Practitioners going on leave
If you are taking an extended period of leave and are not returning during the current practising year, you may consider surrendering your practising certificate. Surrendering your practising certificate means that you do not have to comply with CPD requirements.
Examples of extended leave are parental leave or long service leave.
You should continue to hold your practising certificate if you are taking a normal period of leave or if you expect to return to practice before the expiration of your current practising certificate.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Surrendering your practising certificate means that CPD requirements will no longer apply to you.
If you decide to maintain your practising certificate through any period of leave, you must comply with CPD requirements.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to apply to the Law Institute of Victoria for an exemption from complying with your CPD obligations. For more information, visit the Law Institute of Victoria website.
Surrendering your PC
If you wish to surrender your practising certificate, you must notify our office of the date you will cease engaging in legal practice. You’ll need to do this through our lawyer enquiry form. Please note that you cannot back-date the date of surrender. You must provide the current date or a future date for when you wish to surrender your certificate.
If you expect to return to practise before your current certificate expires, you should not surrender your certificate or you will need to reapply for a new certificate (including paying all relevant fees).
Not renewing your PC
If you are going on leave or ceasing to practice during the annual renewal period (April – June), you can notify us by completing the ‘Not renewing practising certificate’ section in LSB Online. Please note that if you don't notify us and then apply for a new practising certificate in the first quarter of the new financial year (July - September), you will be charged a surcharge on top of your usual fees. You can apply for a refund under our Overpayments and Refunds policy.
Practitioners returning from leave
When returning to practice, you must ensure your details are up to date and that you are appropriately licensed. You can do this through LSB Online.
If you surrendered your practising certificate before going on leave, you will need to apply for a new certificate via LSB Online. You must ensure that your certificate is issued before you can engage in legal practice again.
If you maintained your practising certificate and are returning within the same practising year, you should check your employment details are up to date through LSB Online. If you are returning to practice with a different employer, you should update your employment details and, if necessary, your practising certificate type.
Please note that even if you have a current certificate, you cannot practise if you are not employed by a legal practice and covered their professional indemnity insurance.