SOME 55 lawyers who breached a legal requirement were spared punishment by the Attorney-General after the Law Society explained that they were 'ignorant' of the new law.

These lawyers, who became partners, directors or sole proprietors, were required under the Legal Profession Act to complete a mandatory Legal Practice Management Course, organised by the Law Society, before taking up their duties.

This requirement was put in place in 2007 in the wake of a case involving a lawyer who failed to keep proper accounts in her own firm because she was not aware of what was needed of her.

Under the law, those who fail to go for the course before they take up leadership positions in their firms are liable to a fine of up to $10,000.

If they are appointed ahead of attending the course, they would need Law Society approval and would have to attend the next earliest course.

A Law Society spokesman said 34 lawyers who were supposed to attend the course last year did not do so. This year, 21 lawyers did not make it. All turned up belatedly for the course last month.

A majority of the errant lawyers come from the big firms, defined as firms with more than 30 lawyers, said the spokesman.

The Law Society holds the course annually. The three-day session includes financial management of law practices, ethical obligations under the legal rules and the basic infrastructure for client management, among other things.

Law Society president Michael Hwang wrote about the issue in last month's edition of the Law Gazette. He was concerned that so many lawyers appeared to be unaware of the new rules.

Senior Counsel Hwang said that when the problem was brought to the attention of the Law Society's council late last year, the council had to decide what to do with those who had committed what is a criminal offence.

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