Queensland Legal Profession Regulations 2017

On the 1st September 2017 a new version of the Queensland Legal Profession Regulations came into effect.  The Legal Bookkeepers Institute course for Queensland has been updated to reflect the new legislation.  The course is suitable for solicitors and their staff who have to handle trust money.  The course will count towards CPD points for solicitors.

Legal Trust Accounting Training for Tasmania

In 2017 the Law Society of Tasmania requested us to create a version of legal trust accounting training for Tasmania.  The training course was done in conjunction with the Law Society of Tasmania to meet their requirements.

The Tasmanian version of the course is complete and available for Tasmanian practitioners.  It is suitable for solicitors and their staff who handle trust money.  The Law Society of Tasmania has approved the course and made it mandatory for solicitors who are applying for an unrestricted practising certificate.  For all solicitors the course will count towards their CPD points.

Now Available – Online Legal Accounting NSW & VIC With New Uniform Rules

From 1 July 2015 the Legal Profession Act 2004 is repealed and replaced by the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014, or ‘Uniform Law’. The Uniform Law package includes Legal Profession Uniform Rules (or Uniform Rules). Victoria and New South Wales are the first states to adopt and implement the Uniform Law and Uniform Rules.

Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015
In Victoria and New South Wales, lawyers and law practices are subject to the same framework of Legal Profession Uniform Rules made by the Legal Services Council.
The rule-making power is provided under the Legal Profession Uniform Law and is very broad. Uniform Rules may be made with respect to any matter that the Uniform Law requires or permits to be specified in Uniform Rules or that is necessary or convenient to be specified for carrying out or giving effect to the Uniform Law.

What are legal profession rules?
In Victoria and New South Wales, lawyers and law practices are subject to the same framework of Legal Profession Uniform Rules made by the Legal Services Council.
The rule-making power is provided under the Legal Profession Uniform Law and is very broad.
Uniform Rules may be made with respect to any matter that the Uniform Law requires or permits to be specified in Uniform Rules or that is necessary or convenient to be specified for carrying out or giving effect to the Uniform Law.

What Our Clients Are Saying?

“I found the course easy to follow  and will in due course returning to complete other services you have to offer.” – VIC 

“It was a very helpful course!” – NSW

“I would certainly recommend the course to others. It has detail and examples that are easy to follow. I do think 100% is a high bench mark , although understand that’s there’s no room for errors as you are operating Trust accounts. I was very interested in the flow charts that you have in the course. Is it possible to get a PDF copy? The main ones I’m interested in are: 

  • Receipts & Banking: Source Records – Secondary Records – Reports
  • Payments & Journal Transfer – Trust Bank Ac to General Operating Ac & General ; General Office Bank Ac to office payments/receipts and Invoices

I’m writing up notes to assist me when I review it and these flow charts make it easy to understand. ” – South Coast Bookkeeping, VIC – www.southcoastbookkeeping.com.au

“Yes I really enjoyed the course, I found it well explained and detailed, if there was something I wasn’t 100% about it would get explained later down the course or even those helpful flashing dots which defined what some things where and provided extra information!” – VIC

“I thought the course was good and well structured!” – NSW
“With little knowledge of legal accounting, I found the content and associated resources to be presented in a manner that was concise and easy to digest. The unique presentation and interactivity that this learning platform provided, certainly exceeded my expectations and the standards in online learning. Being able to seamlessly examine relevant reference material and at many opportunities within the modules is certainly a highlight alongside the engaging animation. 
I can boldly say that I am very confident and familiar with the intricate rules and regulations of legal accounting after completing the course. From a retrospective, I can easily see how this course can be an important tool for bookkeepers requiring a refresh or an introduction to legal accounting. To those sitting on the fence; this course is definitely setting new standards for learning! Bravo!”  – VIC

 

“Overall I thought the course was good!  I enjoyed the course. It was easy to follow, and I like the fact that links to the relevant rules were available within the course notes.” – NSW

“I have no bookkeeping knowledge and found the course understandable. I did use google to look up some terms. I am more confident in my understanding of trust accounting.” – WA

“I found the content of this self-paced course great as it really helped cement my understanding of the requirements of legal trust accounting in NSW. The course is value for money and provides a good overview of legal trust accounting in NSW”

“Overall the Online Legal Bookkeepers Course was a very user friendly, informative and excellent learning tool. I was extremely happy with all aspects of the course especially the flexibility with the time frame. 

The tutorials were very easy to follow and concise. I now feel my knowledge of all the different aspects of Legal Bookkeeping has improved greatly” – NSW

“A valuable resource for new bookkeepers entering the legal world, experienced bookkeepers who need a refresher, new practitioners who are maintaining their own records either by computer or manual records and experienced practitioners who require an update!” – NSW

” I thought the course was very well designed and educational! ” – NSW

“I found the course quite interesting, it’s one thing reading the Law Society Rules & another putting them into Practice, I will probably do the QLD one too. Just one suggestion that you may already have sorted, is it possible to send an email to those who have completed the course when there are changes to the Trust rules?  This might ensure that the course is taken more frequently.” – NSW

“I found the course very helpful, thanks. I had to set up a trust account and this course gave great insight on the requirements of setting it up and then maintaining it. The course was very good.  It was a good way of refreshing my skills and knowledge of Qld Trust Accounting.” – QLD

“Having also been to the seminar in Sydney earlier this year, it was good to be able to compare the two different ways to learn.

I thought the layout was quite nice and the system very user friendly, being easy to navigate and understand.  I liked the interaction of the slides and that you could stop and start when you pleased, not having to do the whole course in one session.  In fact I did part of it at the office and the balance at home.  I like the interactive slides and animation that you have on the page as it keeps us more involved and interested.
In comparison to the event in Sydney, I liked that there were no interruptions from other people asking ridiculous questions or taking up time.  However, at the event it was also good to be able to bounce ideas off each other and hear what the people from other firms were doing.  This is a very minor thing, and it is probably worth doing it online rather than having to travel to do the course if you live/work in a remote area. Overall, I think it is a great way to learn trust accounting or as a refresher for experienced bookkeeper” – NSW

 

I recently completed the Legal Bookkeepers Institute online training course covering Legal Trust Accounting.  The course was easy to follow and was a great way for me to validate my knowledge of Trust Accounting.  I have been doing Legal Accounting for five years and have recently been given an offsider to train who has no knowledge of bookkeeping, I will be recommending this course to my offsider as I believe it is designed for beginners in mind, it is a comprehensive step by step instructional power point which you can be completed at one’s own pace.  Thank you it is a valuable training tool.” – VIC

“I have found the Online Trust Accounting Course is an easy, informative and excellent way to refresh upon the Trust Account Regulations.  Our firm recently hired a new BookKeeper who had not worked in a legal firm before and the Online Trust Accounting Course was the first thing we enrolled her in.  She now has a better understanding of the rules and regulations as set out by the Law Society.”

FAQs

Q. What is the Legal Profession Uniform Law?
A. The uniform regime was developed from work undertaken with the involvement of all Australian jurisdictions through a Council of Australian Governments reform process that commenced in 2009. The Uniform Law has since been simplified and developed by the Victorian and New South Wales governments with the aim of minimising administration and regulatory costs by using existing local level regulatory structures to provide regulatory services.

Q. What is the objective of the New Uniform Law?
A. In Victoria and New South Wales, lawyers and law practices are subject to the same framework of Legal Profession Uniform Rules made by the Legal Services Council. The rule-making power is provided under the Legal Profession Uniform Law and is very broad. Uniform Rules may be made with respect to any matter that the Uniform Law requires or permits to be specified in Uniform Rules or that is necessary or convenient to be specified for carrying out or giving effect to the Uniform Law.

Q. Is the course only for legal bookkeepers?
A. No. The course is for anyone who likes to learn more about legal trust accounting.

Q. Can I earn CLE/CPD points?
A. The advice provided by the Law Society is that the practitioner determines if the course if relevant to their practice or professional responsibilities and if so they claim it.

Q. What is the length of time the course is likely to take?
A. It would take a couple of hours to complete the modules if you did it in one session. However, you can take as long as you like to complete the course. Stopping and starting at your leisure. (your account will be active for a month).

Q. What are my payment options?
i) Pay with your PayPal account
ii) Pay with a credit or debit card – VISA,MasterCard, American Express.(NOT corporate credit card)
iii) Pay by EFT under certain circumstances (Contact us for Account details)

Q. What type of software is required as a prerequisite for this course?
A. Only internet access. No specific software required

Q. What equipment do I need to study the course?
A. You will need a computer and Internet access. Nothing else!

Q. Can I run the course on iPad?
A. Yes. The Online Course can be used on any device, any time: desktop, laptop, iPad or smartphone. So if you have half an hour waiting in the airport or train station, you can do the learning on an iPad.

Q. How will I receive a certificate?
A. After attaining a Pass in all modules and the Final Assessment the system will automatically generate a Certificate of Competency in the name of the person who registered for the course.

Q. Is this Online Course video/audio based?
A. It is not a video/audio course. It is an Online Tutorial based on the regulatory framework of each state.

Q. Do I need to take an exam?
A. At the end of each learning module there will be a quiz

Q. Can payment be made over the phone?
A. Unfortunately, we do not accept payment over the phone.

Q. Can I request a refund after enrolled in the course?
A. Refunds are not permitted once you are enrolled and payment processed.

Q. What if I need help?
A. Email your questions to enquiries@legalbookkeepersinstitute.com.au

Q. Will there be courses available for other States?
A. We currently have courses for NSW, QLD,VIC, WA, SA, NT and Tasmania.

Q. Can I revisit the Tutorials after completion and printed the Certificate?
A. You should be able to review the Tutorials as long as the account is Active. However, you won’t be able to retake the Quizzes.

High Demand For Legal Bookkeeping Course

High Demand for Legal Bookkeeping Course

The Legal Bookkeepers Institute was launched in January of this year to provide training in legal bookkeeping. The primary emphasis is on trust accounting.

Courses were held in February. Institute Director Susan Jones told Legal Practice Intelligence “The first course filled within 24 hours and the two subsequent courses took 48 hours to fill.”

Four courses have been scheduled for March 2014 with one already fully booked. The March courses are being held in Sydney. You can also register your interest to have the course held in other parts of the country.

Comments from the February participants included: “Good general course for beginners and experienced alike” and “dealt with different levels of knowledge very well.”

Attendees commented on what they found most valuable in the course: Networking and information exchange amongst participants, “… communicate processes with the instructor and participants”; “explanation of the audit process” and “learning more about overdrawing trust funds requirements and statutory deposits.”

Importance Of Educating Staff On Bookkeeping

Why is educating staff on bookkeeping important to your firm?

Many firms struggle with inadequate knowledge of legal bookkeeping practices which gets them into difficulties with the regulator. This creates an additional cost for members of the Law Society who have to pay the costs of regulation. The purpose of the Legal Bookkeepers Institute is to provide training to newcomers of the profession, or to current employees who are taking on bookkeeping responsibilities.

Money also moves from the trust account to the office account in accordance with strict rules, and it can be very confusing for someone who has not been trained in the principles of legal bookkeeping to come to terms with the requirements.