legal Profession ACT

chapter 90:03

Act 21 of 1986

Amended by

Arrangement of Sections

PART I

PRELIMINARY

       1.   Short title.

             Act inconsistent with sections 4 and 5 of the Constitution.

       2.   Interpretation.

PART II

Law Association

       3.   Establishment of Law Association.

       4.   Council to manage affairs of Association.

       5.   Purpose of Law Association.

       6.   Practitioner members.

       7.   Non-practitioner members.

       8.   Honorary members.

       9.   Privileges of membership.

      10.   Expulsion and suspensions of rights and privileges.

      11.   Termination of membership.

      12.   Annual subscription to Association.

PART III

membership of the legal profession

         Enrolment, Admission, Status

      13.   Roll of Attorneys-at-law to be kept.

      14.   Registrar’s duty to register persons entitled to practise immediately before this Act.

      15.   Admission to practise and right of appeal.

   15A.   Special case of admission.

      16.   Eligibility of non-citizen who has obtained prescribed qualifications to be admitted as an Attorney-at-law.

      17.   Saving of enactments restricting persons other than citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

      18.   Oath to be taken on admission.

      19.   Certificate of enrolment.

      20.   Status of Attorney-at-law.

      21.   Attorney-at-law not to be Justice of the Peace.

      22.   Liability for negligence and lack of skill.

      23.   Practising certificate.

      24.   Court may in special cases order, issue or refusal of practising certificate or impose conditions on issue.

      25.   Suspension of practising certificate.

Law Officers

      26.   Law officer as Attorney-at-law.

      27.   Law officers exempt.

Removal from Roll and Suspension

      28.   Voluntary removal from the Roll.

      29.   Removal from Roll and suspension from practice by order of Court.

      30.   Expiration of suspension to be noted on Roll.

Restoration of Name to Roll and

Termination of Suspension

      31.   Application to Court.

      32.   Procedure on application.

PART IV

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND CONDUCT

Accounts

      33.   Power to make Rules as to accounts.

      34.   Council’s control of accounts in certain circumstances.

Discipline

      35.   Rules to govern professional practice.

Disciplinary Committee and Proceedings

      36.   Disciplinary Committee.

      37.   Complaints to Committee.

      38.   Disciplinary proceedings.

      39.   Powers of Disciplinary Committee.

      40.   Appeal from Disciplinary Committee.

      41.   Disciplinary proceedings by Supreme Court.

      42.   Saving of jurisdiction of Courts.

Disciplinary Offences

      43.   Attorney-at-law not to act as agent for unqualified person.

      44.   Attorney-at-law not to commence or defend actions whilst in prison.

      45.   Employment of persons suspended from practice.

General Offences

      46.   Unqualified person acting through Attorney-at-law.

      47.   Unlawful practice and similar offences.

      48.   Unauthorised person seeking employment.

PART V

remuneraTION

General

      49.   Interpretation of this Part.

      50.   Payments in advance and accountability.

Recovery of Costs

      51.   Bills of costs—no action without taxation.

      52.   Rules as to costs of Attorneys-at-law for non-contentious business.

      53.   Agreement with respect to remuneration for non-contentious business.

PART VI

CompENsATion FUND

      54.   Establishment and ownership of Fund.

      55.   Composition and administration of Fund.

      56.   Annual contribution to the Fund.

      57.   Compensation for loss due to dishonesty.

      58.   Compensation for loss in cases of hardship.

      59.   Savings and exceptions in respect of payments from Fund.

PART VII

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

      60.   Power to make Rules of Court.

PART VIII

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

      61.   Constituting First Council.

      62.   Pending applications for admission.

      63.   Pending disciplinary proceedings.

      64.   References to “Barristers” or to “Solicitors”.

      65.   Period of qualification as an Attorney-at-law.

FIRST ScheDULE

     PART A—Council of the Law Association.

      part B—Constitution of first council.

Second Schedule

               —Form Of Certificates.

Third Schedule

     PART A—code of ethics.

     part B—mandatory provisions.

Fourth Schedule

               —Disciplinary Committee.

Fifth Schedule

               —Legal Profession (disciplinary Proceedings) rules.

Sixth Schedule

               —compensation fund.

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION

Legal Profession (Law Offices) Order (LN 256/1986)

Attorneys-at-law (Remuneration) (Non-Contentious Business) Rules (LN 77/1997)

See also the following:

*LN 44/1987 [The Legal Profession (First Council) Directions, 1987] has been spent since it applied only for the purpose of constituting the First Council.

NOTES.