KUALA LUMPUR: Amendments to the Legal Profession Act (LPA) 1976, aimed at enhancing the legal profession by allowing lawyers to practice in limited liability law partnerships, were tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The first reading of the Legal Profession (Amendment) Bill 2024 was presented by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
"The second reading of the bill will also be tabled in the same session (of Dewan Rakyat)," she said when presenting the bill in the Lower House today.
According to the blue bill book, the amendments seek to introduce new definitions for "limited liability law partnership" and "limited liability partnership" into the Act.
It also proposes introducing a new section 9a to the Act, empowering the Auditor-General to annually audit the accounts of the Board, while amendments to section 40a introduce a new definition for "Malaysian law firm".
The bill will also require advocates and solicitors to seek approval from the Bar Council to form a limited liability law partnership or convert an existing firm into one for legal practice.
"The proposed new section 40r empowers the Bar Council to approve the formation of a limited liability law partnership or the conversion of an existing firm into one.
"However, a limited liability law partnership approved by the Bar Council shall not be recognised as such under the Act until it is registered under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2012 and its name is entered into the register under a new proposed subsection.
"The proposed new section 40s, meanwhile, empowers the Bar Council to approve the proposed name of a limited liability law partnership, subject to certain conditions, and such a name cannot be changed or altered without prior written approval from the Bar Council," it said.
It added that the bill also proposes a new section allowing a limited liability law partnership to carry out legal tasks and responsibilities that an advocate and solicitor can do.
However, it excludes anything that may only be done by an advocate and solicitor, as an individual.