Solicitors (Amendment) Act, 1960

Contributions to the Compensation Fund by solicitors.

22.—(1) In this section “the Fund” means the Compensation Fund.

(2) Before a practising certificate is issued to a solicitor in respect of the practice year ending on the 5th day of January, 1962, or any subsequent practice year, he shall pay to the Society such annual contribution to the Fund as may be appropriate in accordance with the subsequent subsections of this section and the registrar may withhold the issue of the certificate until the payment is made.

(3) Subject to subsection (4) of this section, the annual contribution to the Fund payable by a solicitor under subsection (2) of this section shall be—

(a) in case the practising certificate in respect of which it is paid is issued to him within the period of three years beginning on the day of his admission—five pounds, and

(b) in any other case—twenty pounds.

(4) (a) At any time in any practice year, being—

(i) the practice year next following that at the end of which, for the first time, the total amount standing to the credit of the Fund (including the value of all investments forming part of the Fund but after deducting all outstanding liabilities) is more than £25,000, or

(ii) any subsequent practice year,

the Society may, if they think fit, determine that every solicitor taking out a practising certificate in respect of the next following practice year (not being a certificate issued to him within the period of three years beginning on the day of his admission) shall pay to the Society, as the annual contribution payable under subsection (2) of this section in the case of that year, such amount greater or less than twenty pounds as the Society may fix.

(b) In exercising the powers conferred by the foregoing paragraph, the Society shall have regard to the principle of maintaining the total amount standing to the credit of the Fund (including the value of all investments forming part of the Fund but after deducting all outstanding liabilities) at £25,000.