Renewal Guide 2020 An organisation's guide to completing the renewal process - Queensland Law Society
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Renewal Guide 2020 An organisation’s guide to completing the renewal process
An organisation’s guide to
completing the renewal process
1. Why practitioners should renew their practising
certificate and QLS membership
Applications for renewal of practising certificates are made under section 50 of the Legal Profession Act
2007 (Act). All legal practitioners in Queensland, apart from those employed as government legal officers,
are required to hold a current practising certificate (section 24 of the Act).
Practitioners can renew their QLS membership at the same time as renewing their practising certificate.
You can read about the value of membership and the range of services and member benefits on our
website.
QLS’s COVID-19 support package
For FY2020-21 this support package will provide Queensland practitioners with a:
• 26% subsidy in the annual cost of individual practising certificates
• 20% subsidy on the base professional indemnity insurance levy rates for practitioners insured
through Lexon Insurance Pte Ltd as a result of funding QLS has released from its Law Claims
Levy Fund. This has been supported by the Lexon Board and reviewed by Lexon’s actuaries.
• 50% subsidy on the full membership fee for the Society’s more than 11,000 members.
If your firm pays for practising certificates and QLS membership for your employed solicitors, consider
what your policy will be on paying for these items in 2020-21. We recommend you communicate
this position to all your practitioners. The option to pay, or not to pay, for practising certificates/QLS
membership is available on the payment review page of the online renewals form.
Limitation of Liability Scheme
Practitioners who are members of the Society and are associated with a law practice are entitled to
participate in the QLS Limitation of Liability Scheme. QLS members are automatically included in the
Scheme unless they apply for an exemption by opting out. Before starting renewals, organisations should
make sure employees know whether to opt in our opt out of the Scheme. If they do not elect to opt out
on their membership renewal form, they will be charged the relevant administration fee for the Scheme.
QLS Cyber Essentials Insurance
The QLS Cyber Essentials Insurance policy – available to member practices* who are also insured
by Lexon Insurance – helps to protect you from the significant impact of a cyber incident on your practice.
This exclusive member benefit is underwritten by Chubb and backed by Chubb’s worldwide resources.
QLS Cyber Essentials Insurance covers the first $50,000 of a QLS Member Practice’s response and
recovery costs in the event of a cyber incident. Cyber incidents covered include viruses, programming
error, unauthorised use or access, data loss, crypto locking, malware and human error resulting in such
events. View the policy.
(*A Member Practice is one in which all Principals, as defined by s7 of the Legal Profession Act,
are full QLS members.)
Queensland Law Society | Renewal Guide 2020 for organisations Page 2 of 72. Timeline for renewal applications and payments
Date Activity Payment
April 2020 Organisations: NA
• Log in to qls.com.au/myQLS with your organisation username
and password, check your practitioners’ details (see paragraph 3
below) – for law practices, these are the same credentials as used
to log in and complete the PII renewal questionnaire in February.
If you require assistance to log in, contact our Records & Member
Services team on 1300 367 757 or email records@qls.com.au
• Make sure practitioners have all the information they need
to complete their online renewal application forms (see
paragraph 6 below).
Practitioners:
• Log in to qls.com.au/myQLS using your individual username
and password and check your own details (see paragraph 6a
and 6b below).
5 May 2020 PII calculation sheet and top-up insurance information sent to Lexon- NA
insured law firms.
5 May 2020 PII invoices are available for Lexon-insured firms via the renewals As per invoice (step 9)
walkthrough tab, when logged in to myQLS as an organisation. See
step 9.
5 May 2020 Renewals opens. NA
5 May 2020 Online top-up insurance applications (optional) open for Lexon- As per invoice (step 6)
insured law firms. The top-up insurance invoice will be available on
completion of application, via the renewals walkthrough tab, when
logged in to myQLS as an organisation. See step 6 in the renewals
walkthrough.
5-31 May 2020 Organisations paying practitioners’ fees: Fees will be included on
If the organisation has an agreement with its employed practitioners the organisation’s payment
that it will pay their fees, practitioners log in to qls.com.au/myQLS, summary sheet available via
submit their online renewal application forms for practising certificate/ qls.com.au/myQLS under the
membership, select ‘pay later’ and their process is complete. organisation log in.
Payments are due by 31 May.
Practitioners paying their own fees: Practitioners can choose to pay
If the organisation is not paying fees, practitioners log in to by credit card on completion of
qls.com.au/myQLS and submit their online renewal application their forms, or elect to pay later
forms for practising certificate/membership. by BPay, bank deposit or cheque.
Applications and payment are
due by 31 May.
1 July 2020 Online renewal process closed – no further renewal applications NA
can be made.
Queensland Law Society | Renewal Guide 2020 for organisations Page 3 of 73. Before renewals, check your practitioners’ details
All organisations have a username and password to log in to qls.com.au/myQLS. For law practices,
these are the same credentials as used to log in and complete the PII renewal questionnaire in February.
Log in using your organisation’s details and click the practitioner listing from the myQLS menu
ribbon. The practitioner listing shows all the practising and non-practising practitioners associated
with the organisation.
Please ensure all practitioners associated with the organisation are listed and if any details are incorrect
please contact our Records & Member Services team on 1300 367 757 or by email records@qls.com.au
You can download this information as a report by clicking the buttons at the right hand side.
Please check these reports by the end of April and make sure the list of employed practitioners linked
to your organisation is correct. Incorrect entries will affect the practitioners’ fees and may delay in the
issuing of practising certificates.
4. All organisations must review and action their payment
summary sheet (replaces the worksheet summary
emailed in previous years)
Once the renewal process has commenced, you will need to review your online payment summary sheet
(which replaces the worksheet summary emailed in previous years) via your organisation’s myQLS login.
This online summary allows you to select and pay for all your organisation’s charges, including practising
certificates, fidelity fund fee, membership fees, and fees pertaining to the Limitation of Liability Scheme.
The payment summary sheet, used in conjunction with the renewal status report, allows you to stay up
to date on how your staff are progressing with completing their practising certificate and membership
renewal forms.
5. Where are the PII invoice and top up insurance
invoices located?
Under the organisation’s myQLS, click on the Renewals walkthrough tab see step 9 and step 6.
6. Information your practitioners will need before they
commence their online renewal applications
To make the online renewal process as quick and easy as possible, please ensure that your practitioners
have the following information before they start the process:
a. How to log in to qls.com.au/myQLS
Practitioners will go to qls.com.au/myQLS and log in using their individual username and password.
The username is their QLS number located on their practising certificate. There are prompts at the
bottom of the page for forgotten passwords. For additional help logging in, please contact our
Records & Member Services team on 1300 367 757 or email records@qls.com.au.
Queensland Law Society | Renewal Guide 2020 for organisations Page 4 of 7b. Up to date details on their myQLS profile
Before 5 May, encourage practitioners to log in to their myQLS profile and check that their name, contact
details and employment details are correct. They can update details by clicking on the myQLS link at
the top right of the page, log in, then click the personal profile and practitioner profile tabs from the
myQLS ribbon menu. If their details are not correct, please ask them to contact our Records & Member
Services team on 1300 367 757 or by email records@qls.com.au.
c. Who will be paying their fees (the practitioner or the organisation)
Will the practitioners pay their own fees?
Has your organisation agreed to pay employed practitioners’ practising certificate and/or
membership fees?
Does your organisation wish to pay the full membership fees for your practitioners or apply
the COVID-19 subsidy?
If the organisation is paying some, but not all of the fees, please let the practitioners know exactly
which fees the organisation will be paying. Practitioners are responsible for ensuring their fees are
paid by 31 May 2020.
d. Their credit card details if they are paying their own fees, as they can pay by credit card
when submitting their forms
Practitioners can pay their fees by credit card at the time of submitting their online renewal application
forms. They can also pay by BPay, bank deposit or cheque.
e. Whether or not they are opting out of the QLS Limitation of Liability Scheme
If your organisation is a law practice that participates in the QLS Limitation of Liability Scheme,
please inform practitioners so they do not elect to be exempt from the Scheme. To gain the full benefit
of the liability cap, all practitioners within a law practice need to be QLS members and members of the
Limitation of Liability Scheme. For enquiries telephone 1300 367 757 or email psscheme@qls.com.au.
f. Option for membership subsidy
During the 2020-21 renewal period, practitioners have an option to pay the full membership
fee ($505) to show their support to QLS.
This option will be available to you at the payment review screen.
1. Pay full membership to show their support to QLS
2. Apply the COVID-19 subsidy to reduce membership fees by 50%
This choice will be available to you at the payment review screen.
g. Whether your firm will be covered by QLS Cyber Essentials Insurance
All QLS Member Practices also insured by Lexon are covered by the QLS Cyber Essentials Insurance
Policy. A QLS Member Practice is a practice where each Principal is a full QLS member. Please ensure all
Principals are members if you wish to be covered. For more information, contact our Records & Member
Services team on 1300 367 757 or records@qls.com.au.
h. They are CPD compliant
Practitioners must achieve a minimum CPD requirement of 10 units by 30 June 2020 for the 2019-20
year. This includes at least one CPD unit in each of the compulsory core areas of professional skills,
practical legal ethics, and practice management and business skills. If practitioners will not achieve the
minimum CPD requirement by 30 June 2020, they should contact QLS’s Records and Member Services
team on 1300 067 757 or email records@qls.com.au. For information on CPD, read the CPD Guide,
telephone 1300 367 757 or email cpd@qls.com.au.
If practitioners store their CPD history on their myQLS profile, they can check their CPD units in the
CPD history tab of their myQLS profile. Alternatively, if the organisation keeps CPD records on behalf of
practitioners, it will need to pass this information on to enable them to make the necessary declarations.
Queensland Law Society | Renewal Guide 2020 for organisations Page 5 of 77. Finance ready
If the organisation is applying for finance for the payment of practitioners’ fees and insurance levies,
please make sure the application for finance is sent to the financial provider with enough time to be
processed and fees paid and received by QLS before 31 May 2020.
QLS has secured a premium funding arrangement with Westpac bank for 2020-21 renewal of practising
certificates and QLS memberships. This allows the costs of renewals to be funded by the bank at 2.95%
interest and payable over 12 equal monthly instalments. If you intend to finance through Westpac, you
must consent at step 3 on the Renewals walkthrough tab on the organisation’s myQLS.
8. Where are online renewal application forms located?
An email will be sent to practitioners on 5 May 2020, directing them to the Renewals which will
appear on each practitioner’s myQLS profile. Practitioners will go to qls.com.au/myQLS and log
in using their individual QLS username and password, the username is their QLS number located
on their practising certificate. There are prompts at the bottom of that page for forgotten passwords.
If additional assistance is needed, please contact our Records & Member Services team on
1300 367 757 or email records@qls.com.au.
9. What is the deadline for renewal applications?
All renewal application forms must be submitted online and prescribed fees received by QLS on
or before 31 May 2020 (rule 17(1) of the Queensland Law Society Administration Rule 2005).
No online renewal applications or payments will be accepted after midnight on 30 June 2020.
10. When is the due date for payments?
The due date is 31 May 2020. Practising certificates will not issue until all fees and insurance levies are paid.
11. Payment options for organisations
Payments may be made by organisations paying some or all of their practitioners’ fees as soon
as all practitioners have submitted their online renewal application forms.
The payment summary sheet for your law practice can only be obtained through myQLS on or after
5 May. It will not be emailed to you.
Once you log in to myQLS, click the Renewals walkthrough tab, then click the payment summary
sheet button.
a. Westpac finance
QLS has secured a premium funding arrangement with Westpac bank, which allows the costs of
renewals to be funded by the bank at 2.95% interest and payable over 12 equal monthly instalments.
For more information contact QLS’s Records and Member Services team on 1300 367 757 or email
records@qls.com.au.
b. Payment by credit card
Organisations paying a total less than $15,000 can pay by credit card via the payment summary
sheet on their organisation’s myQLS Renewals walkthrough tab.
c. Payment by BPay
BPay payment references will be set out when the organisation prints their payment summary sheet
via the organisation’s myQLS Renewals walkthrough tab.
Queensland Law Society | Renewal Guide 2020 for organisations Page 6 of 7d. Payment by bank deposit
Bank details will be on your payment summary sheet for your law practice which can only be obtained
through myQLS on or after 5 May. It will not be emailed to you.
If paying by bank deposit, include your QLS number followed by your firm name in the reference field
on payment to ensure prompt processing. Incorrect details in the reference field may delay the issuing
of practising certificates.
e. Payment by cheque
If paying by cheque, please make the cheque payable to ‘Queensland Law Society Inc’.
Please post the cheque, along with a copy of your payment summary sheet to:
Records & Member Services
Queensland Law Society, GPO Box 1785, Brisbane QLD 4001
12. Financial hardship
If your firm is experiencing financial hardship you may be eligible to access a loan from the Queensland
Law Foundation (QLF). For more information and to find out if you’re eligible, contact QLF via their
website qlf.com.au.
13. Legal practitioners who have been made redundant/
stood down as a result of COVID-19
As part of QLS’s support package for the legal profession, practitioners who were full members of QLS on
1 March 2020 and are stood down or made redundant as a result of the impact of COVID-19 are eligible
for free full QLS membership for the 2020-21 year when they renew their practising certificate for 2020-21.
Practitioners who wish to avail themselves of this free membership should contact QLS’s Records and
Member Services team as soon as possible on 1300 067 757 or records@qls.com.au to advise of
their changed employment status. This must be done before they commence the renewal of their
practising certificate and QLS membership.
If you need to make any of your employees redundant or stand them down as a result of COVID-19,
please encourage them to notify QLS as soon as possible.
14. Will practising certificates be posted?
In an effort to provide our members with a more efficient process, and to align with our commitment to
a more sustainable future, practising certificates will be issued electronically as a PDF and a link emailed
to the practitioner’s nominated email address once their renewal is successfully submitted, all prescribed
fees are received, and all requirements are met.
15. Refunds
Refunds will be processed as soon as possible, in the order they are received. Please note, due to the
large number of payments being processed during the renewal period, refunds may take up to 8 weeks
to process from the date of the request of the refund.
16. Do you need further information?
If you have any questions or require assistance during the renewal period, please contact our Records
and Member Services team on 1300 367 757 or email records@qls.com.au. Questions about
professional indemnity insurance, the calculation sheet or top-up insurance options offered by Lexon
Insurance should be directed to Lexon Insurance Pte Ltd by telephone on 07 3007 1266 or email at
enquiries@lexoninsurance.com.au.
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