Practising Certificate renewals
Renew your practising certificate before 31 May, digital practising certificates introduced this year, and the importance of Professional Indemnity Insurance.
If you are going to be practising from 1 July 2024, you must apply to renew your practising certificate within the prescribed time frames (see below). Your practitioner Service Hub will open for renewals on Wednesday 1 May 2024.
We will contact you on 1 May 2024 with further details about renewals. In the meantime:
- log into your Service Hub on the Board’s website
- confirm that you have completed at least 10 points of CPD.
The fee to accompany a renewal application during the standard renewal period (1 to 31 May 2024) is $1,250. Practitioners may need to pay additional fees:
- a contribution of $30 towards the cost of funding the State’s contribution to the Legal Profession Uniform Framework
- a $50 contribution to the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund
- a fee to apply for an exemption from the Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) requirement.
Apply to renew by 31 May 2024 to avoid late fees
You are strongly encouraged to renew your Australian practising certificate between 1 and 31 May 2024. A renewal application lodged between 1 June and 31 December 2023 is subject to late renewal application fees. An Australian practising certificate cannot be renewed outside of the standard renewal and late renewal periods prescribed by the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulations 2022.
Not renewing your practising certificate?
Please notify the Board of the termination of your law practice and closing of your trust account (if applicable) through the relevant forms on the Board’s website.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
The Uniform Law requires legal practitioners to hold or be covered by a Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) policy approved for WA before they engage in legal practice in WA, unless exempted. Since 1 July 2022 a practitioner’s application for an exemption to hold or be covered by an approved insurance policy is made directly to and is determined by the Board.
If you wish to claim an exemption for the 2024/25 certificate year, you will apply to the Board as part of your renewal application. Eligible categories of exemption, based on your employment status, will be set out in the Renewal application. As PII exemptions will be processed as part of the Renewal application, the Board will be unable to provide separate confirmation regarding PII during the Renewal process.
If you are required to hold PII in Western Australia please contact Law Mutual (WA) on (08) 9481 3111 or info@lawmutualwa.com.au
Using the Service Hub
Lodge your practising certificate renewal or application for a new practising certificate through the Board's online Service Hub. The Service Hub is a secure and efficient way to renew your practising certificate, and has been designed to be straightforward to use. It will alert you to any mandatory fields (that may have been missed) before you submit your application. Access the Service Hub here. For assistance accessing or using the Service Hub first see these online instructions, and only then contact the Board’s offices on (08) 6211 3600 or email enquiries@lpbwa.com
Digital Practising Certificates
In the past, the Legal Practice Board has printed Practising Certificates for all eligible legal practitioners, and posted them in the mail. This slow, labour-intensive exercise is being phased out this year in favour of digital practicing certificates.
This year from May 1, when practitioners go online to the Legal Practice Board Service Hub to apply and pay for their 2024 practising certificates, they will initiate a process that will allow access to a digital copy of their certificate from 1 July (having satisfied such conditions as disclosures, continuing professional development points/units, and suitability).
There is no requirement under Uniform Law for practitioners to display their certificate, though they still may need one for other purposes, and the benefits of a digital certificate outweigh reliance on a hard copy.
This initiative by the Legal Practice Board will contribute to a self-service process that is quicker, more efficient and cost effective; and continue our commitment to enabling the legal profession in Western Australia.