About Legal Ethics
Solicitors are officers of the court. A solicitor’s duty to the court and the administration of justice is paramount. A solicitor’s other fundamental duties include acting in the best interests of a client, being honest and courteous, and delivering legal services competently, diligently, and in a timely manner. These duties are set out in the Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015.
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The Ethics and Professional Practice department provides ethics guidance, develops and delivers ethics education including customised in-house ethics seminars, administers the Ethics Committee, produces Ethics Guidelines and administers the Ethics Liaison Group.
Disclaimer:
The information on this page is intended to be a general guide only. The information is not intended to constitute professional or legal advice, and you should rely on your own inquiries and assessment. The Law Institute of Victoria expressly disclaims any and all liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information on this page.
The Legal Profession Uniform Law gives broad (but not unlimited) powers to the regulatory authorities. If a conversation with the Ethics Line becomes relevant to the subject matter of a complaint, and the regulator approaches the LIV and requests our records or information about that conversation, the Uniform Law expressly abrogates the protection of privilege and confidentiality: s466(1)(d) and (2). The LIV, like anyone else (including other lawyers), may be called upon to hand over documents or information in the course of an investigation. The information will not be protected by privilege if that happens.