“Practical vocational training” is a new concept. Prior to the Legal Practice Act, the concept “articles of clerkship” was used in the case of attorneys and “pupillage” in the case of advocates.

The mandate of the Legal Practice Council includes to establish provincial councils, delegate some if its powers to the provincial councils and set norms and standards for legal practitioners.

The Legal Practice Act abolished the Law Society of South Africa and the General Council of the Bar of South Africa as associations that used to regulate the affairs of attorneys and advocates.

The South African Legal Practice Council is a single statutory body that regulates the affairs of all legal practitioners (attorneys and advocates) and candidate legal practitioners.