PPC2 Professional Responsibility study guide
PPC2 Professional Responsibility · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
PPC2 Professional Responsibility is an exam that tests whether a candidate can apply the rules of professional conduct to realistic practice situations rather than simply recite them. It suits law graduates, articling or trainee lawyers, newly admitted practitioners, and compliance staff who need to show they can spot an ethical issue, name the governing rule, and reach a defensible answer under time pressure. The PPC2 Professional Responsibility study guide has 7 sections and about 2,604 words.
01Regulation of the Profession, Admission and Licensing
Professional regulation protects the public, the administration of justice and the reputation of the profession. Understand the architecture: a statutory regulator with rule-making and disciplinary powers, the courts' inherent jurisdiction over their officers, and representative bodies that promote members' interests.
623 words, about 3 min02Formation and Scope of the Lawyer-Client Relationship
The lawyer-client relationship normally arises from an express or implied agreement (the retainer), but duties can attach before it is formalised - a preliminary consultation is already confidential. Clarify who the client is, what is in scope, what is excluded, the fee basis, and who has authority to instruct.
341 words, about 2 min03Conflicts of Interest
Current-client conflicts concern loyalty: you cannot act where your duty to one client is adverse to, or may be materially limited by, your duty to another. Former-client conflicts concern information: you must not act against a former client in the same or a substantially related matter, or where confidential information could be used against them.
339 words, about 2 min04Confidentiality and Professional Privilege
Confidentiality is a broad ethical duty covering all information learned about the client's affairs, however obtained, and it survives the end of the retainer and the client's death. Privilege is a narrower evidentiary immunity held by the client, protecting confidential communications made for the dominant purpose of legal advice or litigation.
317 words, about 2 min05Competence, Diligence and Client Communication
Competence means the knowledge, skill, thoroughness and preparation reasonably necessary for the matter, plus the practical ability to run it: time, resources and supervision. Diligence means pursuing the matter with reasonable promptness and keeping the client informed.
340 words, about 2 min06Fees, Trust Accounts and Handling of Client Property
Fees must be reasonable, disclosed early, and charged for work actually and properly done. Written fee agreements are best practice; contingency or success fees are regulated and sometimes prohibited in criminal or family matters.
332 words, about 2 min07Integrity, Candour and Duties to the Court and Third Parties
The duty to the court and the administration of justice prevails over the client's interests. You may advance a client's case firmly, but you may not mislead the court, cite false authority, or let a client give evidence you know to be false.
312 words, about 2 min