PwC - 029 - Senator Pocock - 2 October 2024 received 15 October 2024

Sep 17, 2026

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MDP Protocols for Legal Services outlines operational systems and protocols governing PwC, as a multi-disciplinary partnership providing both legal and non-legal services. It defines what constitutes a multi-disciplinary partnership, explains why protocols are required to support lawyers’ personal legal professional practice obligations, and clarifies jurisdictional registration and permitted service delivery. The document also references applicable Australian legal profession legislation across states and territories and indicates that specific trust-account and insurance matters are not covered.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages50

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

What is a Multi-Disciplinary Partnership?

Why are protocols necessary?

Can a lawyer admitted in one jurisdiction practise in another jurisdiction?

Legal Services

What are ‘Legal Services’?

Who is able to provide Legal Services?

Opening a job and time recording

How and where will time be recorded?

Engagement acceptance relationship checking – Salesforce

What conflict/relationship checking systems will apply?

Engagement and communication with clients

Approved engagement agreements

Maintenance of files

Confidentiality and information barriers

What information should be kept confidential?

Legal professional privilege

ATO LPP Protocols

Contents 1. Introduction 3 1.1 What is a Multi-Disciplinary Partnership? 3 1.2 Why are protocols necessary? 3 1.3 Can a lawyer admitted in one jurisdiction practise in another jurisdiction? 4 2. Legal Services 5 2.1 What are ‘Legal Services’? 5 2.2 Who is able to provide Legal Services? 6 2.3 What is the Practising Lawyers List (PLL)? 6 2.4 Who is to be accredited for listing on the PLL? 6 2.5 Can non-legal practitioners (NLPs) be involved in the provision of legal services? 6 2.6 Some scenarios where NLPs may do work in connection with a legal services engagement 7 2.7 How are non-legal services to be provided? 9 2.8 Can persons on the PLL provide non-legal services? 9 3. Opening a job and time recording 11 3.1 How and where will time be recorded? 11 3.2 How are legal services job codes to be opened? 11 4. Engagement acceptance relationship checking – Salesforce 13 4.1 What conflict/relationship checking systems will apply? 13 4.2 Client acceptance, engagement acceptance and relationship checking 13 4.3 Relationship checks for legal services – matters for consideration 16 4.4 What the relationship checking team will do 16 5. Engagement and communication with clients 18 5.1 Approved engagement agreements 18 5.2 Providing legal services to “Commercial and Government clients” 18 5.3 What engagement letter(s) are to be issued to clients which are not Commercial or Government Clients? 19 5.4 How are communications made to clients in legal services engagements? 20 5.5 Performance of a legal services engagement about tax matters, involving PwC | MDP Protocols for Legal Services 1 non-lawyers 21 5.6 How is a bill generated? 22 6. Maintenance of files 23 7. Confidentiality and information barriers 24 7.1 What information should be kept confidential? 24 7.2 What are Information Barrier Guidelines and what purpose do they serve? 24 8. Legal professional privilege 26 8.1 ATO LPP Protocols 29 8.2 Waiver 29 9. Branding 31 10 . Working with overseas offices 32 11. Contacts 34 Appendix A – Legal Services engagement (involving non-lawyers) 36 Appendix B – What Practising Lawyers can say to clients about LPP 37 Appendix C – Structuring a Mixed Legal & Non-Legal client service engagement 38 Appendix D – The ATO’s recommended approach in relation to LPP claims 40 Appendix E – Examples of tax advisory services which may be provided as legal or non-legal services 41 PwC | MDP Protocols for Legal Services 2 1 . Introduction 1.1 What is a Multi-Disciplinary Partnership? A multi-disciplinary partnership (MDP) is a partnership between legal practitioners and non-legal practitioners where the business of the partnership includes the provision of legal and non-legal services. PwC became an MDP on 1 February 2008 and is currently registered as an MDP in, and may provide legal services in or from, NSW, Victoria, ACT, Western Australia and Queensland. PwC is not currently registered as an MDP in South Australia and may not provide legal services in or from that jurisdiction. Legal services may be provided to clients located in South Australia from jurisdictions outside South Australia however members of the legal team must not fly in/fly out of South Australia to provide those services. Whilst PwC is not registered as an MDP in Northern Territory or Tasmania, Services can be provided in these jurisdictions on a “fly-in, fly-out” basis. 1.2 Why are protocols necessary? This document (MDP Protocols) sets out the operational systems and protocols for the effective operation of PwC (as an MDP) in the delivery of legal services. These MDP Protocols are intended to be reviewed and, if required, updated from time to time. These MDP Protocols do not attempt to summarise all of the personal legal professional practice obligations of Australian legal practitioners in the different jurisdictions in which PwC is registered as an MDP. For example, rules relatin

FAQs

What is a Multi-Disciplinary Partnership (MDP) in this document?

An MDP is a partnership between legal practitioners and non-legal practitioners where the business includes provision of legal and non-legal services.

Why are protocols necessary for PwC when delivering legal services as an MDP?

Protocols establish operational systems to enable legal services delivery while ensuring lawyers’ personal legal professional practice obligations are not adversely affected.

Does PwC’s ability to provide legal services depend on jurisdictional MDP registration?

Yes. The document states PwC is registered as an MDP in specified states/territories and not registered in others, affecting where legal services may be provided and restrictions such as fly-in/fly-out delivery.

Sep 17, 2026

Upload by Sarah