Information for trust account examiners

Information for trust account examiners

Criteria for designation as an external examiner

To be eligible for appointment as a designated external examiner, pursuant to Section 240(1) of the Legal Profession Act 2006 (ACT), an applicant must be: 

  1. Either:

a) A member of CPA Australia holding a current Public Practice Certificate issued by that body, or 

b) A member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand holding a current Certificate of Public Practice issued by that body, or 

c) A member of the Institute of Public Accountants holding a current Professional Practice Certificate issued by that body, or 

d) A person registered as an auditor under Part 9.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), or

e) Employees or agents of the designated local regulatory authority; and 

  1. Have successfully completed an online quiz set by the Society; and 

  1. Have successfully completed a course of education approved by the Council. 

The Council of the ACT Law Society has approved the following courses of education: 

  • External examiner course run by the ACT Law Society 

  • External examiner course run by the NSW Law Society 

  • External examiner course run by the Law Institute of Victoria. 

These criteria are effective as at 4 June 2025.  

Apply for recognition

If you would like to apply for recognition or renewal as a Designated External Examiner in the ACT, please send a request to the Society’s Trust Account Compliance Officer (trustaccounts@actlawsociety.asn.au), making reference to the eligibility criteria specified above. 

Where you are applying on the basis of criteria 1(a)-(c), you must include in your application a letter of good standing from your professional accounting body, confirming your status as the current holder of the relevant practice certificate. This is not required if you are a registered company auditor (criterion 1(d)). First-time applicants must also provide evidence of successful completion of an approved external examiner course. 

Requests are considered by the Executive Committee before approval is granted. Designations are typically granted for a period of five years, subject to the designee’s ongoing satisfaction of the eligibility criteria. 

It is a condition of designation that the designee notifies the Society in writing within 14 days of the suspension of cancellation of the relevant practice certificate and/or company audit registration. The Society reserves the right to cancel an external examiner’s designation in these circumstances.