A place to start.
Not a live advice service.
AUSTRALIAN LAWYERS
Your enquiry. Your choice.
Official-register verification centre
Start with the regulator or law society for the relevant state or territory. Check the individual who will work on your matter—not only the firm name.
A five-minute check
Confirm the full name of the lawyer proposed to handle or supervise your work.
Open the relevant register below and compare name, location and published certificate details.
If details differ or no match appears, ask the firm and contact the authority before sending confidential records.
Law Society of New South Wales
Search practices and solicitors holding a current NSW practising certificate, including published specialist-accreditation details.
Important: A certificate type does not necessarily describe the person’s position in a firm. Some details may not be published.
Open the official source ↗Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner
Search registered lawyers and law practices, with available practising-certificate, language and disciplinary-action information.
Important: A register match confirms published regulatory information, not suitability for your particular matter.
Open the official source ↗Queensland Law Society
Search the official register by solicitor, organisation, suburb or postcode, with published accredited-specialist information.
Important: Check the individual who would handle your work, not only the organisation name.
Open the official source ↗Law Society of Western Australia
Use the Law Society’s public search to find participating lawyers by location, region and practice area.
Important: This is a referral directory. Confirm current practising status and the proposed lawyer’s role directly before engagement.
Open the official source ↗Law Society of South Australia
Search the public register of people holding a South Australian practising certificate, which the Society states is updated daily.
Important: A practising-certificate match does not confirm experience, availability or fit for a particular issue.
Open the official source ↗Law Society of Tasmania
Search current Tasmanian lawyers and law firms by name, locality or published areas of practice.
Important: The Society notes that areas of practice are collected from the profession and may not be exhaustive.
Open the official source ↗ACT Law Society
Search currently operating ACT law firms by name, area of practice, location or workplace type.
Important: The Society states that practice areas are self-selected and are not specialist accreditation.
Open the official source ↗Law Society Northern Territory
Check the Society’s current lists of people holding a Northern Territory practising certificate.
Important: Interstate certificate holders may sometimes practise in the Territory; contact the Society if a search is inconclusive.
Open the official source ↗A relevant official record can help confirm published practising-certificate or registration information. It does not tell you whether a lawyer is available, experienced in the precise facts of your matter, affordable for you or a good communication fit. Area-of-practice information may be supplied by the practitioner or firm and is not always a specialist accreditation.
Ask who will do the work, whether that person has handled comparable tasks, what the initial scope includes and how fees will be calculated. If a firm relies on an accreditation, award or membership, verify the precise claim with the group that issued it.
Check spelling, previous names, the person’s principal jurisdiction and whether an interstate practising certificate may apply. A missing search result is a reason to pause and ask—not proof of wrongdoing. Contact the relevant authority when the position remains unclear.