Does a non-lawyer staff member employed by law firms need a license under the Act?

Such employees do not fall within the scope of the exemptions contained in the Act, but whether any particular employee needs to be licensed will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis. In a nutshell, non-lawyer staff giving immigration advice directly to clients will need to be licensed, but if they are merely performing clerical or administrative tasks in relation to immigration applications, or helping a lawyer (but not giving advice to a client directly) or passing on publicly available information, they will not need to be licensed. All lawyers and non-lawyers need to comply with the Law Society’s Rules regarding Conduct and Client Care.

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