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Membership pending notice

Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Membership pending notice

Old memberships have expired, but 20/21 memberships are now current.

Members have received an automated email from our old system advising that 19/20 memberships have expired. 

Please note that this relates to old memberships (ending on 30 June 2020), not renewed or new memberships, which commence today, 1 July 2020. 

To check the status of your membership, including your Practising Certificate, please log in to the website and check your member dashboard.

If you need help logging in, please visit this helpful guide.

If your membership is 'pending'

This means that the decision on your application has not been made as yet (or has not yet been promulgated through the system), and the following applies to you depending on the particular circumstances of your application.

Renewal of practising certificate: If you have renewed your practising certificate (i.e, you held a Practising Certificate in the 19/20 financial year), but your membership is listed as 'pending', you are authorised to continue engaging in legal practice under your 19/20 practising certificate until you are notified of the decision on your renewal application. The decision to approve your application may be subject to compliance with your PII obligations (if applicable), and/or payment of application fees.

New practising certificate: If you have applied for a new practising certificate (i.e. you did not hold a practising certificate at the time of lodging your application), you cannot engage in legal practice until you have complied with your statutory obligations under the Act in relation to approval and payment of your PII policy (if applicable), and/or paid the application fees, and the 'pending' status has been removed.

In both instances the 'pending' status remains in place until the requirements relevant to your circumstances have been discharged.


Refer to s37 of the Legal Profession Act 2006:

(3) If an application for the renewal of a local practising certificate has not been decided by the following 1 July, the certificate—

(a) continues in force on and from that 1 July until the relevant council renews or refuses to renew the certificate or the holder withdraws the application for renewal, unless the certificate is sooner cancelled or suspended; and 

(b) if renewed, is taken to have been renewed on and from that 1 July.