Northern Territory Legal Practitioners Act and Associated Legislation
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Northern Territory Report National Competition Policy Legislation Review 6 July 2002 Legal Practitioners Act Legal Practitioners Complaints Committee Rules Legal Practitioners Regulations Legal Practitioners Rules Legal Practitioners (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Regulations Law Society Northern Territory Rules of Professional Conduct and Practice Law Society Public Purposes Trust Act This Report has been prepared by the Northern TerritoryNCP Review Team for the Legal Practitioners Act and a.ssociat.ed legislatio,n. Any views or propositions in this Report should not be taken as representlhg the view of the Northern Territory Qepartmenlof JuStice or the view of any arm of the Northern Territory Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 OVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT .................................................................................................................. 1 2 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 FINDINGS: THE OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGAL PRACTmONERS ACT [SEE PART 8] ......................................... 1 2.2 FINDINGS: REsERVATIONOFWORK{SEEPART9J ....................................................................................... 1 2.3 FINDINGS: RESTRICTIONS ON BARRISTERS {SEE PART 10J .......................................................................... 2 2.4 FINOINGS: RESTRICTIONS ON THE USE OF TITLES {SEE PART 11 J ................................................................ 2 2.5 FINDINGS: BUSINESS PRACTICES {SEE PART 12J ......................................................................................... 2 2.6 FINOINGS: TRAINING REQUIREMENTS {SEE PART 13J ................................................................................. 3 2.7 FINDINGS: LIMITING THE NUMBER OF ARTICLED CLERKS [SEE PART 14J .................................................... 3 2.8 FINDINGS: ApPOINTMENT OF QUEENS COUNSEL {SEE PART 15J ................................................................. 3 2.9 FINDINGS: PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT RULES [SEE PART 16J ........................................................................ 4 2.10 FINDINGS: TRUST MONIES {SEE PART 17J .............................................................................................. 4 2.11 FINDINGS: AUDIT [SEE PART 18J ........................................................................................................... 4 2.12 FINDINGS: FIDELITY FUND {SEE PART 19J ............................................................................................. 4 2.13 FINOINGS: COMPLAINTS HANDLING/DISCIPLINE [SEE PART 20J .............................................................. 5 2.14 FINDINGS: ADVERTISING {SEE PART 21 J ................................................................................................ 5 2.15 FINDINGS: CONTROLS OVER COSTS {SEE PART22J ................................................................................ 5 2.16 FINDINGS: INTERSTATE LEGAL PRACTmONERS [SEE PART 23J .............................................................. 5 2.17 FINDINGS: FOREIGN LAWYERS {SEE PART24J ....................................................................................... 5 2.18 FINDINGS: SELF REGULATION - ROLE OF THE LAW SOCIETY NORTHERN TERRITORY {SEE PART 25J .... 5 2.19 FINDINGS: TRADE PRACTICES ACT 1974 [SEE PART26J ....................................................................... 6 3 THE REFERENCE ..................................................................................................................................... 7 3.1 FORMAL TERMS OF REFERENCE ................................................................................................................ 7 3.2 LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS COVERED BY THIS REPORT ................................................................................ 7 3.3 LEGISLATIVE PROVISIONS NOT COVERED BY THIS REVIEW ........................................................................ 8 4 PROCESS FOR THIS REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 9 4.1 REVIEWERS ............................................................................................................................................... 9 4.2 REVIEW TEAM'S WORK ............................................................................................................................. 9 4.3 ISSUES PAPER AND CONSULTATION ........................................................................................................... 9 4.4 OUTCOMES OF THE CONSULTATION PROCESS .......................................................................................... 10 4.5 METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED IN MAKING THE FINOINGS ............................................................................. 10 4.6 RELEVANCE OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS ............................................................................................ 10 4.6.1 Model Law.................................................... ................................................................................. 10 4.6.2 Some possible principles for model national laws ........................................................................ 11 4.6.3 Interrelationship between NCP Report and national profession project ...................................... 12 4.7 RELEVANCE OF OTHER NCP IsSUES PAPERS AND REPORTS .................................................................... 12 5 COMPETITION POLICY LEGISLATION REVIEWS - BACKGROUND ....................................... 13 5.1 COMPETITION POLiCy .............................................................................................................................. 13 5.1.1 National Competition Policy Agreements ..................................................................................... 13 5.1.2 Competition Principles Agreement ............................................................................................... 13 5.1.3 Conduct Code Agreement .. ........................................................................................................... 13 5.1.4 Agreement to Implement the National Competition Policy and Related Reforms ......................... 13 5.1.5 Legislative Reform under NCP................................................... ................................................... 13 5.1.6 Rationalefor Competition Policy Reforms ................................................................................... 13 5.1.7 Principles which underlie a Competition Policy Review .............................................................. 14 5.2 RATIONALE FOR REGULATION ................................................................................................................. 14 5.3 OTHER REVIEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 15 5.3.1 COAG Principles for the Regulation of the Legal Profession ....................................................... 15 5.3.2 Law Council ofAustralia .............................................................................................................. 18 5.3.3 National Competition Council ...................................................................................................... 18 5.3.4 Trade Practices Commission [Australian Competition and Consumer Commission] .................. 20 5.3.5 Victorian Law Reform Commission .............................................................................................. 20 5.3.6 Access to Justice committee .......................................................................................................... 20 5.4 OTHER NATIONAL COMPETmON PRINCIPLES REVIEWS OF LAWS RELATING TO LEGAL PRACTmONERS ... 20 5.4.1 National Competition Policy Reviews elsewhere in Australia ...................................................... 20 5.4.2 Overview of Other NCP Reviews .................................................................................................. 22 5.5 ANTI-COMPETITIVE PROVISIONS IN THE LEGAL PRACTlflONERS ACT ........................................................ 23 5.5.1 Tests as to whether provisions are anti-competitive ..................................................................... 23 Report· National Competition Policy Review· Legal Profession NT 5.5.2 Identification of the anti-competitive provisions contained in the Legal Practitioners Act .......... 23 5.6 POTENTIALLY ANTI-COMPETmVE PROVISIONS - ISSUES AND QUESTIONS ............................................... 24 5.7 SUBMISSIONS ARISING FROM THE ISSUES PAPER ...................................................................................... 24 6 THE LEGAL PROFESSION ................................................................................................................... 2S 6.1 WHICH ACTlvmES OF LEGAL PRACTITIONERS ARE REGULATED? ............................................................. 25 6.1.1 Professional activities of legal practitioners ................................................................................. 25 6.1.2 Areas of work reserved for legal practitioners .............................................................................. 25 6.1.3 Areas of work shared with