Renewing practising certificates or registration as a European or foreign lawyer for 2002/2003

Application forms

The Law Society has sent out application forms for the 2002/03 practising certificate year.

The practising certificate fee for solicitors and registration fee for European lawyers has increased to 700.

The fee for registration as a foreign lawyer increased to 430.

These increases are required to ensure that the Society fully achieves its regulatory responsibilities, promotes improved standards and safeguards self-regulation for the profession.

A reduced practising certificate fee of 490 is available for solicitors who take out their first certificates between 1 November 2002 and 31 December 2002.

Solicitors may also be eligible to pay a reduced practising certificate fee if they have taken maternity leave within the 2001/2002 practising year or earned a low income from providing legal services as a solicitor in the past 12 months.

Full details of fee reductions can be found in the notes which accompany each form.

Every practising solicitor, registered European lawyer and registered foreign lawyer will have had an application form sent to them individually or to their firms.

Solicitors who have not received an application form themselves should check to ensure that their organisation has made an application on their behalf.

Solicitors who have not received an application form should contact the Law Society's Information Services team, tel: 0870 606 2555 (lines are open from 8.30am until 5pm Monday to Friday).

Compensation fund

The maximum contribution to the compensation fund has increased to 500 this year.

To set the appropriate contribution the Law Society has taken into account claims on the fund which are due to be met or are pending.

There have been some substantial claims on the fund in the recent past which have led to the increase.

The Society, through the recently publicised expansion of practice standards monitoring, is aiming to help solicitors improve the quality of practice management which should lead to a reduction in claims against the fund.

Exercise target

The target for this year is to issue 95% of certificates of returned applications by 23 December 2002.