LPC to open its offices in line with Risk Adjusted Strategy Regulations – Level 4

The Legal Practice Council would like to inform all legal practitioners that it will be opening its offices in line with the gazetted Risk Adjusted Strategy Regulations under the Disaster Management Act, 2002 and the COVID-19 Direction on Health and Safety in the Workplace issued by the Minister of Employment and Labour on 6 May 2020.
The LPC will be offering scaled down services as follows: –

• Investigation of Complaints: Complaint forms (available on the LPC website) to be completed and sent via email to the Provincial Offices.
• General Enquiries: All matters to be addressed via email or telephonic communication.
• Admission and Enrolment: Lodgement of Applications at Provincial Offices.
• Practical Vocational Training Contracts: Lodgement of Contracts at the Provincial Offices.
• Conversion/changes to enrolment: Limited to email applications only.
• Court proceedings: Lodgement and/or serving of Papers at the various Provincial Offices.
• Audit reports: Lodgement at the Provincial Offices, alternatively in electronic form, of which the original is to be submitted when circumstances permit.
• Curatorships: File requests and claims to be submitted via email.
• Fees payable: All payments be made electronically and Proof of payments to be sent via email.
• Specific attendances at the Provincial Office must be limited to urgent matters which cannot be resolved by way of electronic means and must be confirmed by way of an appointment for a specific day, date and time; and
• Legal practitioners and candidate legal practitioners are encouraged to make use of post, docex and courier services where possible for the delivery and collection of required original documents.
• Certificate of Good Standing Applications – by email; and
• Assistance with online FFC Applications – by e-mail and telephone

To ensure adherence to Regulations and to minimize person to person spread of the COVID-19 virus, submission of documents at all LPC offices by all persons will be done through labelled boxes that will placed at the reception area. All visitors, as per Regulations are required to wear masks when visiting the LPC offices. Hand sanitizers will be available at reception and signage to ensure adherence to social distancing requirements will be visible. All consultations to be done by appointment ONLY with relevant Officials.
Some of the Protective Measures adopted by the LPC includes:

• Sanitisation of all its offices;
• 1/3 work force to ensure social distancing;
• Adjusted operating hours of between 09:00 and 15:00;
• Procurement of PPE including face masks, sanitisers; and
• Daily screening of personnel and temperature measuring of personnel and visitors.
• Persons not authorized to travel to the office OR who do not in any other way comply with any of the
Regulations issued in terms of Section 27(2) of The Disaster Management Act 2002 read the Directions
issued in terms of such Regulations, shall not be allowed to access the Provincial Offices;
The LPC is following all the relevant guidelines that have been set out by the Department of Health (DOH), the National
Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) and the World Health Organisation.

Ends/
Issued by the Legal Practice Council