Is practice management training mandatory for legal practitioners?
Yes, Section 84(1) of the Legal Practice Act No 28 of 2014, provides that every attorney or any advocate referred to in Section 34(2)(b) – trust account advocate – who wishes to practice for his/her own account either alone or in partner-ship or as a director of a juristic entity, must be in possession of a Fidelity Fund certificate. Section 85(1)(b) provides that every legal practitioner who, for the first time practices as such, must within the period determined in the rules, complete a legal practice management course approved by the Council.

How do legal practitioners comply?

The practice management training (PMT) course offered by the Law Society of South Africa’s education division, Legal Education and Development (LEAD), has been approved by the LPC as determined in the LPA [Section 85(1)(b) read with Section 95(1)(zL)].

By when do legal practitioners have to comply?
Rule 27(1) provides that every legal practitioner who is obliged in terms of Section 84(1) to be in possession of a Fidelity Fund certificate must, within a period of one year after the date on which the legal practitioner was required for the first time to be in possession of a Fidelity Fund certificate, or within such further period as the Council may approve in any specific case, complete to the satisfaction of the Council a legal practice management training course approved by the Council. This Rule applies to legal practitioners who practise as attorneys.

What does the LEAD Practice Management Training offer?
This LEAD PMT course was developed to assist legal practitioners to manage their practices efficiently by combining legal expertise with strategic business management.
The course focuses on the fundamentals of practice manage-ment relating to management, marketing, technology and finance. Its ultimate aim is to provide legal practitioners with the tools to manage their practices more efficiently on a sustained basis in order to improve standards of practice of the legal profession and service delivery to clients.

The course, which is subsidised by the Legal Practice Council [via an apportionment from the Legal Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund] as per regulation 27.4 and designed to provide training and guidance.

• Module 1: general introduction to management;
• Module 2: risk management and insurance;
• Module 3: law business finance;
• Module 4: systems and technology;
• Module 5: practice administration;
• Module 6: marketing of legal services;
• Module 7: human resources management;
• Module 8: strategic management.

Training is offered by the Law Society of South Africa’s education division, Legal Education and Development. There are three intakes per year. The duration of each intake will be 4 months as per below

1st Intake: February – May 2023
2nd Intake: May – August 2023
3rd Intake: August – November 2023

Tuition fee
Full course: R2 680 (VAT inclusive)

Registration dates

First intake: Closing date for registration is 9 January 2023. The course will start in February.
Second intake: Closing date for registration is 17 April 2023. The course will start in May.
Third intake: Closing date for registration is 17 July 2023. The course will start in August..

Schedule 2023 – see above link

Enquiries
For more information please e-mail pmt@LSSALEAD.org.za

PMT staff

Euginia Sookane (Senior Training Co-ordinator): 012 441 4609 – euginia@LSSALEAD.org.za
Pelcrine Mathibi: 012 441 4614 – pelcrine@LSSALEAD.org.za
Amukelani Mdluli: 012 441 4690 – amu@LSSALEAD.org.za

Senior Manager LEAD
Ogilvie Ramoshaba: 012 441 4625 – ogilvie@LSSALEAD.org.za