Practice Management Training

How do legal practitioners comply?
Training is offered by the Law Society of South Africa’s education division, Legal Education and Development. There are two intakes per year.

• First intake for 2020: Closing date for registration is 6 December 2019. The course will start in February 2020.
• Second intake for 2020: Closing date for registration is 29 May 2020. The course will start in July 2020

By when do legal practitioners have to comply?
In terms of the Judicial Matters Second Amendment Act 55 of 2003 and also the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014 (since 1 November 2018), the training must be completed to the satisfaction of the Legal Practice Council before 31 December of the year following the year in which the first Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund certificate was issued. This deadline is the latest by when the training must be done. It can be done earlier should the attorney prefer. In certain circumstances, an attorney can apply to the Legal Practice Council for an extension on the basis of prior experience and or qualifications.

What does the LEAD Practice Management Training offer?
This practice management training was developed to assist legal practitioners manage their practices effectively by combining legal expertise with strategic business management.

The course focuses on the fundamentals of practice management relating to management, marketing, technology and finance. Its ultimate aim is to provide legal practitionerswith the tools to manage their law firms 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 Practitioners’ Fidelity Fund, is designed to provide training and guidance to legal practitionrs on inter alia

• effectively starting a practice;
• combining legal expertise with strategic business management;
• applying resources productively;
• practising in a financially sound manner;
• marketing for profitability;
• ensuring risk management and control; and
• administering the affairs of clients and the business prudently.