UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)
College of Law · Department of Jurisprudence
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
LJU4802
Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Semester 1 | Assignment 1 | Due: 23 March 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Assignment Details
LJU4802
Module Code:
Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Module Name:
Semester 1, Assignment 1
Assignment:
23 March 2026
Due Date:
OSCOLA
Referencing:
LPC v Naicker (Case No. 2788/2019P)
Primary Case:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for LJU4802 · University of South Africa · 2026
,UNISA | LJU4802 Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Contents
1 Part A: The Fit and Proper Enquiry and Related Principles 4
Part A: The Fit and Proper Enquiry and Related Principles 4
1.1 A.1 The Three-Stage Enquiry: Whether a Person is Fit and Proper to Practise as
an Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 A.2 “Membership of the Legal Profession is Subject to Extensive Character Screen-
ing” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 A.3 The Three Factors Governing the Third Leg of the Enquiry . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 A.4 Costs on the Attorney-and-Client Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.5 A.5 Factors for Calculating a Reasonable Fee Under the Code of Conduct . . . . 7
2 Part B: Legal Practice Council v Peter Joseph Sivalingham Naicker; First Rand
Bank Limited (Case No. 2788/2019P) 9
Part B: LPC v Naicker (Case No. 2788/2019P) 9
2.1 Question 1 Legislation Currently Regulating the Attorney’s Profession . . . . . 9
2.2 Question 2 Legislation Applied and Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.3 Question 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Question 4 Why an Attorney Must Have a Fidelity Fund Certificate and a Trust
Banking Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.5 Question 5 Why the Court Found that Mr Naicker Misappropriated Trust Funds 10
2.6 Question 6 The Nature of the Attorney’s Profession and Ethical Demands: SCA
Case Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.7 Question 7 The Three-Stage Enquiry Applied in This Case . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.8 Question 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Page 2 of 20
, UNISA | LJU4802 Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
3 Part C: Readmission – Lize Maartens v The South African Legal Practice Coun-
cil (Case 19239/2022) 14
Part C: Readmission – Lize Maartens v SALPC 14
3.1 C.1 Factors the Court Considers for Readmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4 Part D: The Spies Case and the Legal Practice Council 16
Part D: The Spies Case and the Legal Practice Council 16
4.1 D.1 Name of the Applicant in the Spies Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.2 D.2 Purpose of the Legal Practice Council with Reference to Applicable Legisla-
tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.3 D.3 Sanction Imposed in the Spies Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.4 D.4 Fidelity Fund Certificate and Trust Banking Account: Summary . . . . . . . 17
Table of Cases 18
Table of Legislation 19
Bibliography 20
Page 3 of 20
College of Law · Department of Jurisprudence
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
LJU4802
Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Semester 1 | Assignment 1 | Due: 23 March 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄
Assignment Details
LJU4802
Module Code:
Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Module Name:
Semester 1, Assignment 1
Assignment:
23 March 2026
Due Date:
OSCOLA
Referencing:
LPC v Naicker (Case No. 2788/2019P)
Primary Case:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for LJU4802 · University of South Africa · 2026
,UNISA | LJU4802 Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
Contents
1 Part A: The Fit and Proper Enquiry and Related Principles 4
Part A: The Fit and Proper Enquiry and Related Principles 4
1.1 A.1 The Three-Stage Enquiry: Whether a Person is Fit and Proper to Practise as
an Attorney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 A.2 “Membership of the Legal Profession is Subject to Extensive Character Screen-
ing” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 A.3 The Three Factors Governing the Third Leg of the Enquiry . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 A.4 Costs on the Attorney-and-Client Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.5 A.5 Factors for Calculating a Reasonable Fee Under the Code of Conduct . . . . 7
2 Part B: Legal Practice Council v Peter Joseph Sivalingham Naicker; First Rand
Bank Limited (Case No. 2788/2019P) 9
Part B: LPC v Naicker (Case No. 2788/2019P) 9
2.1 Question 1 Legislation Currently Regulating the Attorney’s Profession . . . . . 9
2.2 Question 2 Legislation Applied and Why . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.3 Question 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Question 4 Why an Attorney Must Have a Fidelity Fund Certificate and a Trust
Banking Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.5 Question 5 Why the Court Found that Mr Naicker Misappropriated Trust Funds 10
2.6 Question 6 The Nature of the Attorney’s Profession and Ethical Demands: SCA
Case Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.7 Question 7 The Three-Stage Enquiry Applied in This Case . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.8 Question 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Page 2 of 20
, UNISA | LJU4802 Legal Ethics and Professional Conduct
3 Part C: Readmission – Lize Maartens v The South African Legal Practice Coun-
cil (Case 19239/2022) 14
Part C: Readmission – Lize Maartens v SALPC 14
3.1 C.1 Factors the Court Considers for Readmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4 Part D: The Spies Case and the Legal Practice Council 16
Part D: The Spies Case and the Legal Practice Council 16
4.1 D.1 Name of the Applicant in the Spies Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.2 D.2 Purpose of the Legal Practice Council with Reference to Applicable Legisla-
tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.3 D.3 Sanction Imposed in the Spies Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4.4 D.4 Fidelity Fund Certificate and Trust Banking Account: Summary . . . . . . . 17
Table of Cases 18
Table of Legislation 19
Bibliography 20
Page 3 of 20
