Overview
The Legal Practice Council (LPC) is the statutory body that regulates legal practitioners in South Africa under the Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014. To practise as an attorney, a candidate must go through practical vocational training (PVT), pass the LPC's attorneys' admission assessment (the competency-based exam), and then enrol with the Council.
This page covers only what the LPC's own pages state. The duration of training and the paper-by-paper exam format were not available on the pages read, so check them in the LPC rules and on its examinations portal.
Who can apply
Section 24 of the Legal Practice Act, as described on the LPC site, sets three conditions for admission as an attorney.
You are a South African citizen or a permanent resident of the Republic.
You are a fit and proper person to be admitted.
You hold the qualifications set out in section 26 of the Act.
The LPC also has a conversion process for practitioners qualified in other jurisdictions.
Exam pattern
The LPC's study material is built around a five-paper syllabus published in the Government Gazette (No. 52388, 28 March 2025). The pages read do not list the individual papers, their marks or their duration.
Candidates also sit oral assessments: the LPC home page refers to published schedules for competency-based exam orals.
Syllabus
The LPC publishes 15 competency-based study guides for candidate attorneys. They focus on practical skills rather than repeating university law courses, and the LPC puts the total study load at about 400 notional hours. The titles are:
Constitutional Practice
Professional Legal Ethics
Personal Injury Claims
High Court Practice
Magistrate's Court Practice
Criminal Court Practice
Labour Dispute Resolution
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Attorneys' Bookkeeping
Wills and Estates
Matrimonial Law
Legal Costs
Drafting of Contracts
ICT for Practice and Cyber Law
Intellectual Property Management
Candidates are expected to keep up with new legislation and case law.
Marking and results
The LPC posts national competency-based exam results as a PDF on its home page. Candidates who want a result reviewed can use the LPC's remark forms. The pass mark was not stated on the pages read.
Fees
The LPC fee schedule lists these amounts, in South African rand and including VAT. The page gave no effective year, so treat them as the amounts listed on the official site in 2026.
Registration of a PVT contract, which includes the exam fee: R345.
Enrolment or re-enrolment of a legal practitioner: R530.
Annual practising fee: R1,985 for practitioners with up to two years of experience, and R4,630 for other practising attorneys. Non-practising attorneys are exempt.
Certificate of good standing: R200.
How to apply
Register your PVT contract. The LPC has separate forms for candidate attorneys and pupils, with a version for each of the nine provinces. You fill in the form and upload it as a scan (up to 12 MB).
Complete the training and sit the admission assessment through the LPC examinations portal.
Apply for enrolment with the LPC. Its enrolment page links to an enrolment process and form.
After the exam
Once enrolled, practising attorneys pay an annual practising fee and can apply for an LPC identity card. The Council also handles conversion of enrolment (R795 on the fee schedule).
Preparation tips
Work through all 15 LPC study guides, since they are tied to the assessment syllabus.
Follow the Gazette-published syllabus rather than a university course outline.
Check the LPC home page regularly for exam results and oral schedules.
Who runs the attorneys' admission exam?
The Legal Practice Council runs it, through its examinations portal.
What does the PVT registration fee cover?
The R345 fee on the LPC schedule covers registering the PVT contract and the examination fee together.
Can foreign-qualified lawyers apply?
The LPC lists a conversion process for practitioners qualified in other jurisdictions. Ask the LPC for its requirements.