Part I Solicitors

Practising certificates

4 Issue of practising certificates subject to conditions.

(1)

Section 12 of the M1Solicitors Act 1974 (discretion of Law Society with respect to issue of practising certificates in special cases) shall be amended as follows.

(2)

In subsection (1)—

(a)

in paragraph (e), for “affecting” there shall be substituted “relating to”; and

(b)

after that paragraph there shall be inserted—

“(ee)

when, having been required by section 34(1) to deliver an accountant’s report to the Society, he has not delivered that report within the period allowed by section 34(2); or”.

(3)

In subsection (2)—

(a)

after “(e),” there shall be inserted “(ee),”; and

(b)

after “subsection (1)” there shall be inserted “then, except in the case of any circumstances of whose existence the Society is unaware at the time the certificate is issued,”.

(4)

After subsection (4) there shall be inserted—

“(4A)

Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4)(b)—

(a)

conditions may be imposed under that provision for requiring the applicant to take any specified steps that will, in the opinion of the Society, be conducive to his carrying on an efficient practice as a solicitor; and

(b)

conditions may be so imposed (whether for the purpose mentioned in paragraph (a) or otherwise) notwithstanding that they may result in expenditure being incurred by the applicant.”.