THE AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
BAR ASSOCIATION
ABN 84 008 481 258

APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL
of

BARRISTER PRACTISING CERTIFICATE

The Australian Capital Territory Bar Association

APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL OF BARRISTER PRACTISING CERTIFICATE FOR FINANCIAL YEAR [xxxx]/[yyyy]

PART 1

Before completing this form you should familiarise yourself with the relevant provisions of the 
Legal Profession Act 2006 and the Legal Profession Regulations 2006.  The information requested on this form is to enable the Bar Council to report and the Law Society to issue your Practising Certificate and maintain a register of holders of Australian Capital Territory Practising Certificates required by s79 of the Legal Profession Act 2006 and clause 15 of the Regulations.  

The Application is pursuant to the Act and the Regulations.  The application is to the Licensing Authority, which is the Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory, and is made by completing the Application and delivering it to the Bar Association with payment to the ACT Bar Association of the fee for the Practising Certificate.

PERSONAL DETAILS  AND PRACTICE DETAILS

Please add any information which has been omitted or amend incorrect information.

FAMILY NAME:____________________________________________________________________

GIVEN NAMES:___________________________________________________________________

PREVIOUS FAMILY NAME (if applicable):________________________________________

PREFERRED FORM OF ADDRESS:____________________________________________
 (For mailing/website purposes eg. Mr J Harry Smith/Mr John H Smith S.C./Ms JH Smith S.C.)

DATE OF BIRTH:_________________________________GENDER:__________________

CHAMBERS / BUSINESS ADDRESS:		___________________________________
Please note that a post office box is not a practice address

						___________________________________

						DX:________________________________

AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS NUMBER:		___________________________________

BUSINESS ADDRESS FOR PUBLICATION:	___________________________________
(if not as above)

___________________________________

CHAMBERS PH:  _________________________  FAX:  ____________________________

DIRECT PH: _______________________  PH: (for publication) _______________________

MOBILE:_______________________________(not for publication)

*E-MAIL:_______________________________

*    The Bar Association regularly sends e-mails to those members of the Bar and the Bar Association who have provided it with their e-mail address.  Material sent by e-mail includes Circulars, Notice to Practitioners, Request for Submissions and Memorandums, Updates on Continuing Professional Development seminars and social functions.  Because much of the information e-mailed needs to be disseminated at a short notice, there is no other feasibility to distribute the information more efficiently.

If you do not wish to receive broadcast e-mails from the Association, please indicate clearly below.

I do NOT wish to receive broadcast e-mails from the Association		[     ]

RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS (not for publication‡):	___________________________________

___________________________________

STATE__________P/CODE___________

PHONE:____________________________

‡ We ask that you provide details of your residential address and phone number.  The information provided will be used only in exceptional circumstances by the Bar Council and the Bar Association staff.  It will not be made generally available without your written consent unless it is also your practice address.

PART 2

PROFESSIONAL DETAILS

Question 1

Which of the following best describes your CURRENT profession? 
(Please tick one (1) category only)

□	Reader

□	Practising principally as a barrister at the private bar in the Australian Capital Territory;

□	Prosecutors within the Office of the DPP;

□	Parliamentary Counsel’s Office;

□	Government Legal Officer;

□	* Person who has been admitted to the Roll of Legal Practitioners in the Supreme Court of an Australian jurisdiction and is employed:- 	

□	by a teaching institution

□	in some other capacity

	* If you selected either option immediately above, please specify:-

	Employer:_____________________________________________________

	Nature of employment____________________________________________

	What portion, if any, of your time is spent practising as a Barrister?_________

□	Other – Please specify:___________________________________________

Question 2

	Is The Australian Capital Territory currently your principal place of practice?

□ YES	□ NO

If “NO”, please provide details:_____________________________________

Question 3

	Have you been admitted to practice in any other country since your last application?

□ YES	□ NO

If “YES”, please specify:__________________________________________

Question 4

	Do you expect to be engaged in legal practice principally in The Australian Capital Territory during the currency of the practising certificate applied for?

□ YES	□ NO

If “NO”, please provide details:_____________________________________

PART 3

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (‘CPD’)

BAR COUNCIL’S RESOLUTION PURSUANT TO RULE 113 OF THE 
LEGAL PROFESSION BARRISTER’S RULES 2006

Holders of The Australian Capital Territory barristers’ practising certificates are required to have obtained 10 CPD points for the period 1 April [nnnn] to 31 March [xxxx], with at least one point in each of the four strands namely:-

•	Ethics and Regulation of the Profession;
•	Management;
•	Substantive Law, Practice and Procedure and Evidence;
•	Advocacy, Mediation and other Barristers’ Skills.

Please note that if you have held a barrister’s practising certificate for less than 
12 months, the requisite CPD points you must have obtained is proportionately reduced as follows:  For certificates issued in:-

August	-	6 points	September		-	5 points
October	-	4 points	November		-	3 points
December	-	2 points	January/February	-	1 point

March, April, May and June – 0 points

Question 5

Have you obtained the requisite CPD points in the period 1 April [nnnn] to 31 March [xxxx]?
□ YES	□ NO

If you have answered “NO”, please indicate in the space below your reasons for not accumulating the requisite CPD points.

Please ensure that you have kept a written record of how these CPD points have been accumulated as you may be required to produce this.

Any questions regarding CPD should be directed to the Executive Officer: 
Tel: (02) 6257 1437;  Fax: (02) 6257 6090 or e-mail:  actbar@netspeed.com.au

PART 4

DISCLOSURE OF OFFENCES AND BANKRUPTCY MATTERS

Sections 60 and 61 of the Legal Profession Act 2006 requires the disclosure to the 
Bar Council of show cause events (serious offences, tax offences and certain bankruptcy matters) and convictions (other than for an ‘excluded offence’).  Barristers must also notify Council if charged with a serious offence.

Note: disclosure/notification is not required if you have previously disclosed the information to the Bar Council.

Please answer ALL questions by circling the appropriate response.

Question 6

Have you been convicted (conviction includes a finding of guilt or the acceptance of a guilty plea, whether or not a conviction recorded) of a serious offence or a tax offence that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council?	YES /  NO

Question 7

Have you been convicted (conviction includes a finding of guilt or the acceptance of a guilty plea, whether or not a conviction recorded) of any offence (other than an excluded offence) that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council?		YES /  NO

Question 8

Have you become bankrupt, been served with a notice of a creditor’s petition or had happen in relation to you any of the show cause events set out in the Legal Profession Act 2006 that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council?				YES /  NO

Question 9

Have you been charged with a serious offence that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council?				YES /  NO

If you have answered ‘YES’ to any question in Part 4, please attach a written statement detailing the matters including the precise provision under which you have been convicted or charged.

PART 5

FITNESS AND PROPRIETY

Please answer ALL questions by circling the appropriate response.

Question 10

Have you done anything likely to adversely affect your good fame and character that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council?			YES /  NO

Question 11

Are you aware of any facts or circumstances that you have not previously disclosed to the Bar Council which might affect your fitness to remain a legal practitioner, including non compliance with any obligation under the Income Assessment Act 1936?										YES /  NO

If you have answered ‘YES’ to any question in Part 5, please attach a written statement detailing the matters.

PART 6

PROVISION AND USE OF PROFESSIONAL DETAILS FOR PUBLICATION

Information about you is collected, stored, used and disclosed by the Australian Capital Territory Bar Association in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Information provided by you to the Association will be used by the Association in carrying out its functions under the Legal Profession Act 2006. 

Each year, for the purposes of the NSW Law Society diary, MAHLAB and the Australian Legal Directory, the Association provides the contact details of every barrister who is a Class A member of the Association and holds an Australian Capital Territory Barrister’s Practising Certificate.  The details provided include the barrister’s name, business address (including DX), phone and fax numbers, date of commencement of practice and email address.  The Association provides the information for this publication as it is a matter of public record and does not include personal or sensitive information about any individual barrister.

The Association also provides your practice contact details to members of the public on request (including information you have provided regarding your contact details, practice areas, other languages spoken and other jurisdictions where you have been admitted). No personal or sensitive information is provided to the public.

Information provided by members will also be used to maintain membership records.  Your practice details will, if you have agreed appear on the Association’s “Find a Barrister” webpage which allows members of the public and solicitors to search for a barrister suited to their particular need.

DECLARATION

I declare that the contents of this application are true and correct.

Signed……………………………………		Dated…………………………………

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Once the declaration has been signed and dated, please return all of the following to the Executive Office, ACT Bar Association, GPO Box 789, Canberra City  ACT  2601; DX 5654 Canberra:

□	Practising certificate renewal form (pages 1-10 inclusive).  Please ensure you have answered ALL questions, attached all required written statements, and completed the declaration;

□	Tax Invoice for Fees and payment (please keep a copy for your records).  Payment is due by 31 May [xxxx].

□	Copy of the certificate of currency for your professional indemnity insurance for the [xxxx]/[yyyy] practice year.  Please note only those professional indemnity insurance policies approved by the Bar Council are acceptable.

If there is a delay in receiving the certificate of currency from your insurer, the practising certificate renewal form and fee payment should still be forwarded to the Association before the due date 31 May [xxxx].  However, a practising certificate will not be issued until proof of insurance has been received by the Association.  It is the barrister’s responsibility to arrange for this documentation to be provided to the Association.

Applications for a Practising Certificate cannot be processed until ALL of the above have been received and payment of the appropriate fee has cleared.

For Office Use Only:
Date checked:
Professional Indemnity verified:
Date processed: