Rule 8 Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners
Rule 8 of the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners (RPC) 2023 is about Lawyers in salaried employment. It is under Part 1 (Practice as a Legal Practitioner) of Chapter 1 (Conduct) of the Rules. It provides as follows:
(1) A lawyer, whilst a servant or in a salaried employment of any kind, shall not appear as an advocate in a court or judicial tribunal for his employer, except where the lawyer is employed as a legal officer ina Government department.
(2) A lawyer, whilst a servant or in a salaried employment shall not prepare, sign, or frank pleadings, applications, instruments, agreements, contracts, deeds, letters, memoranda, reports, legal opinions or similar instruments or processes or file any such documents for his employer except as provided under these Rules.
(3) A director of a registered company shall not appear as an advocate in court or judicial tribunal for his company.
(4) A lawyer in full-time salaried employment may represent his employer as an officer or agent in cases where the employer is permitted by law to appear by an officer or agent, and in such cases, the lawyer shall mot wear robes.
(5) An officer in the Armed Forces who is a lawyer may discharge any duties devolving on him as such officer and may appear at a Court Martial as long as he does so in his capacity as an officer and mot as a lawyer.
