Lawyers must complete a period of SLP before they can hold an unrestricted practising certificate – a certificate which entitles them to engage in legal practice unsupervised.

The requisite period of SLP will depend on how a lawyer qualifies for admission:

• lawyers who complete articles or a similar supervised workplace training program must complete 18 months of SLP;
• lawyers who complete other practical legal training, for example, a graduate diploma of legal practice, must complete 2 years of SLP.

A lawyer who has completed the requisite period of SLP may request removal of the condition. Lawyers who have not held a certificate, or who have not been supervised for the requisite period, cannot make a removal application. Such lawyers, however, may be entitled to apply for an exemption from the condition.

An exemption application must include a statutory declaration and supporting documentation. A partial exemption may be granted when an application covers less than the requisite period of practice.

Legal Profession Act Exemption

An applicant for full or partial exemption must submit a statutory declaration and supervisor letter(s) evidencing a period of SLP.

Uniform Law Exemption

All legal practice (whether supervised or not) will count towards the requisite period if it is undertaken:

• before the Uniform Law commences; and
• in the course of employment with the Crown or a public authority, or in the performance of duties under a Governor in Council appointment.

An applicant for full or partial exemption under the Uniform Law must:

• with regard to government practice, submit a statutory declaration and employer letter(s) evidencing a period of legal practice; and
• with regard to any other legal practice, submit a statutory declaration and supervisor letter(s) evidencing a period of SLP.

Please note:

• applicants may rely on any period of practice, including their most recent. It is not necessary to refer to the period when the applicant first commenced practice;
• applying for an exemption from, or the removal of, the SLP condition is a ‘one-off’ process. Once the exemption or removal is granted, the condition will not be re-applied to a certificate.