Verify Attorney Fidelity Fund Certificate

Before you pay trust money to an attorney, check that they hold a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC). The Legal Practice Council (LPC) publishes a free check on its website, and its national office is on 010 001 8500.

Who must hold a Fidelity Fund Certificate

Under section 84 of the Legal Practice Act, every attorney who practises for their own account, alone, in partnership or as a director of a practice, and every trust account advocate who takes instructions directly from clients, must hold a valid FFC. Legal practitioners employed full-time by the State or the South African Human Rights Commission are excluded. A practitioner who needs an FFC and does not have one may not receive or hold money or property belonging to anyone.

How to verify the certificate

• Open the FFC Verification page on lpc.org.za and use the Verify FFC status link
• Check the current year: certificates are renewed every year
• Also check the LPC’s list of legal practitioners and its list of struck-off and suspended practitioners

The LPC warns that if there is no valid FFC and something goes wrong, a claim cannot be considered by the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund.

Legal Practice Council contact details

• National office: 010 001 8500, info@lpc.org.za, 851 River View Park Street, Riverview Office Park, Halfway Gardens, Midrand
• Complaints about a practitioner: the Complaints Form on the LPC’s How to Lodge a Complaint page

Sources

• LPC FFC Verification page, lpc.org.za/legal-practitioners/ffc-verification, read 19 September 2026
• LPC contact pages, lpc.org.za, read 19 September 2026