As an RJC member, you are expected to know the local laws and regulations across all your areas of operations, and to keep abreast of legal developments in legislation and associated case law.

COP certification does not aim to provide a full legal compliance audit. Rather, it aims to ensure you have the framework you need to be aware of applicable law and to abide by it over time. In practice, that means you need to show you have systems and procedures in place to access current information about applicable law and to maintain compliance.

Make sure you have systems, processes, procedures or methods that can adequately monitor legal developments and identify key areas of legal risk.

Identifying applicable laws or changes in them, interpreting them, and determining their impacts on your operations can be time-consuming. But there are many external sources that can help, including: commercial services; regulatory agencies; government departments; trade groups and industry associations; the Internet; public libraries; seminars and courses; subscriptions to newsletters and magazines; consultants and legal professionals; andocustomers, vendors and other companies.

If you are unsure of your legal compliance requirements, seek legal advice from a qualified professional. This includes seeking advice on things like import and export requirements and intellectual property rights, which are not explicitly covered in the COP.

Make a specific person, or group of people, responsible for compiling and maintaining a register for legal compliance that lists: all relevant applicable laws and regulations, required licences and permits, and reporting and disclosure obligations; any ongoing developments in these requirements; your compliance status,and any future actions needed to remain compliant; and any measures needed to correct potential non-compliances.

Communicate legal requirements to all your employees and contractors and give them training to ensure they understand what they need to do to ensure compliance.