Practising certificates
To engage in legal practice in Western Australia, a lawyer must hold a current Australian practising certificate. Practising certificates are renewed annually.
The Board is responsible for issuing practising certificates to eligible applicants. If you are not admitted to the legal profession in Australia and wish to become a lawyer, please refer to Become a lawyer.
All practising certificates are subject to statutory conditions or annexures imposed by the Legal Profession Uniform Law (WA). Practising certificates may also be subject to discretionary conditions imposed by the Board.
Generally, practising certificates are valid until 30 June each year and are renewed annually. The standard period for a practitioner to renew their practising certificate for the subsequent year is between 1 May to 31 May. Renewal applications submitted outside the standard renewal period are subject to an additional prescribed fee.
Applying for or renewing a practising certificate
Practising certificates in Western Australia are issued by the Legal Practice Board under the Uniform law. Eligible applicants may apply for a practising certificate at any time, but holders of existing practising certificates must renew them between 1 May and 31 May annually.
Both application and renewal must be completed on the Service Hub on the Board's website.
While we are transitioning to the new website, the online application for a grant or renewal of a practising certificate is currently running in the Online Portal of the previous platform. The Online Portal is accessible through the Service Hub.
Log into Service Hub through the tile on the home page shown below, using your normal login username and password:
Once logged in, click on the Online Portal tile and follow the instructions. You will be asked to log in again as it is hosted on another platform. Use the same login details to access the Service Hub.
Fee schedule
The Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulations 2022 (WA) (Local Regulations) provide that the standard renewal period for the renewal of an Australian practising certificate is from 1 May until 31 May each year. An application for the renewal of an Australian practising certificate must be accompanied by the required application fee.1
| 1 May to 31 May Complete application submitted during the standard renewal period | $1,250.00 |
| 1 June to 30 June Complete application submitted during the late fee period is subject to a fee of 25% of the standard fee in addition to the standard fee. | $1562.50 |
| 1 July to 31 July Complete application submitted during the overdue period is subject to a fee of 50 % of the standard fee in addition to the standard application fee | $1875.00 |
| After 31 July Complete application submitted after the overdue period is subject to a fee of 100% of the standard fee in addition to the standard fee. | $2500.00 |
In addition to the application fee, and subject to individual circumstances, a practitioner may be required to pay:
- a contribution of $30 towards the cost of funding the State’s contribution to the Legal Profession Uniform Framework2
- a $50 contribution to the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund3
- a fee in respect of an application for an exemption from the professional indemnity insurance (PII) requirement.4
1Lawyers engaging in legal practice only as a government legal practitioner who are employed by the government entities specified in regulation 35(3) pay 50% of the applicable application fee set out in Schedule 1 Division 2 of the Local Regulations.
2Persons specified in regulation 36(2) of the Local Regulations do not pay the contribution to the Uniform Law framework, being: the Solicitor-General; a government lawyer; and practitioners engaging in legal practice both as a volunteer at a community legal service or otherwise on a pro bono basis, only.
3Persons specified in section 225(4) of the Uniform law do not pay a contribution to the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund being those lawyers engaging in legal practice as: or in the manner of a barrister only; a government legal practitioner; and as a corporate legal practitioner.
4Persons requiring a PII exemption will now make that application as part of their application to renew their Australian practising certificate. The relevant fee, being $30, will be billed along with the other fees relating to the Australian practising certificate application.