Law firms don’t need signboard licences from local govt, says Bar Council

 

The Bar Council has in a circular to all practising lawyers in the country reiterated that law firms come under the purview of the Legal Profession Act 1976, and therefore are not obliged to secure signboard licences from local authorities.

PETALING JAYA: 

The Bar Council has advised legal firms that they do not require an advertisement licence from local authorities to display signboards and nameplates, following a recent high court decision on the matter.

In a circular to members the Bar Council informed members that the Shah Alam High Court had in July ruled that it was sufficient for Kajang law firm YH Boo & Partners to comply with the Legal Profession Act 1976 (LPA) and its bylaws.

The council said the court in that case quashed a compound notice issued to the law firm by Majlis Perbandaran Kajang for purportedly failing to obtain an advertisement licence from the local authority for its nameplate.

ln making the order, the judge delivered broad grounds stating that the Legal Profession (Publicity) Rules 2001 apply as it is a specific law as opposed to the relevant local council by-laws governing advertisements,

 the council said in a Sept 24 circular.

In light of the decision, the Malaysian Bar reiterated that as law firms are regulated under the LPA, they are not obliged to apply for signboard licences.

The Bar Council advised members to appraise local councils and other authorities of the decision to have any similar notices and compounds issued to them withdrawn. - FMT