Botswana - Apply for Legal Practitioner Practicing Certificate (Advocate)

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Procedure

Apply In Person

1. Upon being registered as a legal practitioner will be required to apply for a practicing certificate at the Registrar's office at the Botswana Law Society. Botswana Courts Office Location & Contact Details
2. The application shall be made in writing on a prescribed form, obtainable at the registrar's office. copies of these forms are not available online.
3. Upon obtaining the application form, the applicant should legibly complete the form, attach all the supporting documentation as listed under the “Required Documents” section of this page and submit the complete application file to the Registrar's office for consideration. Any omission of the required documents or information will render the application process incomplete.
4. The application shall be accompanied by a practicing certificate fee of BWP 1500.00. All payments are to be made as per the Council's preferable payment mode.
5. On receipt of an application for a practicing certificate, the Registrar shall cause to be entered in a register kept for that purpose the applicant’s full name, his place or places of business, and the date of his admission.
6. Applicants are issued with an acknowledgment receipt/payment slip as proof of submission of the application and for inquiry referencing if the need arises.
7. The Registrar shall, within seven (07) working days of receipt of an application, issue a practicing certificate in the appropriate form specified in Form C in the Third Schedule to a legal practitioner who applies for one to practice in the capacity named in the form if he is satisfied that-
   • His name is on the roll.
   • In the case of an application for the first time, he has obtained a certificate of pupillage or he has been exempted from pupillage.
   • He is not suspended from practice.
   • He has obtained a fidelity fund certificate from the Society for the payment of the prescribed fee to the Fund.
   • He has furnished a certified copy of the audited accounts of his trust account, certified as having been properly kept, to the Society: Provided that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to a legal practitioner applying for a practicing certificate for the first time
   • He has paid the annual subscription to practice certificate fees prescribed; he has paid, if any, all fines imposed on him by the society or refunded money required to be refunded by him.
8. After the lapse of the processing period, the applicant should visit the Registrar's office to check the outcome.
9. The applicant will be required to produce a proof of identity document and acknowledgment letter/payment receipt while collecting the practicing certificate.

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Required Documents

• Valid Registration certificate as a legal practitioner (lawyer/ advocate).
• Proof of payment of the practicing certificate fee.
• Evidence of previous or current practice as a legal practitioner (lawyer/ advocate)
• Certified Copy of Valid applicable Identification document (Certified copy of Passport (bio-data page) or certified copy of Omang)
• Recent passport size photos
• Any additional supporting documentation relevant to the application may be requested by the Council.

Office Locations & Contacts

Law Society Of Botswana
Address: Plot 69921, Chobe Way Village, Gaborone, Botswana
P.o. Box 50889, Gaborone, Botswana
Telephone: +2673900200, +2673900777, +2673900770
Fax: +2673909355
Botswana Government Directory

High Court - Francistown
The Registrar's Office
Private Bag F13
Tel: (+267) 2412125
Fax: (+267) 2416378
Email: [email protected]

High Court – Gabrone
The Registrar's Office
Address: Central Business District
Private Bag 00220
Tel: (+267) 3718000
Fax: (+267) 3915119
Email: [email protected]

High Court – Lobatse
The Registrar's Office
Private Bag 001
Tel: (+267) 5338000
Fax: (+267) 5332317
Email: [email protected]
Toll-free Number: High Court- Gaborone 0800 601 027
High Court- Francistown 0800 600 947
Botswana Courts Offices Location & Contact Details
Administration of Justice Website

Eligibility

• All registered legal practitioners (lawyer/advocates) that want to practice law in Botswana are eligible to apply.

Fees

Annual Fees for Practising Certificates

• Advocate or attorney BWP 1500.00
• Conveyancer BWP 300.00
• Notary Public BWP 100.00

Validity

• The validity of the Practicing Certificate shall be for a period not exceeding one (01) year from the date of issue unless suspended, revoked, or canceled by the Council.
• The practicing certificate should be renewed thirty (30) days before the expiration of the current certificate.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The time frame for processing the application is within seven (07) working days provided everything is in order.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is dkisplayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since January 1908.

Required Information

• Full names of the applicant
• Nationality
• Identification document number (Passport/identity card)
• Contact details (residential address/postal address/telephone/ email address)
• Category of registration
• Legal practitioner Registration certificate number/date of registration
• Evidence of previous or current practice as a lawyer/advocate
• Declaration by the applicant (signature/Date)

Need for the Document

• The practicing certificate allows a person to lawfully execute the works of a legal practitioner as a lawyer/ advocate in a position of responsibility and/or at a fee. The Practicing certificate expires annually. An advocate /lawyer professional needs to ensure that they renew their practicing certificate promptly and meet all the requirements.

Information which might help

• A legal Practitioner Registration Certificate/ Admission and Enrolment Certificate shows that one has met the requirements to join the Legal profession under regulations by the Administration of Justice in Botswana. Once granted, it does not expire. The Registration Certificate alone does not allow one too lawfully to perform legal work, one also needs a current Practicing certificate.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses for obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

Botswana Gazette Legal Practitioners Bill-1996

Others

More information which might help people.