Uganda Law Society Act (Chapter 276)

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This is the latest version of this legislation commenced on 31 Dec 2000.

Uganda

Uganda Law Society Act

Chapter 276

  • Commenced on 27 December 1956

  • [This is the version of this document at 31 December 2000.]
  • [Note: The version of the Act as at 31 December 2000 was revised and consolidated by the Law Reform Commission of Uganda. All subsequent amendments have been researched and applied by Laws.Africa for ULII.]


An Act to make provision for the incorporation of the Uganda Law Society and to make provision for its powers, duties and responsibilities.


Part I – Interpretation

1. Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

(a)"advocate" has the same meaning as in the Advocates Act;
(b)"council" means the council established under section 9;
(c)"Law Council" means the Law Council established under section 2 of the Advocates Act;
(d)"rules committee" means the Rules Committee established under section 40 of the Judicature Act;
(e)"society" means the body corporate established under section 2;
(f)"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 Uganda Law Society

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. Objects

The object for which the society is established are—

(a)to maintain and improve the standards of conduct and learning of the legal profession in Uganda;
(b)to facilitate the acquisition of legal knowledge by members of the legal profession and others;
(c)to represent, protect and assist members of the legal profession in Uganda as regards conditions of practice and otherwise;
(d)to protect and assist the public in Uganda in all matters touching, ancillary or incidental to the law;
(e)to assist the Government and the courts in all matters affecting legislation and the administration and practice of law in Uganda;
(f)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;
(g)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;
(h)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;
(i)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

(1)The Attorney General and the Solicitor General shall be ex officio members of the society.
(2)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. Honorary membership

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. Annual subscription

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. No entrance fee payable

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

8. Termination of membership

(1)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.
(2)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

9. Constitution of the council

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.

10. Powers of the council

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. Committees and delegation

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. Procedure

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

Part V – Other officers

13. Officers

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. Law Council

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

Part VI – Miscellaneous

15. General meetings

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. Requisitioning a general meeting

(1)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.
(2)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. Voting

(1)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.
(2)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. General meeting to act by simple majority

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. Alteration of resolutions

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. Convening and procedure

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. Custody and use of seal

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. Minutes

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. Accounts to be kept

(1)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.
(2)The auditor so appointed shall not be a member of the society.

24. Report and accounts

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. Regulations

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—

(a)the annual subscription;
(b)the manner of application for membership of the society;
(c)the resignation of members;
(d)the regulation of powers exercisable by the council and committees, and the delegation of powers;
(e)the manner of convening meetings of the council, the committees, and the quorums and procedure thereat;
(f)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;
(g)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;
(h)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
(i)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.