Uganda Law Society Act

Defines terms used in the Act including "advocate", "council", "Law Council", "rules committee", "society" and "special resolution".

Jurisdiction: Uganda
Instrument: Act or statute
Citation: Chapter 276
Version: Undated source snapshot
Language: en

Source attribution: Source: Uganda Legal Information Institute

Statute overview

About this statute

Defines terms used in the Act including "advocate", "council", "Law Council", "rules committee", "society" and "special resolution". Establishes the Uganda Law Society as a body corporate with perpetual succession, a common seal, and power to sue and be sued in its corporate name. Lists the objects for which the society is established (purposes such as maintaining standards of conduct and learning of the legal profession, facilitating legal knowledge acquisition, representing and assisting members, protecting the public, assisting government and courts, acquiring and managing property, raising money, investing society monies, and doing incidental acts). The Attorney General and Solicitor General are ex officio members; persons entitled under section 6(2) of the Advocates Act who apply in the prescribed manner shall be admitted; persons appointed to specified public service offices by the Minister become members on appointment. The council may elect persons as honorary members of the society, either for life or for a period it considers appropriate.

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Provisions of Uganda Law Society Act

Showing 25 of 25

Part I

Interpretation

1
Interpretation - Interpretation

Defines terms used in the Act including "advocate", "council", "Law Council", "rules committee", "society" and "special resolution".

Section Interpretation Section In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— " advocate " has the same meaning as in the Advocates Act; " council " means the council established under section 9 ; " Law Council " means the Law Council established under section 2 of the Advocates Act; " rules committee " means the Rules Committee established under section 40 of the Judicature Act; " society " means the body corporate established under section 2 ; " special resolution " means a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of such members of the society as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the society , duly convened with full notice of the intention to propose such resolution.

Part II

Establishment of the society

2
Establishment of the society - Establishment of the Uganda Law Society

Establishes the Uganda Law Society as a body corporate with perpetual succession, a common seal, and power to sue and be sued in its corporate name.

Section Establishment of the Uganda Law Society Section There is established a body corporate by the name of the Uganda Law Society with perpetual succession and a common seal, with power to sue and be sued in its corporate name.
3
Establishment of the society - Objects

Lists the objects for which the society is established (purposes such as maintaining standards of conduct and learning of the legal profession, facilitating legal knowledge acquisition, representing and assisting members, protecting the public, assisting government and courts, acquiring and managing property, raising money, investing society monies, and doing incidental acts).

Section Objects Section The object for which the society is established are— to maintain and improve the standards of conduct and learning of the legal profession in Uganda; to facilitate the acquisition of legal knowledge by members of the legal profession and others; to represent, protect and assist members of the legal profession in Uganda as regards conditions of practice and otherwise; to protect and assist the public in Uganda in all matters touching, ancillary or incidental to the law; to assist the Government and the courts in all matters affecting legislation and the administration and practice of law in Uganda; to acquire, hold, develop or dispose of properties of all kinds, whether movable or immovable, and to derive capital or income from the property, for all or any of the foregoing objects; to raise or borrow money for all or any of the foregoing objects in such manner and upon such security as may from time to time be determined by the society ; to invest and deal with monies of the society not immediately required in such manner as may from time to time be determined by the society ; to do all such other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the foregoing objects or any of them.

Part III

Membership

4
Membership - Membership

The Attorney General and Solicitor General are ex officio members; persons entitled under section 6(2) of the Advocates Act who apply in the prescribed manner shall be admitted; persons appointed to specified public service offices by the Minister become members on appointment.

Section Membership Section The Attorney General and the Solicitor General shall be ex officio members of the society . Any person entitled to practise by virtue of section 6(2) of the Advocates Act, who applies for membership in the prescribed manner shall be admitted as a member of the society ; except that any person who is appointed to an office in the public service specified by the Minister by statutory instrument shall become a member of the society at the date of his or her appointment to that office.
5
Membership - Honorary membership

The council may elect persons as honorary members of the society, either for life or for a period it considers appropriate.

Section Honorary membership Section The council may elect as honorary members of the society such persons as it may think fit, either for life or for such period as the council may in any case deem appropriate.
6
Membership - Annual subscription

Members of the society must pay an annual subscription into the society’s funds; honorary members are not required to pay.

Section Annual subscription Section Members of the society shall pay into the funds of the society such annual subscription as may from time to time be prescribed; except that no honorary member shall be liable to pay any such subscription.
7
Membership - No entrance fee payable

No entrance fee shall be payable by any person on becoming a member of the society.

Section No entrance fee payable Section No entrance fee shall be payable by any person on becoming a member of the society .
8
Membership - Termination of membership

Members struck off the Roll of Advocates or suspended from practising are deemed expelled or have membership suspended; non-honorary members who cease to be qualified cease to be members.

Section Termination of membership Section Any member whose name has been struck off the Roll of Advocates, or who has had his or her right to practise as an advocate suspended, shall be deemed to have been expelled from the society , or to have had his or her membership suspended, as the case may be. Any member of the society , other than an honorary member, who ceases to be qualified for membership shall thereupon cease to be a member.

Part IV

Council

10
Council - Powers of the council

The council may exercise all the powers of the society, subject to express provisions of the Act or regulations; regulations made under the Act must not invalidate prior council acts that would otherwise have been valid.

Section Powers of the council Section Except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, or by any regulations made under this Act, the council may exercise all the powers of the society ; and no regulation made under this Act shall invalidate any prior act of the council which would have been valid if the regulation had not been made.
11
Council - Committees and delegation

The council may from time to time appoint committees of members of the society and may delegate to such committees all or any of the council's powers, except where this Act or regulations provide otherwise.

Section Committees and delegation Section The council may from time to time appoint committees consisting of members of the society and may, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, or by any regulations made under this Act, delegate to any such committee all or any of the powers of the council .
12
Council - Procedure

The procedure of the council and of every committee appointed as aforesaid must be as prescribed from time to time.

Section Procedure Section The procedure of the council , and of every committee appointed as aforesaid, shall be as may from time to time be prescribed.
9
Council - Constitution of the council

There shall be a council consisting of a president, a vice president, the Attorney General, the Solicitor General (either of whom may be elected president), a secretary, a treasurer and four other members; all except the Attorney General and the Solicitor General are elected annually by the society in general meeting.

Section Constitution of the council Section For the proper management of the affairs of the society , there shall be a council consisting of a president, a vice president, the Attorney General, the Solicitor General (either of whom may be elected president), a secretary, a treasurer and four other members, all of whom, other than the Attorney General and the Solicitor General, shall be elected annually by the society in general meeting.

Part V

Other officers

13
Other officers - Officers

The council may appoint a secretary, treasurer and other officers of the society.

Section Officers Section There shall be such secretary, treasurer and other officers of the society , paid or unpaid, as the council may from time to time appoint.
14
Other officers - Law Council

The society must elect all its representatives on the Law Council in a general meeting.

Section Law Council Section All representatives of the Society on the Law Council shall be elected by the society in general meeting.

Part VI

Miscellaneous

15
Miscellaneous - General meetings

The council must convene a general meeting of the society soon after 31st December each year.

Section General meetings Section The council shall so soon as convenient after the 31st day of December in each year, and may at any other time or times at the discretion of the council , convene a general meeting of the society .
16
Miscellaneous - Requisitioning a general meeting

Section Requisitioning a general meeting Section Any fifteen members of the society may at any time requisition a general meeting by written notice in that behalf signed by them, specifying the object of the proposed meeting, and deposited

Section Requisitioning a general meeting Section Any fifteen members of the society may at any time requisition a general meeting by written notice in that behalf signed by them, specifying the object of the proposed meeting, and deposited with the secretary of the society , and thereupon the council shall convene a general meeting of the society accordingly. If the council fails for fourteen days after such deposit to convene a general meeting in accordance with the requisition, to be held within thirty days after such deposit, the requisitioning members may themselves convene that general meeting to be held at any time within two months after such deposit.
17
Miscellaneous - Voting

At general meetings, each member present is entitled to one vote; the chairperson also has a casting vote. Members not present may vote by proxy subject to prescribed manner and conditions.

Section Voting Section At every general meeting of the society , every member present shall have one vote, and the chairperson of that meeting shall also have a casting vote. A member not present at a general meeting may on any resolution before that meeting vote by proxy in such manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.
18
Miscellaneous - General meeting to act by simple majority

Resolutions at a society's general meeting are decided by a simple majority, except where a special resolution is required.

Section General meeting to act by simple majority Section Except for any purpose for which a special resolution is expressly required by this Act or by any regulation made under this Act, all resolutions of the society in general meeting shall be by simple majority vote.
19
Miscellaneous - Alteration of resolutions

A society's resolution passed in general meeting cannot be altered or rescinded within nine months after it is passed except by a special resolution of the society.

Section Alteration of resolutions Section No resolution of the society in general meeting shall be altered or rescinded within nine months after the passing of the resolution otherwise than by a special resolution of the society .
20
Miscellaneous - Convening and procedure

The council may prescribe or determine how general meetings of the society are convened and the procedure at those meetings.

Section Convening and procedure Section The manner of convening general meetings of the society , and the procedure at the general meetings, shall, subject as expressly provided in sections 15 to 19, be as may from time to time be prescribed or determined by the council.
21
Miscellaneous - Custody and use of seal

The society's common seal must be kept in custody and used in the manner determined by the council.

Section Custody and use of seal Section The common seal of the society shall be kept in such custody and used in such manner as may from time to time be determined by the council .
22
Miscellaneous - Minutes

The council must record proper minutes of all general meetings, council meetings, and committees appointed by the council, and must make those minutes available for inspection by any member on demand at any reasonable time.

Section Minutes Section The council shall cause proper minutes of all general meetings of the society , and of all meetings of the council and of committees appointed by the council to be taken and recorded, and shall make all such minutes available for inspection by any member of the society at any reasonable time, on demand.
23
Miscellaneous - Accounts to be kept

The council must keep proper accounts of the society's funds, property and assets and have them audited annually on 31 December by an auditor appointed each year by the society in general meeting; the appointed auditor must not be a member of the society.

Section Accounts to be kept Section The council shall also cause proper accounts of all funds, property and assets of the society to be kept, and to be audited as on the 31st day of December in every year by an auditor appointed annually by the society in general meeting. The auditor so appointed shall not be a member of the society .
24
Miscellaneous - Report and accounts

The council must present an annual report and audited accounts to the society in general meeting soon after 31 December each year.

Section Report and accounts Section So soon as convenient after the 31st day of December in each year, the council shall present to the society in general meeting a full report of the activities of the society , including the activities of the council , and of any committee appointed by the council , together with accounts duly audited as provided in section 23 , in respect of the twelve months preceding that date.
25
Miscellaneous - Regulations

The council may make regulations, subject to the Act and approval by a special resolution, that are binding on members of the society and may prescribe specified matters for the society's conduct and governance.

Section Regulations Section The council may, subject to this Act and to approval by a special resolution , make regulations binding on members of the society , prescribing all or any of the following matters— the annual subscription; the manner of application for membership of the society ; the resignation of members; the regulation of powers exercisable by the council and committees, and the delegation of powers; the manner of convening meetings of the council , the committees, and the quorums and procedure thereat; the manner of convening general meetings of the society , and the quorums and procedure at the general meetings, including provision for the holding of an annual general meeting; the manner in which and conditions subject to which any member not present at a general meeting may vote by proxy on any resolution before that meeting; the manner of election, removal and replacement of the president, the vice president and other members of the society , and of representatives of the society on the Law Council ; and such other matters as may be deemed by the council to be necessary for the proper conduct and regulation of the affairs of the society .

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