Application for Admission to Practice Law

If you want to practice law in Papua New Guinea, you must apply to the National Court for admission to practice law. The procedures are set out in the Lawyers Act 1986.

Publication of intention of apply for admission

There is a preliminary step that you must take before you make an application for admission. This step will start the admission process. You must, within 14 days from the date of the hearing of your application, you must publish in a newspaper your intention to apply for admission to practice law in Papua New Guinea. The newspaper that you choose to publish your notice must be a newspaper that circulates throughout Papua New Guinea. Thereafter, you must file an affidavit giving evidence that you published this notice.

Application for admission to practise

You must make an application for admission to the practice to the National Court. You will pay a fee of K150 to the National Court Library Account for admission. This application must be made by way of a notice of motion seeking on one relief. This relief is admission to practice law in Papua New Guinea. You must file the notice of motion with your affidavit which will provide all the relevant evidence to support your motion. In your affidavit, you must set out evidence to satisfy the following requirement:

1. Brief details of your schooling.
2. Details of your work experience if you have any.
3. You possess the required academic qualification.
4. You possess the required practice qualification.
5. You are a fit and proper person to be admitted as a lawyer.
6. Whether you have any criminal convictions and, if so, details of those convictions.

Once you file the application and receive the sealed copies of the notice of motion and your affidavit, you must serve a copy of these documents on the secretary of the Papua New Guinea Law Society. You must serve these court documents as soon as possible after filing these documents. Thereafter, you must file an affidavit giving evidence that you served the court documents on the secretary.

Hearing of the application for admission

Once you file a notice of motion at the National Court Registry, the registrar will allocate a hearing date for your application on the sealed motion. If no date is given on the motion, the registrar will notify you in writing of the hearing date.

On the hearing date, when you move your application before the National Court, you must show to the satisfaction of the Court that you meet the following requirements:

1. You possess the required academic qualification.
2. You possess the required practice qualification.
3. You are a fit and proper person to be admitted as a lawyer.

Once the Court is satisfied that you have met all these requirements, it will grant the relief you are seeking in your motion. The Court will admit you to practice as a lawyer in the Courts of Papua New Guinea. The Court also has the jurisdiction to waive all or any of these requirements.

Objections to your application

The Papua New Guinea Law Society (Society) may attend Court on the hearing date of your application and object to your application. The Society may make submission either in support of your application or in objection of your application. It may take whichever position and makes submission on it as it thinks fit.

Roll of Lawyers

Once the Court admits you to practice as a lawyer, then the Registrar of the National Court (Registrar) will produce the Roll of Lawyers. You will swear an oath or make an affirmation and thereafter you will sign on the Roll of Lawyers. The Roll of Lawyers is kept by the Registrar.

Certificate of Admission

Once you signed the Roll of Lawyers, the Registrar will issue a certificate of admission to you. Once you are admitted to practice law and has signed the Roll of Lawyers, you may then practice as a lawyer in accordance with the provisions of the Lawyers Act 1986.