What is Practical Legal Training?
Practical Legal Training (PLT) is the most commonly chosen pathway to admission to practise as a lawyer in Australia. Practical legal training is designed to ensure graduates are fully-prepared to enter the legal profession with the practical skills to complement their technical training.
Prescribed national competencies
Successful completion of a practical legal training program ensures the required competencies, which were developed by the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council (APLEC) and the Law Admissions Consultative Committee are fully met.
The following organisations are currently approved PLT providers:
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The College of Law Victoria
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The Leo Cussen Institute
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Australian National University
PLT in a Snapshot
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must be completed with an approved PLT provider;
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can be completed in under six months;
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consists mainly of course work (either online or on-site at the education facility), with a combination of practical work experience completed in a legal environment; and
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is paid for by the student or the firm
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Fee help is available
The College of Law Victoria
The College of Law Victoria is a joint association between the Law Institute of Victoria and The College of Law offering practical legal training through the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice.
The College of Law is also Australia’s largest provider of Practical Legal Training and the only one with campuses in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
Most of Australia’s top national firms use the College to train their graduates. They know their graduates will receive the same, consistent training no matter which state they are located in. They understand what best practice is in Practical Legal Training.
The College of Law difference
Practical Legal Training programs are primarily delivered online via a Learning Portal developed specifically for online delivery, ensuring it is practical and relevant to the needs of a graduate lawyer. In our online environment graduates have access to a wide range of learning resources and the support of the college’s lecturers. The online program is closely integrated with face-to-face activities giving graduates the best learning opportunities.
The Victorian office and lecturer rooms are located centrally in Melbourne's CBD.
The Practical Legal Training Program at The College of Law comprises three separate components:
Upon completion, graduates are awarded a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, qualifying them for admission to practice in Victoria.
For more infomation on work placements, please contact our Enrolments Office on 1300 865 111 or enrolments@collaw.edu.au or visit The College of Law Victoria website.
Leo Cussen Institute
Leo Cussen Institute offers a Practical Training Course (PTC) which satisfies the practical legal training requirements for admission to the legal profession in Victoria and enables admission in other Australian states under mutual recognition rules. The PTC is approved by the Council of Legal Education in Victoria.
The PTC is delivered in both onsite (face to face) and online programs, the online program including substantial face to face contact. It is a 24 week course including 3 weeks professional placement. There are two intakes into each program each year (January and July).
On completion graduates receive a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion qualifying them for admission to the legal profession in Victoria.
For further information contact Sophie Lambrou on ptcadmin@leocussen.vic.edu.au and visit the website: www.leocussen.vic.edu.au.
Australian National University (ANU)
The ANU Legal Workshop in the Australian National University is Australia’s largest university-based legal practice program. We provide Practical Legal Training in the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP).
Becoming a Practitioner (BAP) is the first part of the program and is a 5 day pre-requisite face-to-face intensive conducted at a number of locations throughout Australia, you then complete the rest of the program on-line. We have direct admission to legal practice in QLD, VIC, ACT, NSW, WA and NT.
You may do 20, 40, 60 or 80 days Legal Practice Experience. The more Legal Practice Experience you do, the fewer electives you need to study.
If you want to fast track your studies you may be able to start your GDLP at the ANU after you have done two thirds of your law degree.
Once you have completed your GDLP you may receive substantial credit towards an ANU LLM.
For further information please call 02 6125 4463 or visit the Australian National University website or email lwsa@law.anu.edu.au.
Frequently Asked Questions
The LIV website has an extensive list of answers to some of the most frequently asked questions in relation to the SWT, PLT and the admission rules.
Firms and trainees are encouraged to read these FAQs at first instance as they may well answer your initial questions.
For more information on PLT please visit the Council of Legal Education website.