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Legal Practitioners – Frequently Asked Questions
When can I start to apply for the 2019 Fidelity Fund Certificates?
The online Fidelity Fund Certificates system started accepting applications for 2019 on 21 November 2018, considering that the Legal Practice Council and the remaining section of the Act only came into effect on 1 November 2018.The Rules in terms of sections 95(1) and (3) of the Act was gazetted on 20 July 2018 and include Rules 47, 48, 49, 51 and 52 that prescribe the form for the application for the FFC, with reference to schedules 7A and 7B. These Rules are applied by the Legal Practice Council since its establishment in terms of Chapter 2 of the Act and apply to all legal practitioners (attorneys and advocates) as well as all candidate legal practitioners and juristic entities as defined in the Act.
Can I still submit manual applications?
NO. The new online application has been developed for all attorneys sole practitioners/partners/directors to submit their FFC applications online. All certificates can only be issued via this online application. The only exception is for advocates contemplated in section 34(2)(b) of the Act, who need to apply for a Fidelity Fund certificate manually, until further notice, submitting the application as per Schedule 7B in the Rules, to the Legal Practice Council.
How do I get started?
You are required to ensure that the Legal Practice Council has your correct email address and mobile number. You will receive communication via e-mail and/or SMS to activate your login for the new application. It is therefore crucial for you to advise the Legal Practice Council of any changes in your contact details. The online application is web-based, you can access it anytime from anywhere as long as you have internet connectivity. The address from which you can access the online application is: https://ffc.fidfund co.za Easy to use help guides are provided to assist users navigate the online application.
What if I struggle to access the system?
The online application is supported in Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer, except Internet Explorer version 8.0 or lower. For the best experience, it is advised to use Firefox or Chrome. Make sure your provided login credentials are correctly captured, especially your password which is extremely sensitive as it also considers spaces as characters. Should you be on the correct browser and having captured your login credentials correctly but still experience problems accessing the online application, please contact the provincial office of the Legal Practice Council for assistance. Additional contact details will be provided to assist practitioners on the website.
Does it cost anything to apply for the certificate?
The cost of the certificate is R345.00 paid annually with each application to the Legal Practice Council.
What if my firm has more than one member?
Legislation requires that each member who is either a sole practitioner, partner or director must apply for an FFC in order to practice and charge for services rendered. The below applies to firms with more than one member:
• Firms with more than one member who is required to hold an FFC can appoint a firm representative, either a member or a non-member, who will capture the financial data for the firm.• The representative, if not a member that is required to hold an FFC, will receive their own login credentials via email or sms once created by a member.
• Firms with more than one member who is required to hold an FFC can appoint a firm representative, either a member or a non-member, who will capture the financial data for the firm.• The representative, if not a member that is required to hold an FFC, will receive their own login credentials via email or sms once created by a member.
• The representative, if a member entitled to hold an FFC, will already have login credentials and use those to capture the firm’s financial information.
• A representative can information up to completion of the application form, including the AIIF risk questionnaire, for the firm, but cannot proceed to certify or submit the application, each member needs to individually login to certify the correctness of the information provided by the representative and submit the FFFC application.
• A member representative who is required to hold an FFC will be able to capture firm’s information and proceed until he/she can generate the certificate for self.
• There is therefore no need to replicate the information pertaining to the firm, it is captured only once.
What if my personal or firm details are incorrect?
The online application pre-populates firm and personal information. However, should a member’s personal information not display correctly, the member is able to change the following information:
• Mobile number
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Residential addres; and
• Marital status
Should critical data be displayed incorrectly, including data pertinent to the firm, kindly notify the Legal Practice Council, through the Provincial Office, in writing of the correct information.
• Mobile number
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Residential addres; and
• Marital status
Should critical data be displayed incorrectly, including data pertinent to the firm, kindly notify the Legal Practice Council, through the Provincial Office, in writing of the correct information.
Does the Legal Practice Council continue to issue the Certificates?
Yes, the Legal Practice Council continues to be responsible for issuing the FFC. To facilitate this issuance, the system is automated to make the process of issuing and obtaining an FFC simpler and expeditious. Checks and balances will still be conducted on the online application to ensure compliance with all the requirements before a certificate can be issued. The Legal Practice Council retains the discretion to issue or decline the issuance of the certificate.
How long does it take to receive the Certificate once application submitted?
Provided all the necessary requirements have been met and the Legal Practice Council has satisfied itself of that, there should be no delays. The certificate will be generated, forwarded to the Legal Practice Council for approval, and once approved the legal practitioner will receive notification of the approval, and the certificate is available for the member to print on the online application.
Do I have to complete the FFC application all at once?
Not necessarily. Provided you save all captured information as and when you access the online application, you can always go back to the online application and continue with the process. The online application will automatically take you directly to the step that is to be completed. Should you not have saved the information, you will be required to start the process from the beginning and recapture the information.
Is the Certificate specific to my province?
The certificate is issued by the Legal Practice Council and reflect the name of the legal practitioner, the period for which it is valid, the FFC number, the Legal Practice Council practitioner reference number, the date of issue and that the practitioner is compliant with the provisions of section 85 of the Act. A practitioner will receive one certificate irrespective of the number of firms that they are practicing in, or their location.
Can I regenerate a Certificate?
The certificate is generated only once, after the submission of the application and all requirements have been met. The practitioner will be able to print the application form and the generated certificate. The application form and the certificate will always be available to reprint any time thereafter.
What if I don’t have a computer?
You can access the online application through any electronic platform that supports internet access, from your computer, ipad, tablet, smartphone, internet café, etc. Should you have exhausted all efforts to obtain internet access to the online application, you may contact or attend at the provincial offices of the Legal Practice Council where you will be assisted and/or provided with access to the online application. Below are the contact details for the Legal Practice Council’s Provincial Offices:
| PROVINCIAL OFFICES | Email address/es | Telephone Number/s |
| Gauteng Provincial Office | database@lpc.org.za | 012 338 5861
012 338 5915 012 338 5916
012 338 5822 012 338 5888 012 338 5889 012 338 5883 012 338 5951 012 338 5952 |
| Western Cape Provincial Office | clsffc@capelawsoc.law.za | 021 443 6700 |
| KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Office | records@lawsoc.co.za | 033 345 1304 |
| Free State Provincial Office | ilze@fs-law.co.za | 051-447 3237 |
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