than fifteen (15) years standing | J$20,000.00 |
| 3) Attorneys-at-law of fifteen (15) years standing and over | J$30,000.00 |
| 4) Attorneys-at-law who have retired from practice | J$10,000.00 |
| 5) Attorneys-at-law in their first year of practice who apply for a practising certificate after September 1 in that year | J$5,000.00 |
The fees payable by attorneys-at-law who are called in other jurisdictions will be calculated on the basis of the date on which he/she was first admitted to practice.
The prescribed fee is payable to the Secretary of the General Legal Council on or before 1ST JANUARY, 2016.
You are further advised of the following Rule which is in force and effect:
“Where an attorney is on the roll of Attorneys on the 1st January in any year and was issued a Practising Certificate in the previous year, then unless he/she pays the prescribed Practising Certificate fee on or before the February 28th in the current year he/she shall be liable to pay twice the prescribed Practising Certificate fee unless he/she proves to the satisfaction of the General Legal Council that he/she did not practise at any time during the current year prior to the actual date of such payment and shall be presumed to be in breach of the provisions of Canon II(j) and Canon V(s) in respect of such period in the current year as precedes the payment of the Practising Certificate Fee.”
Additionally, please take note of Rules (k) to (n) under Canon II of the Legal Profession, (Canons of Professional Ethics) (Amendment) Rules, 1983 which state that if an attorney changes his/her address he/she must inform the General Legal Council of the new address within fourteen (14) days of such change.
Please also note that pursuant to the Legal Profession (Accounts and Records) Regulations, 1999 (“the Regulations”), attorneys are reminded to submit their accountant’s reports or declarations in respect of the financial years in which a practising certificate was issued to them.
An attorney who does not comply with this requirement is in breach of the Regulations and may be subject to disciplinary action.
For further information or clarification you may contact the Manager, Investigations at manager.investdiv@generallegalcouncil.org or 922-2319.
GENERAL LEGAL COUNCIL
78 HARBOUR STREET
KINGSTON
JAMAICA