Guidance Statements

Council of the Queensland Law Society has directed that a series of Guidance Statements be published. They are a continuation of the obligation of the Profession to set its own standards of conduct.

Queensland Law Society's Guidance Statements set out the Society's position in respect to specific subjects. Each Statement outlines a solicitor's ethical obligations in that particular subject area.

The Society would like to acknowledge the contribution of the Ethics Committee and Guidance Statement Sub-Committee in the drafting of these Guidance Statements.

No 1. UndertakingsNo 20. Employing immediate family members of judicial officers
No 2. Ongoing Costs DisclosureNo 21. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
No 3. Paying Referral Fees and Rule 12.4.4 Australian Solicitor Conduct Rules 2012No 22. Dealing with inappropriate judicial conduct in the courtroom
No 4. Receiving Referral Fees and Rule 12.4.3 Australian Solicitor Conduct Rules 2012No 23. Acting for Family and Friends
No 5. Witnessing Enduring Powers of AttorneyNo 24. Ethical considerations on the use of social media and law practice websites
No 6. Form of Delivery for Client DocumentsNo 25. Professional Standards when Appearing in Court Remotely
No 7. Limited scope representation in dispute resolutionNo 26. Multi-disciplinary practices - CLCs
No 8. Termination of a retainerNo 27. Second opinions
No 9. Dealing with Self-represented LitigantsNo 28. Applying the 'no contact rules' when the other party is an individual
No 10. Power of attorney (solicitor attorney remuneration)No 29. Applying the 'no contact rules' when the other party is an organisation
No 11. Financial reporting, proceeds of crime compliance and Anti-Money Laundering (Withdrawn)No 30. Transfer of files
No 12. Conflicts of Interest in Criminal and Crime & Corruption Commission ProceedingsNo 31. Courtesy in communications
No 13. Proceeds of crime compliance and Anti-Money LaunderingNo 32. Solicitors commenting to the media
No 14. Financial reportingNo 33. Acting for insured and insurers
No 15. In-house counsel - practising certificatesNo 34. Communicating with the court - notifying opponents
No 16. SupervisionNo 35. Work experience and internships
No 17. Conflicts of Interest in Work Health Safety InvestigationsNo 36. Pro Bono legal work
No 18. Inadvertent disclosureNo 37. Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practice
No 19. Government Lawyers: Independence and PrivilegeNo. 38­ Disclosure of third party relationships

21-30 of 38 items

No.18 Inadvertent disclosure

20/04/2020

The purpose of this Guidance Statement is to outline what a practitioner should do if they inadvertently receive confidential information from another solicitor or a third party under the Australian Solicitors Conduct Rules 2012 (‘ASCR’) and the common law.

No.17 Conflicts of Interest in Work Health Safety Investigations

07/08/2019

This Guidance Statement considers conflicts of interest regarding the representation of multiple employees, at different positions within a company’s chain of responsibility, in Work Health and Safety investigations and the ethical obligations that arise when employees are compelled to participate in interviews under the Work Health Safety Act 2011 (Qld)

No.16 Supervision

18/03/2019

The purpose of this Guidance Statement is to outline what is considered to be ‘reasonable supervision’ under the Australian Solicitors Conduct Rules 2012 (‘ASCR’) and the common law. *Updated 8 June 2023

No.14 Financial reporting

10/08/2018

When receiving cash from clients, solicitors and law practices need to be aware of their ethical obligations and those under Commonwealth Financial Reporting legislation.

No.09 Dealing with Self-represented Litigants

11/12/2017

This Guidance Statement outlines the ethical positions and principles which solicitors should be aware of when dealing with SRLs, as well as to provide suggested approaches to some commonly encountered issues. *Updated 18 September 2023

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