{"id":"sl-2025-28","name":"Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 (No 2)","slug":"legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2","collection":"regulation","jurisdiction":"act","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":"28 of 2025","makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":173428,"registerId":"act-sl-2025-28-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 (No 2)","content":"Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nAustralian Capital Territory\nLegal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025\n(No 2)\nSubordinate law SL2025-28\nmade under the\nLegal Profession Act 2006, s 580 (Rules for solicitors)\n1 Name of instrument\nThis instrument is the Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 (No 2).\n2 Commencement\nThis instrument commences on 1 January 2026.\n3 Making of rules\nThe Council of the Law Society of the ACT makes the attached Legal Profession (Solicitors)\nConduct Rules 2025 (No 2).\n4 Revocation\nThis instrument revokes the Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2015 [SL2015-37]\nand the Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 [SL2025-24].\nVik Sundar\nPresident for the Law Society of the ACT\n8 December 2025\n\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nLegal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025\n(No 2)\nSubordinate law SL2025-28\nmade under the\nLegal Profession Act 2006, s 580 (Rules for solicitors)\nCONTENTS\nIntroduction....................................................................................................................... 1\n1. Application and interpretation............................................................................... 2\n2. Purpose and effect of the rules ............................................................................ 2\n3. Paramount duty to the court and the administration of justice .............................. 2\n4. Other fundamental ethical duties ......................................................................... 2\n5. Dishonest and disreputable conduct .................................................................... 3\n6. Undertakings .................................................................................................... 3\n7. Communication of advice .................................................................................... 3\n8. Client instructions ................................................................................................ 3\n9. Confidentiality .................................................................................................... 3\n10. Conflicts concerning former clients ...................................................................... 4\n11. Conflict of duties concerning current clients ......................................................... 4\n11A. Short-Term Legal Assistance Services……………………………………………...6\n12. Conflict concerning a solicitor’s own interests ...................................................... 6\n13. Completion or termination of engagement ............................................................ 8\n14. Client documents................................................................................................. 8\n15. Lien over essential documents… ......................................................................... 9\n\nLegal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 (No 2) contents 2\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n16. Charging for document storage ........................................................................... 9\n17. Independence - Avoidance of personal bias......................................................... 9\n18. Formality before the court .................................................................................... 9\n19. Duty to the court ................................................................................................ 10\n20. Delinquent or guilty clients ................................................................................. 11\n21. Responsible use of court process and privilege ................................................. 12\n22. Communication with opponents .................................................................................. 14\n23. Opposition access to witnesses .................................................................................. 14\n24. Integrity of evidence – influencing evidence ............................................................... 15\n25. Integrity of evidence – two witnesses together ........................................................... 15\n26. Communication with witnesses under cross-examination...................................... 16\n27. Solicitor as material witness in client’s cases .................................................... 16\n28. Public comment during current proceedings ..................................................... 16\n29. Prosecutor’s duties ........................................................................................... 16\n30. Another solicitor’s or other person’s error ......................................................... 18\n31. Inadvertent disclosure ...................................................................................... 18\n32. Unfounded allegations ...................................................................................... 19\n33. Communication with another solicitor’s client .................................................... 19\n34. Dealing with other persons................................................................................ 19\n35. Contracting with third parties............................................................................. 20\n36. Advertising .................................................................................................. 20\n37. Supervision of legal services ............................................................................. 20\n38. Returning judicial officers .................................................................................. 20\n39. Legal and Non-Legal Services .......................................................................... 20\n40. Sharing receipts ................................................................................................ 20\n41. Mortgage financing and managed investments ................................................. 21\n42. Anti-discrimination and harassment .................................................................. 21\n43. Dealing with the Regulatory Authority ............................................................... 21\nGlossary of Terms .................................................................................................. 21\n\nPage | 1\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nLEGAL PROFESSION (SOLICITORS) CONDUCT RULES 2025 (NO 2)\nINTRODUCTION\nThe Legal Profession Act 2006 (ACT) (LPA) empowers the Law Society of the ACT (Law Society) to make\nRules for or in relation to practice as a solicitor, as an Australian-registered foreign lawyer and for\nincorporated legal practices and multi-disciplinary partnerships.\nThe Rules apply to practitioners who are:\n• legal practitioners who hold an unrestricted or restricted practising certificate issued by the Law\nSociety; or\n• legal practitioners who hold an interstate practising certificate that does not restrict the\npractitioner to practise only as a barrister; or\n• Australian-registered foreign lawyers; or\n• legal practitioners in an incorporated legal practice or a multi-disciplinary partnership.\nThe application of the Rules is not limited to practitioners in private practice but extend to practitioners\nemployed by corporations and other entities as well as government lawyers who hold practising certificates.\nSection 585 of the LPA provides that the Rules are binding on legal practitioners to whom they apply. Failure\nto comply with the Rules can amount to unsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct.\n\nPage | 2\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nLEGAL PROFESSION (SOLICITORS) CONDUCT RULES 2025 (NO 2)\nRULE 1 APPLICATION AND INTERPRETATION\n1.1 These Rules apply as the Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules under the Legal\nProfession Act 2006 (ACT) to solicitors and Australian-registered foreign lawyers acting in the\nmanner of a solicitor.\n1.2 The definitions that apply in these Rules are set out in the glossary.\n2 PURPOSE AND EFFECT OF THE RULES\n2.1 The purpose of these Rules is to assist solicitors to act ethically and in accordance with the\nprinciples of professional conduct established by the common law and these Rules.\n2.2 In considering whether a solicitor has engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct or\nprofessional misconduct, the Rules apply in addition to the common law.\n2.3 A breach of these Rules is capable of constituting unsatisfactory professional conduct or\nprofessional misconduct, and may give rise to disciplinary action by the relevant regulatory\nauthority.\n3 PARAMOUNT DUTY TO THE COURT AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF\nJUSTICE\n3.1 A solicitor’s duty to the court and the administration of justice is paramount and prevails to the\nextent of inconsistency with any other duty.\n4 OTHER FUNDAMENTAL ETHICAL DUTIES\n4.1 A solicitor must also:\n4.1.1 act in the best interests of a client in any matter in which the solicitor acts for the\nclient;\n4.1.2 be honest and courteous in all dealings in the course of legal practice;\n4.1.3 deliver legal services competently, diligently and as promptly as reasonably possible;\n4.1.4 avoid any compromise to their integrity and professional independence; and\n4.1.5 comply with these Rules and the law.\n\nPage | 3\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n5.1 A solicitor must not engage in conduct, in the course of legal practice or otherwise, which:\n5.1.1 demonstrates that the solicitor is not a fit and proper person to practice law; or\n5.1.2 is likely, to a material degree to:\n(i) be prejudicial to, or diminish the public confidence in, the administration of justice; or\n(ii) bring the profession into disrepute.\n6.1 A solicitor who has given an undertaking in the course of legal practice must honour that\nundertaking and ensure the timely and effective performance of the undertaking, unless released\nby the recipient or by a court of competent jurisdiction.\n6.2 A solicitor must not seek from another solicitor, or that solicitor’s employee, associate, or agent,\nundertakings in respect of a matter, that would require the co-operation of a third party who is\nnot party to the undertaking.\n7.1 A solicitor must provide clear and timely advice to assist a client to understand relevant legal\nissues and to make informed choices about action to be taken during the course of a matter,\nconsistent with the terms of the engagement.\n7.2 A solicitor must inform the client or the instructing solicitor about the alternatives to fully contested\nadjudication of the case which are reasonably available to the client, unless the solicitor believes\non reasonable grounds that the client already has such an understanding of those alternatives\nas to permit the client to make decisions about the client’s best interests in relation to the matter.\n8.1 A solicitor must follow a client’s lawful, proper and competent instructions.\n9.1 A solicitor must not disclose any information which is confidential to a client and acquired by\nthe solicitor during the client’s engagement to any person who is not:\n9.1.1 a solicitor who is a partner, principal, director, or employee of the solicitor’s law\npractice; or\n9.1.2 a barrister or an employee of, or person otherwise engaged by, the solicitor’s law\npractice or by an associated entity for the purposes of delivering or administering legal\nservices in relation to the client,\nEXCEPT as permitted in Rule 9.2.\n5 STANDARD OF CONDUCT - DISHONEST AND DISREPUTABLE CONDUCT\n6 UNDERTAKINGS IN THE COURSE OF LEGAL PRACTICE\n7 COMMUNICATION OF ADVICE\n8 CLIENT INSTRUCTIONS\n9 CONFIDENTIALITY\n\nPage | 4\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n9.2 A solicitor may disclose information which is confidential to a client if:\n9.2.1 the client expressly or impliedly authorises disclosure;\n9.2.2 the solicitor is permitted or is compelled by law to disclose;\n9.2.3 the solicitor discloses the information in a confidential setting, for the sole purpose of\nobtaining advice in connection with the solicitor’s legal or ethical obligations;\n9.2.4 the solicitor discloses the information for the sole purpose of avoiding the probable\ncommission of a serious criminal offence;\n9.2.5 the solicitor discloses the information for the purpose of preventing imminent serious\nphysical harm to the client or to another person; or\n9.2.6 the information is disclosed to the insurer of the solicitor, law practice or associated\nentity.\n10.1 A solicitor and law practice must avoid conflicts between the duties owed to current and former\nclients.\n10.2 A solicitor or law practice who or which is in possession of information which is confidential to a\nformer client where that information might reasonably be concluded to be material to the matter\nof another client and detrimental to the interests of the former client if disclosed, must not act for\nthe current client in that matter UNLESS:\n10.2.1 the former client has given informed consent to the disclosure and use of that\ninformation; or\n10.2.2 an effective information barrier has been established.\n11.1 A solicitor and a law practice must avoid conflicts between the duties owed to two or more current\nclients.\nDuty of loyalty\n11.2 If a solicitor or a law practice seeks to act for two or more clients in the same or related matters\nwhere the clients’ interests are adverse and there is a conflict or potential conflict of the duties\nto act in the best interests of each client, the solicitor or law practice must not act, except where\npermitted by Rule 11.3, and 11.4.\n11.3 Where a solicitor or law practice seeks to act in the circumstances specified in Rule 11.2, the\nsolicitor or law practice may, subject always to each solicitor discharging their duty to act in the\nbest interests of their client, only act if each client:\n11.3.1 is aware that the solicitor or law practice is also acting for another client; and\n11.3.2 has given informed consent to the solicitor or law practice so acting.\nDuty of confidentiality\n11.4 In addition to Rule 11.3, where a solicitor or a law practice acts for two or more clients in the\nsame or related matters and the solicitor or law practice is in, or comes into, possession of\ninformation which is confidential to one client (the first client) which might reasonably be\nconcluded to be material to the other client’s or clients’ matter and detrimental to the interests of\nthe first client if disclosed, the solicitor and the solicitor’s law practice may not act or continue to\n10 CONFLICTS CONCERNING FORMER CLIENTS\n11 CONFLICT OF DUTIES CONCERNING CURRENT CLIENTS\n\nPage | 5\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nact for the other client or clients unless each client’s informed consent:\n11.4.1 permits the disclosure and use of that information for the benefit of the other client or\nclients; and\n11.4.2 requires the establishment and maintenance at all times of an effective information\nbarrier to protect the confidential information of each client.\nActual conflict arising between current clients in the course of a matter\n11.5 If a solicitor or a law practice acts for more than one client in a matter and, during the course of\nthe conduct of that matter, an actual conflict arises between the duties owed to two or more of\nthose clients, the solicitor or law practice may only continue to act for one of those clients (or for\ntwo or more of those clients between whom there is no conflict) in the following exceptional\ncircumstances:\n11.5.1 any client for whom the solicitor or law practice ceases to act has given informed\nconsent to the solicitor or law practice continuing to act for the remaining clients; and\n11.5.2 the duty of confidentiality owned to all of the clients, both those for whom the solicitor\nor law practice ceases to act and those for whom the solicitor or law practice continues\nto act, is not put at risk.\n\nPage | 6\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n11A.1 If a solicitor providing short-term legal assistance services form a reasonable belief that the\nsolicitor cannot screen for conflicts of interest due to circumstances where it is not reasonably\npracticable as the time required to do so may result in a real risk of the client being denied\naccess to legal assistance, the solicitor must ensure, to the extent reasonably practicable that:\n11A.1.1 the solicitor has disclosed the nature of the services to the client; and\n11A.1.2 there is no actual or potential conflict between the duties owned to the client and one\nor more other clients; and\n11A.1.3 the client has given informed consent to the provision of services.\n11A.2 A solicitor must not provide, or continue to provide, short-term legal assistance services to a\nclient if the solicitor:\n11A.2.1 is or becomes aware that the interests of the client are adverse to the interests of a\ncurrent client of the solicitor or the solicitor’s law practice, or\n11A.2.2 is aware that the solicitor has, or while providing the short-term legal assistances\nservices obtains, confidential information of a current or former client that might\nreasonably be concluded to be:\n11A.2.2.1 material to the client’s matter; and\n11A.2.2.2 detrimental to the current or former client, if disclosed.\n11A.3 A solicitor who is a partner, associate, employee, officer or employer in a law practice through\nwhich another solicitor is providing short-term legal assistance services, may act for another\nclient of the law practice whose interests are adverse to the interests of the client receiving the\nservices if:\n11A.3.1 each client has given informed consent; and\n11A.3.2 measures are in place to ensure confidential information will not be disclosed.\n11A.4 This Rule prevails over Rules 10 and 11 to the extent of any inconsistency.\n11A.5 In this Rule:\nshort-term legal assistance services means services offered by a solicitor to a client,\nwhether through a legal assistance provider or on a pro bono basis, with the expectation by the\nsolicitor and the client that the solicitor will not provide continuing legal advice or representation\nin the matter.\n12.1 A solicitor must not act for a client where there is a conflict between the duty to serve the best\ninterests of a client and the interests of the solicitor or an associate of the solicitor, except as\npermitted by this Rule.\n12.2 A solicitor must not do anything:\n12.2.1 calculated to influence a client or a third party to confer on the solicitor, either directly\nor indirectly, any benefit in excess of the solicitor’s fair and reasonable remuneration\n12 CONFLICT CONCERNING A SOLICITOR’S OWN INTERESTS\n11A SHORT-TERM LEGAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES\n\nPage | 7\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nfor legal services provided to the client, or\n12.2.2 that the solicitor knows or ought reasonably to anticipate, is likely to induce the client\nor third party to confer such a benefit and is not reasonable incidental to the\nperformance of the retainer.\n12.3 A solicitor must not borrow any money, nor assist an associate to borrow money, from:\n12.3.1 a client of the solicitor or of the solicitor’s law practice; or\n12.3.2 a former client of the solicitor or of the solicitor’s law practice who has indicated a\ncontinuing reliance upon the advice of the solicitor or of the solicitor’s law practice in\nrelation to the investment of money,\nUNLESS the client is:\n(i) an Authorised Deposit-taking Institution;\n(ii) a trustee company;\n(iii) the responsible entity of a managed investment scheme registered under Chapter 5C\nof the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) or a custodian for such a scheme;\n(iv) an associate of the solicitor and the solicitor is able to discharge the onus of proving\nthat a full written disclosure was made to the client and that the client’s interests are\nprotected in the circumstances, whether by legal representation or otherwise; or\n(v) the employer of the solicitor.\n12.4 A solicitor will not have breached this Rule merely by:\n12.4.1 drawing a Will appointing the solicitor or an associate of the solicitor as executor,\nprovided the solicitor informs the client in writing before the Will is signed:\n(i) of any entitlement of the solicitor, or the solicitor’s law practice or associate,\nto claim executor’s commission;\n(ii) of the inclusion in the Will of any provision entitling the solicitor, or the\nsolicitor’s law practice or associate, to charge legal costs in relation to the\nadministration of the estate; and\n(iii) if the solicitor or the solicitor’s law practice or associate has an entitlement\nto claim commission, that the client could appoint as executor a person who\nmight make no claim for executor’s commission.\n12.4.2 drawing a Will or other instrument under which the solicitor (or the solicitor’s law\npractice or associate) will or may receive a substantial benefit other than any proper\nentitlement to executor’s commission and proper fees, provided the person instructing\nthe solicitor is either:\n(i) a member of the solicitor’s immediate family;\n(ii) a member of the immediate family of the solicitor’s spouse, or\n(iii) a solicitor, or a member of the immediate family of a solicitor, who is a\npartner, employer, or employee, of the solicitor.\n12.4.3 receiving a financial benefit from a third party in relation to any dealing where the\nsolicitor represents a client, or from another service provider to whom a client has been\nreferred by the solicitor, provided the solicitor advises the client:\n(i) that a commission or benefit is or may be payable to the solicitor in respect\nof the dealing or referral and the nature of that commission or benefit;\n(ii) that the client may refuse any referral, and the client has given informed\n\nPage | 8\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nconsent to\nthe commission or benefit received or which may be received.\n12.4.4 acting for a client in any dealing in which a financial benefit may be payable to a third\nparty for referring the client, provided the solicitor has first disclosed the payment or\nfinancial benefit to the client.\n13.1 A solicitor with designated responsibility for a client’s matter must ensure completion of the\nlegal services for that matter UNLESS:\n13.1.1 the client has otherwise agreed;\n13.1.2 the law practice is discharged from the engagement by the client;\n13.1.3 the law practice terminates the engagement for just cause and on reasonable notice;\nor\n13.1.4 the engagement comes to an end by operation of law.\n13.2 Where a client is required to stand trial for a serious criminal offence, the client’s failure to make\nsatisfactory arrangements for the payment of costs will not normally justify termination of the\nengagement UNLESS the solicitor or law practice has:\n13.2.1 served written notice on the client of the solicitor’s intention, a reasonable time before\nthe date appointed for commencement of the trial or the commencement of the sittings\nof the court in which the trial is listed, providing the client at least 7 days to make\nsatisfactory arrangements for payment of the solicitor’s costs; and\n13.2.2 given appropriate notice to the registrar of the court in which the trial is listed to\ncommence.\n13.3 Where a client is legally assisted and the grant of aid is withdrawn or otherwise terminated, a\nsolicitor or law practice may terminate the engagement by giving reasonable notice in writing to\nthe client, such that the client has a reasonable opportunity to make other satisfactory\narrangements for payment of costs which would be incurred if the engagement continued.\n14.1 A solicitor with designated responsibility for a client’s matter, must ensure that, upon completion\nor termination of the law practice’s engagement:\n14.1.1 the client or former client; or\n14.1.2 another person authorised by the client or former client, is given any client documents,\n(or if they are electronic documents copies of those documents), as soon as\nreasonably possible when requested to do so by the client, unless there is an effective\nlien.\n14.2 A solicitor or law practice may destroy client documents after a period of 7 years has elapsed\nsince the completion or termination of the engagement, except where there are client instructions\nor legal obligations to the contrary.\n15.1 Notwithstanding Rule 14, when a solicitor claims to exercise a lien for unpaid legal costs over\n13 COMPLETION OR TERMINATION OF ENGAGEMENT\n14 CLIENT DOCUMENTS\n15 LIEN OVER DOCUMENTS\n\nPage | 9\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nclient documents which are essential to the client’s defence or prosecution of current\nproceedings:\n15.1.1 if another solicitor is acting for the client, the first solicitor must deliver up the\ndocuments to the second solicitor:\n(i) if the second solicitor undertakes to hold the documents subject to the lien;\nand maintains reasonable security for the unpaid costs; or\n(ii) if the first solicitor agrees to the second solicitor agreeing to pay, or entering\ninto an agreement with the client to procure payment of, the first solicitor’s\ncosts upon completion of the relevant proceedings; or\n15.1.2 alternatively, the solicitor, upon receiving reasonable security for the unpaid costs,\nmust deliver the documents to the client.\n16.1 A solicitor must not charge:\n16.1.1 for the storage (either physical, electronic or otherwise) of documents, files or other\nproperty on behalf of clients or former clients of the solicitor or law practice (or\npredecessors in practice); or\n16.1.2 for retrieval from storage of those documents, files or other property,\nUNLESS the client or former client has consented to such charge being made.\n17.1 A solicitor representing a client in a matter that is before the court must not act as the mere\nmouthpiece of the client or of the instructing solicitor (if any) and must exercise the forensic\njudgments called for during the case independently, after the appropriate consideration of the\nclient’s and the instructing solicitor’s instructions where applicable.\n17.2 A solicitor does not breach the solicitor's duty to the client, and will not have failed to give\nappropriate consideration to the client's or the instructing solicitor's instructions, simply by\nchoosing, contrary to those instructions, to exercise the forensic judgments called for during the\ncase so as to:\n17.2.1 confine any hearing to those issues which the solicitor believes to be the real issues;\n17.2.2 present the client's case as quickly and simply as may be consistent with its robust\nadvancement; or\n17.2.3 inform the court of any persuasive authority against the client's case.\n17.3 A solicitor must not make submissions or express views to a court on any material evidence or\nissue in the case in terms which convey or appear to convey the solicitor's personal opinion on\nthe merits of that evidence or issue.\n17.4 A solicitor must not become the surety for the client's bail.\n18.1 A solicitor must not, in the presence of any of the parties or solicitors, deal with a court on\nterms of informal personal familiarity which may reasonably give the appearance that the\nsolicitor has special favour with the court.\n16 CHARGING FOR DOCUMENT STORAGE\n17 INDEPENDENCE – AVOIDANCE OF PERSONAL BIAS\n18 FORMALITY BEFORE THE COURT\n\nPage | 10\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n19.1 A solicitor must not deceive or knowingly or recklessly mislead the court.\n19.2 A solicitor must take all necessary steps to correct any misleading statement made by the\nsolicitor to a court as soon as possible after the solicitor becomes aware that the statement was\nmisleading.\n19.3 A solicitor will not have made a misleading statement to a court simply by failing to correct an\nerror in a statement made to the court by the opponent or any other person.\n19.4 A solicitor seeking any interlocutory relief in an ex parte application must disclose to the court\nall factual or legal matters which:\n19.4.1 are within the solicitor’s knowledge;\n19.4.2 are not protected by legal professional privilege; and\n19.4.3 the solicitor has reasonable grounds to believe would support an argument against\ngranting the relief or limiting its terms adversely to the client.\n19.5 A solicitor who has knowledge of matters which are within Rule 19.4:\n19.5.1 must seek instructions for the waiver of legal professional privilege, if the matters are\nprotected by that privilege, so as to permit the solicitor to disclose those matters under\nRule 19.4; and\n19.5.2 if the client does not waive the privilege as sought by the solicitor:\n(i) must inform the client of the client's responsibility to authorise such\ndisclosure and the possible consequences of not doing so; and\n(ii) must inform the court that the solicitor cannot assure the court that all matters\nwhich should be disclosed have been disclosed to the court.\n19.6 A solicitor must, at the appropriate time in the hearing of the case if the court has not yet been\ninformed of that matter, inform the court of:\n19.6.1 any binding authority;\n19.6.2 where there is no binding authority, any authority decided by an Australian appellate\ncourt; and\n19.6.3 any applicable legislation, known to the solicitor and which the solicitor has\nreasonable grounds to believe to be directly in point, against the client's case.\n19.7 A solicitor need not inform the court of matters within Rule 19.6 at a time when the opponent tells\nthe court that the opponent's whole case will be withdrawn or the opponent will consent to final\njudgment in favour of the client, unless the appropriate time for the solicitor to have\ninformed the court of such matters in the ordinary course has already arrived or passed.\n19.8 A solicitor who becomes aware of matters within Rule 19.6 after judgment or decision has been\nreserved and while it remains pending, whether the authority or legislation came into existence\nbefore or after argument, must inform the court of that matter by:\n19.8.1 a letter to the court, copied to the opponent, and limited to the relevant reference unless\nthe opponent has consented beforehand to further material in the letter; or\n19.8.2 requesting the court to relist the case for further argument on a convenient date, after\nfirst notifying the opponent of the intended request and consulting the opponent as to\nthe convenient date for further argument.\n19 DUTY TO THE COURT\n\nPage | 11\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n19.9 A solicitor need not inform the court of any matter otherwise within Rule 19.8 which would have\nrendered admissible any evidence tendered by the prosecution which the court has ruled\ninadmissible without calling on the defence.\n19.10 A solicitor who knows or suspects that the prosecution is unaware of the client's previous\nconviction must not ask a prosecution witness whether there are previous convictions, in the\nhope of a negative answer.\n19.11 A solicitor must inform the court of any misapprehension by the court as to the effect of an order\nwhich the court is making, as soon as the solicitor becomes aware of the misapprehension.\n19.12 A solicitor must alert the opponent and if necessary inform the court if any express concession\nmade in the course of a trial in civil proceedings by the opponent about evidence, case-law or\nlegislation is to the knowledge of the solicitor contrary to the true position and is believed by the\nsolicitor to have been made by mistake.\n20.1 A solicitor who, as a result of information provided by the client or a witness called on behalf of\nthe client, learns during a hearing or after judgment or the decision is reserved and while it\nremains pending, that the client or a witness called on behalf of the client:\n20.1.1 has lied in a material particular to the court or has procured another person to lie to\nthe court;\n20.1.2 has falsified or procured another person to falsify in any way a document which has\nbeen tendered; or\n20.1.3 has suppressed or procured another person to suppress material evidence upon a\ntopic where there was a positive duty to make disclosure to the court;\nmust –\n20.1.4 refuse to take any further part in the case unless the client authorises the solicitor to\ninform the court of the lie, falsification or suppression and must promptly inform the\ncourt of the lie, falsification or suppression upon the client authorising the solicitor to\ndo so but otherwise may not inform the court of the lie, falsification or suppression.\n20.2 A solicitor whose client in criminal proceedings confesses guilt to the solicitor but maintains a\nplea of not guilty:\n20.2.1 may, subject to the client accepting the constraints set out in Rules 20.2.2-20.2.8, but\nnot otherwise, continue to act in the client’s defence,\n20.2.2 must not falsely suggest that some other person committed the offence charged;\n20.2.3 must not set up an affirmative case inconsistent with the confession;\n20.2.4 may ensure that the prosecution is put to proof on its case;\n20.2.5 may argue that the evidence as a whole does not prove that the client is guilty of the\noffence charged;\n20.2.6 may argue that for some reason of law the client is not guilty of the offence charged;\n20.2.7 may argue that for another reason not prohibited by Rule 20.2.2 or 20.2.3 the client\nshould not be convicted of the offence charged; and\n20.2.8 must not continue to act if the client insists on giving evidence denying guilt or\nrequires the making of a statement asserting the client’s innocence.\n20 DELINQUENT OR GUILTY CLIENTS\n\nPage | 12\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n20.3 A solicitor whose client informs the solicitor that the client intends to disobey a court's order\nmust:\n20.3.1 advise the client against that course and warn the client of its dangers;\n20.3.2 not advise the client how to carry out or conceal that course; and\n20.3.3 not inform the court or the opponent of the client's intention unless:\n(i) the client has authorised the solicitor to do so beforehand; or\n(ii) the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that the client's conduct\nconstitutes a threat to any person's safety.\n21.1 A solicitor must take care to ensure that the solicitor’s advice to invoke the coercive powers of\na court:\n21.1.1 is reasonably justified by the material then available to the solicitor;\n21.1.2 is appropriate for the robust advancement of the client’s case on its merits;\n21.1.3 is not given principally in order to harass or embarrass a person; and\n21.1.4 is not given principally in order to gain some collateral advantage for the client or the\nsolicitor a third party out of court.\n21.2 A solicitor must take care to ensure that decisions by the solicitor to make allegations or\nsuggestions under privilege against any person:\n21.2.1 are reasonably justified by the material then available to the solicitor;\n21.2.2 are appropriate for the robust advancement of the client’s case on its merits; and\n21.2.3 are not made principally in order to harass or embarrass a person.\n21.3 A solicitor must not allege any matter of fact in:\n21.3.1 any court document settled by the solicitor;\n21.3.2 any submission during any hearing;\n21.3.3 the course of an opening address; or\n21.3.4 the course of a closing address or submission on the evidence,\nunless the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that the factual material already available\nprovides a proper basis to do so.\n21.4 A solicitor must not allege any matter of fact amounting to criminality, fraud or other serious\nmisconduct against any person unless the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that:\n21.4.1 available material by which the allegation could be supported provides a proper basis\nfor it; and\n21.4.2 the client wishes the allegation to be made, after having been advised of the\nseriousness of the allegation and of the possible consequences for the client and the\ncase if it is not made out.\n21.5 A solicitor must not make a suggestion in cross-examination on credit unless the solicitor\nbelieves on reasonable grounds that acceptance of the suggestion would diminish the credibility\nof the evidence of the witness.\n21.6 A solicitor may regard the opinion of an instructing solicitor that material which is available to the\ninstructing solicitor is credible, being material which appears to the solicitor from its nature to\n21 RESPONSIBLE USE OF COURT PROCESS AND PRIVILEGE\n\nPage | 13\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nsupport an allegation to which Rules 21.3 and 21.4 apply, as a reasonable ground for holding\nthe belief required by those Rules (except in the case of a closing address or submission on the\nevidence).\n21.7 A solicitor who has instructions which justify submissions for the client in mitigation of the client's\ncriminality which involve allegations of serious misconduct against any other person not able to\nanswer the allegations in the case must seek to avoid disclosing the other person's identity\ndirectly or indirectly unless the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that such disclosure is\nnecessary for the proper conduct of the client’s case.\n21.8 Without limiting the generality of Rule 21.2, in proceedings in which an allegation of domestic or\nfamily violence, sexual assault, indecent assault or the commission of an act of indecency is\nmade and in which the alleged victim gives evidence:\n21.8.1 a solicitor must not ask that witness a question or pursue a line of questioning of that\nwitness which is intended:\n\nPage | 14\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n(i) to mislead or confuse the witness; or\n(ii) to be unduly annoying, harassing, intimidating, offensive, oppressive,\nhumiliating or repetitive; and\n21.8.2 a solicitor must take into account any particular vulnerability of the witness in the\nmanner and tone of the questions that the solicitor asks.\n21.9 A solicitor does not infringe Rule 21.8 merely because:\n21.9.1 the question or questioning challenges the truthfulness of the witness or the\nconsistency or accuracy of a statement made by the witness, or\n21.9.2 the question or questioning requires the witness to give evidence that the witness could\nconsider to be offensive, distasteful or private.\n22.1 A solicitor must not knowingly make a false or misleading statement to an opponent in relation\nto the case (including its compromise).\n22.2 A solicitor must take all necessary steps to correct any false or misleading statement made by\nthe solicitor to an opponent as soon as possible after the solicitor becomes aware that the\nstatement was false or misleading.\n22.3 A solicitor will not have made a false or misleading statement to the opponent simply by failing\nto correct an error on any matter stated to the solicitor by the opponent.\n22.4 A solicitor must not confer or deal with any party represented by or to the knowledge of the\nsolicitor indemnified by an insurer, unless the party and the insurer have signified willingness to\nthat course.\n22.5 A solicitor must not, outside an ex parte application or a hearing of which an opponent has had\nproper notice, communicate in the opponent's absence with the court concerning any matter of\nsubstance in connection with current proceedings unless:\n22.5.1 the court has first communicated with the solicitor in such a way as to require the\nsolicitor to respond to the court; or\n22.5.2 the opponent has consented beforehand to the solicitor communicating with the court\nin a specific manner notified to the opponent by the solicitor.\n22.6 A solicitor must promptly tell the opponent what passes between the solicitor and a court in a\ncommunication referred to in Rule 22.5.\n22.7 A solicitor must not raise any matter with a court in connection with current proceedings on any\noccasion to which an opponent has consented under Rule 22.5.2 other than the matters\nspecifically notified by the solicitor to the opponent when seeking the opponent's consent.\n22.8 A solicitor must take steps to inform the opponent as soon as possible after the solicitor has\nreasonable grounds to believe that there will be an application on behalf of the client to adjourn\nany hearing, of that fact and the grounds of the application, and must try, with the opponent’s\nconsent, to inform the court of that application promptly.\n23.1 A solicitor must not take any step to prevent or discourage a prospective witness or a witness\n23 OPPOSITION ACCESS TO WITNESS\n22 COMMUNICATION WITH OPPONENTS\n\nPage | 15\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nfrom conferring with an opponent or being interviewed by or on behalf of any other person\ninvolved in the proceedings.\n23.2 A solicitor does not breach Rule 23.1 simply by:\n23.2.1 telling a prospective witness or a witness that he or she need not agree to confer or\nto be interviewed, or\n23.2.2 advising the prospective witness or the witness about relevant obligations of\nconfidentiality.\n24.1 A solicitor must not:\n24.1.1 advise or suggest to a witness that false or misleading evidence should be given nor\ncondone another person doing so; or\n24.1.2 coach a witness by advising what answers the witness should give to questions\nwhich might be asked.\n24.2 A solicitor will not have breached Rules 24.1 by:\n24.2.1 expressing a general admonition to tell the truth;\n24.2.2 questioning and testing in conference the version of evidence to be given by a\nprospective witness; or\n24.2.3 drawing the witness's attention to inconsistencies or other difficulties with the evidence,\nbut the solicitor must not encourage the witness to give evidence different from the\nevidence which the witness believes to be true.\n25.1 A solicitor must not confer with, or condone another solicitor conferring with, more than one lay\nwitness (including a party or client) at the same time:\n25.1.1 about any issue which there are reasonable grounds for the solicitor to believe may\nbe contentious at a hearing; and\n25.1.2 where such conferral could affect evidence to be given by any of those witnesses,\nunless the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that special circumstances require\nsuch a conference.\n25.2 A solicitor will not have breached Rule 25.1 by conferring with, or condoning another solicitor\nconferring with, more than one client about undertakings to a court, admissions or concessions\nof fact, amendments of pleadings or compromise.\n24 INTEGRITY OF EVIDENCE – INFLUENCING EVIDENCE\n25 INTEGRITY OF EVIDENCE – TWO WITNESSES TOGETHER\n\nPage | 16\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n26.1 A solicitor must not confer with any witness (including a party or client) called by the solicitor on\nany matter related to the proceedings while that witness remains under cross-examination,\nunless:\n26.1.1 the cross-examiner has consented beforehand to the solicitor doing so; or\n26.1.2 the solicitor:\n(i) believes on reasonable grounds that special circumstances (including the\nneed for instructions on a proposed compromise) require such a conference;\n(ii) has, if possible, informed the cross-examiner beforehand of the solicitor's\nintention to do so; and\n(iii) otherwise does inform the cross-examiner as soon as possible of the solicitor\nhaving done so.\n27.1 In a case in which it is known, or becomes apparent, that a solicitor will be required to give\nevidence material to the determination of contested issues before the court, the solicitor may not\nappear as advocate for the client in the hearing.\n27.2 In a case in which it is known, or becomes apparent, that a solicitor will be required to give\nevidence material to the determination of contested issues before the court the solicitor, an\nassociate of the solicitor or a law practice of which the solicitor is a member must not continue\nto act for the client if doing so would prejudice the administration of justice.\n28.1 A solicitor must not publish or take steps towards the publication of any material concerning\ncurrent proceedings which may prejudice a fair trial or the administration of justice.\n29.1 A prosecutor must fairly assist the court to arrive at the truth, must seek impartially to have the\nwhole of the relevant evidence placed intelligibly before the court, and must seek to assist the\ncourt with adequate submissions of law to enable the law properly to be applied to the facts.\n29.2 A prosecutor must not press the prosecution's case for a conviction beyond a full and firm\npresentation of that case.\n29.3 A prosecutor must not, by language or other conduct, seek to inflame or bias the court against\nthe accused.\n29.4 A prosecutor must not argue any proposition of fact or law which the prosecutor does not believe\non reasonable grounds to be capable of contributing to a finding of guilt and also to carry weight.\n29.5 A prosecutor must disclose to the opponent as soon as practicable all material (including the\nnames of and means of finding prospective witnesses in connection with such material) available\nto the prosecutor or of which the prosecutor becomes aware which could constitute evidence\n26 COMMUNICATION WITH WITNESSES UNDER CROSS EXAMINATION\n27 SOLICITOR AS MATERIAL WITNESS IN CLIENT’S CASE\n28 PUBLIC COMMENT DURING CURRENT PROCEEDINGS\n29 PROSECUTOR’S DUTIES\n\nPage | 17\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nrelevant to the guilt or innocence of the accused other than material subject to statutory immunity,\nunless the prosecutor believes on reasonable grounds that such disclosure, or full disclosure,\nwould seriously threaten the integrity of the administration of justice in those proceedings or the\nsafety of any person.\n29.6 A prosecutor who has decided not to disclose material to the opponent under Rule 29.5 must\nconsider whether:\n29.6.1 the charge against the accused to which such material is relevant should be\nwithdrawn; or\n29.6.2 the accused should be faced only with a lesser charge to which such material would\nnot be so relevant.\n29.7 A prosecutor must call as part of the prosecution's case all witnesses:\n29.7.1 whose testimony is admissible and necessary for the presentation of all of the\nrelevant circumstances;\n29.7.2 whose testimony provides reasonable grounds for the prosecutor to believe that it\ncould provide admissible evidence relevant to any matter in issue;\nUNLESS:\n(i) the opponent consents to the prosecutor not calling a particular witness;\n(ii) the only matter with respect to which the particular witness can give\nadmissible evidence has been dealt with by an admission on behalf of the\naccused;\n(iii) the only matter with respect to which the particular witness can give\nadmissible evidence goes to establishing a particular point already\nadequately established by another witness or other witnesses;\n(iv) the prosecutor believes on reasonable grounds that the testimony of a\nparticular witness is plainly untruthful or is plainly unreliable, or\n(v) the prosecutor, having the responsibility of ensuring that the prosecution\ncase is presented properly and presented with fairness to the accused,\nbelieves on reasonable grounds that the interests of justice would be harmed\nif the witness was called as part of the prosecution case, provided that the\nprosecutor must inform the opponent as soon as practicable of the identity\nof any witness whom the prosecutor intends not to call on any ground within\n(ii), (iii) or (iv) or (v) together with the grounds on which the prosecutor has\nreached that decision, unless the interests of justice would be harmed if those\ngrounds were revealed to the opponent.\n29.8 A prosecutor who has reasonable grounds to believe that certain material available to the\nprosecution may have been unlawfully obtained must promptly:\n\nPage | 18\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n29.8.1 inform the opponent if the prosecutor intends to use the material; and\n29.8.2 make available to the opponent a copy of the material if it is in documentary form.\n29.9 A prosecutor must not confer with or interview any accused except in the presence of the\naccused's legal representative.\n29.10 A prosecutor must not inform the court or an opponent that the prosecution has evidence\nsupporting an aspect of its case unless the prosecutor believes on reasonable grounds that such\nevidence will be available from material already available to the prosecutor.\n29.11 A prosecutor who has informed the court of matters within Rule 29.10, and who has later learnt\nthat such evidence will not be available, must immediately inform the opponent of that fact and\nmust inform the court of it when next the case is before the court.\n29.12 A prosecutor:\n29.12.1 must correct any error made by the opponent in address on sentence;\n29.12.2 must inform the court of any relevant authority or legislation bearing on the\nappropriate sentence;\n29.12.3 must assist the court to avoid appealable error on the issue of sentence; and\n29.12.4 may submit that a custodial or non-custodial sentence is appropriate.\n29.13 A solicitor who appears as counsel assisting an inquisitorial body such as the Criminal Justice\nCommission, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Securities and Investments\nCommission, the ACCC, a Royal Commission or other statutory tribunal or body having\ninvestigative powers must act in accordance with Rules 29.1, 29.3 and 29.4 as if the body is a\ncourt referred to in those Rules and any person whose conduct is in question before the body is\nan accused referred to in Rule 29.\n30.1 A solicitor must not take unfair advantage of the obvious error of another solicitor or other person,\nif to do so would obtain for a client a benefit which has no supportable foundation in law or fact.\n31.1 Unless otherwise permitted or compelled by law, a solicitor to whom material known or\nreasonably suspected to be confidential is disclosed by another solicitor, or by some other person\nand who is aware that the disclosure was inadvertent must not use the material and must:\n31.1.1 return, destroy or delete the material (as appropriate) immediately upon becoming\naware that disclosure was inadvertent; and\n31.1.2 notify the other solicitor or the other person of the disclosure and the steps taken to\n30 ANOTHER SOLICITOR’S OR OTHER PERSON’S ERROR\n31 INADVERTENT DISCLOSURE\n\nPage | 19\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nprevent inappropriate misuse of the material.\n31.2 A solicitor who reads part or all of the confidential material before becoming aware of its\nconfidential status must:\n31.2.1 not disclose or use the material, unless otherwise permitted or compelled by law,\n31.2.2 notify the opposing solicitor or the other person immediately; and\n31.2.3 not read any more of the material.\n31.3 If a solicitor is instructed by a client to read confidential material received in error, the solicitor\nmust refuse to do so.\n32.1 A solicitor must not make an allegation against another Australian legal practitioner of\nunsatisfactory professional conduct or professional misconduct unless the allegation is made\nbona fide and the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that available material by which the\nallegation could be supported provides a proper basis for it.\n33.1 In representing a client, a solicitor shall not communicate about the subject of the representation\nwith a person the lawyer knows to be represented by another practitioner unless:\n33.1.1 the other practitioner has previously consented;\n33.1.2 the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that:\n(i) the circumstances are so urgent as to require the solicitor to do so; and\n(ii) the substance of the communication would not be unfair to the opponent's client;\n33.1.3 the communication is solely to enquire whether the other party or parties to a matter\nare represented and, if so, by whom; or\n33.1.4 there is notice of the solicitor’s intention to communicate with the other party or parties,\nbut the other practitioner has failed, after a reasonable time, to reply and there is a\nreasonable basis for proceeding with the communication.\n34.1 A solicitor must not in any action or communication associated with representing a client:\n34.1.1 Make any statement to another person:\n(i) which grossly exceeds the legitimate assertion of the rights or entitlements of\nthe solicitor’s client; and\n(ii) which misleads or intimidates the other person;\n34.1.2 threaten the institution of a criminal or disciplinary complaint against the other person\nif a civil liability to the solicitor’s client is not satisfied; or\n34.1.3 use tactics that go beyond legitimate advocacy and which are primarily designed to\nembarrass or frustrate another person.\n34.2 In the conduct or promotion of a solicitor’s practice, the solicitor must not seek instructions for\nthe provision of legal services in a manner likely to oppress or harass a person who, by reason\n32 UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS\n33 COMMUNICATION WITH ANOTHER SOLICITOR’S CLIENT\n34 DEALING WITH OTHER PERSONS\n\nPage | 20\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nof some recent trauma or injury, or other circumstances, is, or might reasonably be expected to\nbe, at a significant disadvantage in dealing with the solicitor at the time when the instructions are\nsought.\n35.1 If a solicitor instructs a third party on behalf of the client, and the solicitor is not intending to accept\npersonal liability for payment of the third party’s fees, the solicitor must advise the third party in\nadvance.\n36.1 A solicitor or principal of a law practice must ensure that any advertising, marketing, or\npromotion in connection with the solicitor or law practice is not:\n36.1.1 false;\n36.1.2 misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive;\n36.1.3 offensive; or\n36.1.4 prohibited by law.\n36.2 A solicitor must not convey a false, misleading or deceptive impression of specialist expertise\nand must not advertise or authorise advertising in a manner that uses the words “accredited\nspecialist” or a derivative of those words (including post-nominals), unless the solicitor is a\nspecialist accredited by the relevant professional association.\n37.1 A solicitor with designated responsibility for a matter must exercise reasonable supervision\nover solicitors and all other employees engaged in the provision of the legal services for that\nmatter.\n38.1 A solicitor who is a former judicial officer must not appear in:\n38.1.1 any court if the solicitor has been a member thereof or presided therein; or\n38.1.2 any court from which appeals to any court of which the solicitor was formerly a\nmember may be made or brought,\nfor a period of two years after ceasing to hold that office unless permitted by the relevant court.\n39.1 Where a solicitor or law practice:\n39.1.1 shares an office with, or is otherwise affiliated with an entity or business engaged in\nanother calling to provide services other than legal services to a client, and,\n39.1.2 a client is receiving services concurrently from both the law practice and the other\nentity, the solicitor, or law practice, as the case requires must take all reasonable steps\nto ensure that the client is clearly informed about the nature and the terms of the\nservices being provided to the client by the solicitor or law practice, including (if\napplicable) that the services provided by the other entity are not provided by the solicitor\n35 CONTRACTING WITH THIRD PARTIES\n36 ADVERTISING\n37 SUPERVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES\n38 RETURNING JUDICIAL OFFICERS\n39 LEGAL AND NON-LEGAL SERVICES\n\nPage | 21\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nor the law practice as legal services.\n40.1 A solicitor must not, in relation to the conduct of the solicitor’s practice, or the delivery of legal\nservices, share, or enter into any arrangement for the sharing of, the receipts arising from, or in\nconnection with, the provision of legal services by the solicitor, with:\n40.1.1 any disqualified person; or\n40.1.2 any person:\n(i) who has been found guilty of an indictable offence; or\n(ii) who has had a guilty plea accepted in relation to an indictable offence that\ninvolved dishonest conduct, whether or not a conviction was recorded.\n41.1 Omitted\n42.1 A solicitor must not in the course of, or in connection with, legal practice or their profession,\nengage in conduct which constitutes:\n42.1.1 discrimination;\n42.1.2 sexual harassment;\n42.1.3 any other form of harassment, or\n42.1.4 workplace bullying.\n43.1 Subject only to his or her duty to the client, a solicitor must be timely, open and frank in his\nor her dealings with a regulatory authority.\n\"associate\" in reference to a solicitor means:\n(a) a principal of the solicitor’s law practice;\n(b) a partner, employee, or agent of the solicitor or of the solicitor’s law practice;\n(c) a corporation or partnership in which the solicitor has a material beneficial interest;\n(d) in the case of the solicitor’s incorporated legal practice, a director, officer, employee or agent of\nthe incorporated legal practice or of a subsidiary of the incorporated legal practice;\n(e) a member of the solicitor's immediate family; or\n(f) a member of the immediate family of a partner of the solicitor's law practice or of the immediate\nfamily of a director of the solicitor’s incorporated legal practice or a subsidiary of the incorporated\nlegal practice.\n“associated entity” means an entity that is not part of the law practice but which provides legal or\nadministrative services to a law practice, including but not limited to:\n40 SHARING RECEIPTS\n42 ANTI-DISCRIMINATION AND HARRASSMENT\n43 DEALING WITH THE REGULATORY AUTHORITY\nGLOSSARY OF TERMS\n41 MORTGAGE FINANCING AND MANAGED INVESTMENTS\n\nPage | 22\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n(a) a service trust or company; or\n(b) a partnerships of law practices operating under the same trading name or a name which includes\nall or part of the trading name of the law practice.\n“Australian legal practitioner” means an Australian lawyer who holds a local practising certificate or\ninterstate practising certificate.\n“Australian practising certificate” means a local practising certificate or an interstate practising\ncertificate.\n“Australian-registered foreign lawyer” means a locally-registered foreign lawyer or an interstate-\nregistered foreign lawyer.\n“Australian roll” means a roll of practitioners maintained by the Supreme Court or under the legal\nprofession legislation of any Australian jurisdiction.\n“Approved Deposit-taking Institution” means an ADI approved under section 250 (Approval of ADIs\nfor pt 3.1) (of the LPA) by the law society council.\n“barrister” means:\n(a) a local legal practitioner who holds a current barrister practising certificate; or\n(b) an interstate legal practitioner who holds a current interstate practising certificate that entitles\nthe practitioner to engage in legal practice only as or in the manner of a barrister.\n\"case\" means:\n(a) the court proceedings for which the solicitor is engaged; or\n(b) the dispute in which the solicitor is advising.\n\"client\" with respect to the solicitor or the solicitor's law practice means a person (not an instructing\nsolicitor) for whom the solicitor is engaged to provide legal services for a matter.\n“client documents” means a document of a client.\n\"community legal service” means an organisation or body that is a community legal service, a\ncommunity legal centre, or a complying community legal centre for the purposes of the legal profession\nlegislation of a jurisdiction.\n\"compromise\" includes any form of settlement of a case, whether pursuant to a formal offer under the\nRules or procedure of a court, or otherwise.\n“corporate solicitor” means an Australian legal practitioner who engages in legal practice only in the\ncapacity of an in-house lawyer for his or her employer or a related entity.\n\"costs\" includes disbursements.\n\"court\" means:\n(a) any body described as such;\n(b) any tribunal exercising judicial, or quasi-judicial, functions;\n(c) a professional disciplinary tribunal;\n(d) an industrial tribunal;\n(e) an administrative tribunal;\n(f) an investigation or inquiry established or conducted under statute or by a Parliament;\n(g) a Royal Commission;\n(h) an arbitration or mediation or any other form of dispute resolution.\n\"current proceedings\" means proceedings which have not been determined, including proceedings in\nwhich there is still the real possibility of an appeal or other challenge to a decision being filed, heard or\ndecided.\n\nPage | 23\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n“discrimination” means discrimination that is unlawful under the applicable state, territory or federal anti-\ndiscrimination or human rights legislation.\n\"disqualified person\" means any of the following persons whether the thing that has happened to the\nperson happened before or after the commencement of this definition:\n(a) a person whose name has (whether or not at his or her own request) been removed from an\nAustralian roll and who has not subsequently been admitted or re-admitted to the legal profession\nunder legal profession legislation or a corresponding law;\n(b) a person whose Australian practising certificate has been suspended or cancelled under legal\nprofession legislation or a corresponding law and who, because of the cancellation, is not an\nAustralian legal practitioner or in relation to whom that suspension has not finished;\n(c) a person who has been refused a renewal of an Australian practising certificate under legal\nprofession legislation or a corresponding law, and to whom an Australian practising certificate\nhas not been granted at a later time;\n(d) a person who is the subject of an order under legal professional legislation or a corresponding\nlaw prohibiting a law practice from employing or paying the person in connection with the\nrelevant practice;\n(e) a person who is the subject of an order under legal profession legislation or a corresponding law\nprohibiting an Australian legal practitioner from being a partner of the person in a business that\nincludes the solicitor’s practice; or\n(f) a person who is the subject of any order under legal profession legislation or corresponding law,\ndisqualifying them from managing an incorporated legal practice or from engaging in\npartnerships with certain partners who are not Australian legal practitioners.\n\"document” means any record of information, and includes:\n(a) anything on which there is writing, and\n(b) anything on which there are marks, figures, symbols or perforations having a meaning for persons qualified\nto interpret them, and\n(c) anything from which sounds, images or writings can be reproduced with or without the aid of anything else,\nand\n(d) a map, plan, drawing or photograph,\nand a reference to a document includes a reference to –\n(e) any part of the document, and\n(f) any copy, reproduction or duplicate of the document or any part of the document, and\n(g) any part of such a copy, reproduction or duplicate.\n\"engagement\" means the appointment of a solicitor or of a solicitor's law practice to provide legal services\nfor a matter.\n“employee” means a person who is employed or under a contract of service or contract for services in or\nby an entity whether or not:\n(a) the person works full-time, part-time, or on a temporary or casual basis; or\n(b) the person is a law clerk or articled clerk.\n“employer” in relation to a corporate solicitor means a person or body (not being another solicitor or a\nlaw practice) who or which employs the solicitor whether or not the person or body pays or contributes to\nthe solicitor’s salary.\n“former client” for the purposes of Rule 10.1, may include a person or entity that has previously instructed:\n(a) the solicitor;\n\nPage | 24\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n(b) the solicitor’s current law practice;\n(c) the solicitor’s former law practice, while the solicitor was at the former law practice;\n(d) the former law practice of a partner, co-director or employee of the solicitor, while the partner,\nco-director or employee was at the former law practice,\nor, has provided confidential information to a solicitor, notwithstanding that the solicitor was not formally\nretained and did not render an account.\n“harassment” means harassment that is unlawful under the applicable state, territory or federal anti-\ndiscrimination or human rights legislation.\n\"immediate family\" means the spouse (which expression may include a de facto spouse or partner of\nthe same sex), or a child, grandchild, sibling, parent or grandparent of a solicitor.\n\"instructing solicitor\" means a solicitor or law practice who engages another solicitor to provide legal\nservices for a client for a matter.\n\"insurance company\" includes any entity, whether statutory or otherwise, which indemnifies persons\nagainst civil claims.\n“law practice” means:\n(a) an Australian legal practitioner who is a sole solicitor;\n(b) a partnership of which the solicitor is a partner;\n(c) a multi-disciplinary partnership;\n(d) a community legal service;\n(e) an unincorporated legal practice; or\n(f) an incorporated legal practice.\n“legal costs” means amounts that a person has been or may be charged by, or is or may become liable\nto pay to, a law practice for the provision of legal services including disbursements but not including\ninterest.\n“legal profession legislation” means a law of a State or Territory that regulates legal practice and the\nprovision of legal services.\n“managed investment scheme” – see the Corporations Act, section 9.\n\"matter\" means any legal service the subject of an engagement or required to be provided by the\nsolicitor or the solicitor's law practice to fulfill an engagement and includes services provided for:\n(a) a case;\n(b) a dealing between parties that may affect, create or be related to a right, entitlement or interest\nin property of any kind; or\n(c) advice on the law.\n“multi-disciplinary partnership” means:\n(a) a partnership between one or more solicitors and one or more other persons who are not\nsolicitors, where the business of the partnership includes the provision of legal services in this\njurisdiction as well as other services;\nbut does not include:\n(b) a partnership consisting only of one or more solicitors and one or more Australian-registered\nforeign lawyers.\n\"office” is not limited to physical business premises and includes the media through which a law practice provides\nlegal services to clients away from a central physical location.\n“opponent” means:\n\nPage | 25\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\n(a) the practitioner appearing for a party opposed to the client of the solicitor in question; or\n(b) that party, if the party is unrepresented.\n“order” includes a judgment, decision or determination.\n“party” includes each one of the persons or corporations who or which is jointly a party to any matter.\n“practitioner” means a person or law practice entitled to practise the profession of law.\n“principal” of a law practice, means an Australian legal practitioner who is –\n(a) for a law practice constituted by a sole practitioner – the sole practitioner; or\n(b) for a law practice that is a law firm – a partner in the law practice; or\n(c) for a law practice that is an incorporated legal practice – a legal practitioner director in the\npractice; or\n(d) for a multidisciplinary partnership – a legal practitioner partner in the practice.\n“professional misconduct” includes -\n(a) unsatisfactory professional conduct of an Australian legal practitioner, if the conduct involves a\nsubstantial or consistent failure to reach or maintain a reasonable standard of competence and\ndiligence; and\n(b) conduct of an Australian legal practitioner whether happening in connection with the practice of\nlaw or happening otherwise than in connection with the practice of law that would, if established,\njustify a finding that the practitioner is not a fit and proper person to engage in legal practice.\n\"prosecutor\" means a solicitor who appears for the complainant or Crown in criminal proceedings.\n“regulatory authority” means an entity identified in legal profession legislation which has responsibility\nfor regulating the activities of solicitors in that jurisdiction.\n“serious criminal offence” means an offence that is:\n(a) an indictable offence against a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory (whether or not\nthe offence is or may be dealt with summarily);\n(b) an offence against a law of a foreign country that would be an indictable offence against a law\nof the Commonwealth, a State or Territory if committed in Australia (whether or not the offence\ncould be dealt with summarily if committed in Australia);\n“sexual harassment” means an unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours, or otherwise engaging in\nother unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature to the person harassed in circumstances in which a reasonable person,\nhaving regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would be\noffended, humiliated or intimidated.\n“solicitor” means:\n(a) an Australian legal practitioner whose Australian practising certificate is not subject to a condition that the holder\nis authorised to engage in legal practice as or in the manner of a barrister only; or\n(b) an Australian registered foreign lawyer who practises as or in the manner of a solicitor.\n“solicitor with designated responsibility” means the solicitor ultimately responsible for a client’s\nmatter or the solicitor responsible for supervising the solicitor that has carriage of a client’s matter.\n“substantial benefit” means a benefit which has a substantial value relative to the financial resources\nand assets of the person intending to bestow the benefit.\n“trustee company” is as defined in relevant jurisdictional legislation: the Trustee Companies Act 1964\n(NSW), the Trustee Companies Act 1968 (QLD), the Trustee Companies Act 1984 (VIC), the Trustee\nCompanies Act 1988 (SA), the Trustee Companies Act 1953 (TAS), the Trustee Companies Act 1987 (WA)\nand the Trustee Companies Act 1947 (ACT).\n“unsatisfactory professional conduct” includes conduct of an Australian legal practitioner happening in\n\nPage | 26\nAuthorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counsel—also accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au\nconnection with the practice of law that falls short of the standard of competence and diligence that a\nmember of the public is entitled to expect of a reasonably competent Australian legal practitioner.\n“workplace bullying” means bullying that is unlawful under the applicable state or territory anti\ndiscrimination or human rights legislation or constitutes bullying at work under Commonwealth legislation.\nIf no such legislative definition exists, it is conduct within the definition relied upon by the Australian Human\nRights Commission to mean workplace bullying. In general terms it includes the repeated less favourable\ntreatment of a person by another or others in the workplace, which may be considered unreasonable and\ninappropriate workplace practice. It includes behaviour that could be expected to intimidate, offend,\ndegrade or humiliate.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":8,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument expressly revokes earlier solicitor conduct rules and replaces them (Instrument, Rule 4). It introduces or emphasises particular new or clarified provisions that affect scope and practice mechanics: notably a specific rule for short-term legal assistance services with a modified conflict‑screening approach (Rule 11A), a prohibition on charging clients for document storage absent consent (Rule 16.1), and clarified procedures for delivery of essential documents subject to a lien (Rule 15.1). Those insertions and clarifications change the operational obligations on solicitors compared with the now-revoked instruments by adding distinct obligations and exceptions that practitioners must implement (Instrument, Rule 4; Rules 11A, 15, 16)."},"complexity_factors":["Extensive coverage of practice areas and relationships (conflicts, confidentiality, court conduct, prosecution duties, advertising, supervision) increases cross-cutting interactions (multiple rules across 1–43).","Frequent use of subjective standards — \"reasonable grounds\", \"timely\", \"effective information barrier\", \"informed consent\" — which require case-by-case judgement and create interpretive uncertainty (e.g. Rules 7.1, 9.2, 11.4, 19.2, 21.3–21.4, 11A).","Multiple exceptions and cross-references (e.g. confidentiality exceptions, short-term assistance exception that prevails over other conflict rules (11A.4)), requiring layered compliance checks.","Operational requirements such as information barriers, conflict screening, consent processes and documentary handling create non-trivial administrative burdens (Rules 10–11, 11A, 14–16, 37).","Overlap with common law duties and other statutes (Legal Profession Act 2006, Corporations Act reference), requiring coordination across legal regimes (Intro; Rule 2.2; glossary references).","Discretionary enforcement by regulatory authorities and courts (Intro; Rule 2.3; Rule 43) increases uncertainty about practical outcomes and compliance thresholds.","Specific business-impacting prohibitions (e.g. sharing receipts with disqualified persons, storage fee ban) affect commercial arrangements and require structural adjustments (Rules 16, 40).","New or amended provisions (revocation of prior rules and insertion of 11A) mean transitional interpretation and practice changes are likely, adding short-term complexity (Instrument, Rule 4; Rule 11A)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does (mechanically)\n\n- Replaces earlier solicitor conduct rules and comes into force on 1 January 2026 (Instrument, Rules 2–4). The Law Society of the ACT made the attached Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2025 (No 2) under the Legal Profession Act 2006 (Instrument, Rule 3; Introduction).\n\nWho the rules apply to\n\n- Solicitors and Australian-registered foreign lawyers who act as solicitors, including those in private practice, in-house (corporate) lawyers with practising certificates, practitioners employed by corporations or government, incorporated legal practices, and multi-disciplinary partnerships (Introduction; Rule 1.1).\n\nCore legal duties the instrument sets out (high level, with key rules cited)\n\n- Paramount duty to the court and administration of justice (Rule 3.1).\n- Fundamental duties to act in a client’s best interests, to be honest and courteous, to deliver competent and diligent services, to preserve professional independence, and to comply with the rules and the law (Rule 4.1).\n- Confidentiality rules limiting disclosure of client information, with enumerated exceptions (Rule 9.1–9.2).\n- Conflict rules for former and current clients, including requirements for informed consent and “effective information barriers”; a tailored exception and rules for short-term legal assistance services (Rules 10, 11, 11A).\n- Duties about undertakings (must be honoured unless released) (Rule 6.1–6.2).\n- Rules governing completion or termination of engagements, client documents, liens over essential documents, and limits on charging for storage (Rules 13–16).\n- Court-facing duties: not to deceive or mislead the court, disclosure requirements in ex parte applications, obligations to inform the court of relevant authority, and steps to correct errors (Rule 19 and related provisions).\n- Conduct when a client has lied or intends to disobey orders; limits on how a solicitor may proceed in such cases (Rule 20).\n- Controls on the responsible use of court process and privilege (Rule 21), including constraints on alleging serious misconduct without reasonable grounds and protections for vulnerable witnesses (Rule 21.3–21.9).\n- Specific duties for prosecutors (Rule 29).\n- Limits on advertising, supervision obligations, restrictions on returning judicial officers, and workplace conduct (Rules 36–38, 42).\n- An obligation to be frank with regulatory authorities subject only to the solicitor’s duty to the client (Rule 43).\n\nWhat the instrument claims to achieve (stated purpose) and the practical mechanisms implementing that purpose\n\n- The stated purpose is to assist solicitors to act ethically and in accordance with professional conduct principles and to provide standards that apply in addition to the common law (Rule 2.1–2.2). The rules implement that purpose by prescribing specific duties, exceptions, and procedures—e.g. mandatory informed consent for conflicts (Rules 11.3–11.4), confidentiality exceptions (Rule 9.2), and documentary handling and lien procedures (Rules 14–16, 15.1).\n\nWho pays, who decides, and what behaviour changes\n\n- Who pays: solicitors and their law practices bear the direct cost of compliance (training, conflict checks, information barriers, record-keeping); clients may indirectly bear costs of consent processes and possible limitations on how lawyers can be funded (e.g. restrictions on borrowing from clients or accepting undisclosed third‑party benefits) (Rules 12.2–12.4). A rule banning storage charges without client consent eliminates a potential revenue stream unless the client agrees (Rule 16.1).\n- Who decides: the Law Society Council made the rules (Instrument, Rule 3); courts and regulatory authorities determine breaches and disciplinary outcomes (Introduction; Rule 2.3). Individual solicitors decide on day‑to‑day forensic judgments (Rule 17) and whether information barriers or informed consents are sufficient (Rules 10.2, 11.3–11.4, 11A). Clients decide whether to give informed consent where the rules require it.\n- Behaviour changes required: solicitors must adopt or maintain conflict‑checking systems and effective information barriers where needed (Rules 10–11, 11A); document and consent processes for disclosures and storage fees (Rules 9.2, 14–16); alter handling of liens and delivery of essential documents by accepting security or undertakings (Rule 15.1); restrict certain commercial arrangements (Rule 40); and adjust advertising and supervision practices (Rules 36, 37).\n\nCosts, incentives, trade-offs and implementation risks (source-grounded)\n\n- Compliance burden and administrative cost: many rules require record-keeping, client notices and documented informed consent (e.g. conflict consents under Rules 11.3–11.4 and short-term assistance disclosures in Rule 11A), and training/supervision (Rule 37). Those create ongoing administrative costs for law practices.\n- Information-barrier and screening costs: Rules 10.2 and 11.4 require either informed consent or an “effective information barrier” when dealing with former-client information that could harm that former client. Implementing and proving the effectiveness of such barriers is an operational cost and can be fact- and evidence‑sensitive.\n- Revenue and leverage effects: Rule 16 forbids charging for document storage or retrieval without client consent, and Rule 15 limits a solicitor’s ability to withhold essential documents as leverage for unpaid fees (15.1). Those provisions can reduce potential fee revenue streams or change how unpaid-costs disputes are managed (15.1, 16.1).\n- Subjective standards and enforcement discretion: many obligations turn on subjective standards—\"reasonable grounds\", \"timely\", \"effective information barrier\"—which can create uncertainty, disputes about compliance, and enforcement discretion for regulators and courts (e.g. Rules 7.1–7.2, 11.4, 19.2, 21.3–21.4). The Rules supplement common law and are explicitly enforceable as professional misconduct or unsatisfactory conduct (Rule 2.2–2.3), leaving regulators discretion in application.\n- Access to short-term legal assistance: Rule 11A recognises practical limits for conflict screening in short-term services by providing a lighter screening/consent model. That creates an incentive to provide limited advice but requires disclosure to clients and informed consent; it also limits continuing representation where conflicts materialise (11A.1–11A.4).\n- Effects on business arrangements: Rule 40 forbids sharing receipts with disqualified persons or specified persons with past indictable or dishonest offences; Rule 39 requires disclosure where legal and non-legal services are provided from the same office. These provisions affect partnerships, multidisciplinary practices and third‑party arrangements.\n\nConcentrated benefits and diffuse costs (mechanical description)\n\n- Concentrated benefits: clients gain clearer protections around confidentiality (Rule 9), limits on document‑storage charges (Rule 16), and protections where solicitors must honour undertakings (Rule 6). Criminal defendants and the public benefit from explicit duties on prosecutors (Rule 29) and obligations to avoid misleading the court (Rule 19).\n- Diffuse costs: the profession as a whole bears compliance, training and record-keeping costs; small practices and sole practitioners may face proportionally higher administrative burdens (Rules 10–11, 37).\n\nImplementation and litigation risk (concrete mechanisms)\n\n- The combination of broad duties, subjective standards and multiple exceptions (for example Rules 9.2, 11.4, 19.4, 21.3–21.4) creates potential for disagreement about what steps satisfied an obligation, which may lead to disciplinary reviews or court rulings. The regulator’s role in interpreting and enforcing the rules (Introduction; Rule 2.3; Rule 43) means enforcement outcomes will shape practice through precedent and regulatory guidance.\n\nBottom-line practical picture\n\n- The instrument codifies a broad set of ethical and operational rules that bind solicitors, emphasises the court‑first duty, tightens controls on conflicts and confidentiality, introduces explicit guidance on short‑term legal assistance, limits certain revenue and leverage tools (storage fees and liens), and imposes supervisory and advertising constraints. The direct financial and operational costs fall to solicitors and their practices; courts and the regulatory authority enforce compliance. The rules trade off increased client protections and clearer duties against administrative, compliance and uncertainty costs for practitioners.\n\n(Section references: Instrument 2–4; Introduction; Rules 1–4, 6–7, 9–12, 11A, 13–16, 17–21, 29, 36–40, 42–43.)"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation appears consistent with its original purpose as a code of professional conduct for solicitors. The 2025 update includes modernisations such as Rule 11A for short-term legal assistance services and updated anti-discrimination language, but these represent evolutionary refinements rather than scope creep. The structure and coverage remain aligned with the enabling provision (Legal Profession Act 2006, s 580) regarding rules for solicitors' conduct."},"complexity_factors":["43 defined terms in the Glossary spanning 5 pages, including nested definitions (e.g., 'associate' has 6 sub-clauses, 'law practice' has 6 sub-types)","Extensive cross-referencing between rules (e.g., Rule 11A.4 explicitly overrides Rules 10 and 11; Rule 10.2 references 'informed consent' and 'effective information barrier' concepts defined elsewhere)","Multiple nested exceptions and conditional logic, particularly in conflicts rules (Rules 10-12) and prosecutor duties (Rule 29), where primary prohibitions are followed by 'UNLESS' clauses with multiple sub-conditions","Conditional duties that vary by context (criminal vs civil proceedings, ex parte applications, current vs former clients, short-term vs ongoing services)","Specific procedural requirements with time limits (e.g., Rule 13.2 requires 7 days notice before criminal trial termination; Rule 14.2 allows document destruction after 7 years)","Dual standards for knowledge/belief—some rules require 'knows' while others require 'believes on reasonable grounds' or 'reasonably suspects'","Rule 20 on 'delinquent or guilty clients' contains 8 sub-rules with intricate conditions about when a solicitor may continue acting despite client confession","Rule 29 (Prosecutor's duties) spans 3 pages with 13 sub-rules and multiple 'UNLESS' exceptions with 5 nested conditions in Rule 29.7 alone"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this legislation does:**\n\nThese are the professional conduct rules that govern how solicitors (lawyers who deal directly with clients) must behave in the Australian Capital Territory. Think of them as the 'rulebook' for being a lawyer in Canberra.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **Solicitors** practising in the ACT (including those working in government, corporations, or private firms)\n- **Australian-registered foreign lawyers** acting as solicitors\n- **Law firms** and legal practices operating in the ACT\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThese rules protect clients and maintain public trust in the legal system. Breaking them can result in disciplinary action, including being struck off (losing your licence to practise).\n\n**Key things the rules cover:**\n\n- **Paramount duty to the court** — A solicitor's duty to the court and justice comes before everything else, even the client's wishes\n- **Client confidentiality** — Solicitors must keep client secrets, with limited exceptions (such as preventing serious crimes or imminent physical harm)\n- **Conflicts of interest** — Rules preventing solicitors from acting for clients whose interests clash, including former clients and situations where the solicitor has a personal stake\n- **Honesty and integrity** — Prohibitions on misleading the court, coaching witnesses, or taking unfair advantage of opponents' mistakes\n- **Special protections** — Rules about questioning vulnerable witnesses in family violence or sexual assault cases\n- **Prosecutor duties** — Special obligations for lawyers prosecuting criminal cases, including disclosing evidence that might help the accused\n- **Short-term legal assistance** — New rules (Rule 11A) allowing flexibility for pro bono or emergency legal help where full conflict checks aren't practical\n\n**The bottom line:**\n\nThese rules ensure solicitors act ethically, competently, and fairly—balancing loyalty to clients with their higher duties to the court and justice system."},"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2","history":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2/history","analysis":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/legal-profession-solicitors-conduct-rules-2025-no-2/documents"}}