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Admission To Practice
Requirements For ADmission
In order to be admitted as a lawyer in Australia, you need to satisfy three requirements:
- You’ve completed a law degree or equivalent course
- You’ve undertaken a Practical Legal Training program, which results in the award of the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
- You’re a fit and proper person
1. Proof of Qualification
To apply for admission you will require a Certificate of Completion from The College of Law for your Practical Legal Training. You will receive certified digital copies of your graduation documents through the My eQuals portal. You will need to supply all required forms and documents to the College no later than three weeks before the deadline for your court admission application. All new graduates will receive an email notification when your verified digital documents are available. Now you’re ready to apply to your local admitting authority.
2. Apply for Admission
To practise law in Australia, you need to apply for admission to your Supreme Court.
Each state and territory in Australia has different requirements and processes for admission. The process usually includes providing evidence of your academic and Practical Legal Training qualifications and disclosing details of any conduct that may reflect on whether you are a fit and proper person.
Be aware that some state admitting authorities impose specific, additional requirements for admission – in Queensland, the Legal Practitioners Board requires applicants to advertise in local publications of their intent to apply for admission as a lawyer.
For detailed information on the admission process, please refer to the relevant admitting authority.
|
Region |
Admitting Authority |
Court |
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Australian Capital Territory |
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New South Wales |
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Northern Territory |
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Queensland |
Queensland Legal Practitioners Admissions Board (See the Queensland Courts website or the Queensland Law Society website) |
|
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South Australia |
Legal Practitioners Education and Admission
Council (See the Law Society of South Australia website) |
|
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Tasmania |
Board of Legal Education (See the Law Society of Tasmania website) |
|
|
Victoria |
Council of
Legal Education – Victorian Legal Admissions Board |
|
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Western Australia |
Once you have been admitted as a lawyer, you are eligible for admission in other Australian states or territories under the Mutual Recognition Scheme or directly.
3. Admission Ceremony
If your application for admission has been successful, you must attend an admission ceremony.
At the ceremony, you will:
- take an oath of office or make an affirmation of office
- sign the Supreme Court Roll
- receive your Certificate of Admission
At the ceremony, your admission will need to be ‘moved’ by a person who is:
- currently on the Supreme Court Roll (whether or not the person holds a current practising certificate), or
- an Australian legal practitioner, provided he or she holds a current practising certificate.
The College of Law provides assistance to graduates of our Practical Legal Training program in arranging a mover for their ceremony.
If you would like assistance in arranging a mover, please contact the College once you have received confirmation of the date and time of your admission ceremony.
4. Practising Certificate
Before you can practise as a solicitor, in addition to being admitted to the legal profession, you also need to hold a practising certificate.
A practising certificate is basically a licence which allows a solicitor to provide legal services.
During the first 18-months or 2-years’ of legal practice after your admission, you will have a condition imposed on your practising certificate that you may only practice law under supervision.
Below is a list of the organisations which issue practising certificates in Australia:
|
Region |
Practising Certificate Issuing Authority |
|
Australian Capital Territory |
ACT Law Society or ACT Bar Association |
|
New South Wales |
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Northern Territory |
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Queensland |
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South Australia |
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Tasmania |
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Victoria |
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Western Australia |
Once you have obtained a practicing certificate in one Australian state or territory, you are able to practice local law in any other Australian state or territory without needing to apply for an additional practising certificate.
Professional Development
You need to undertake CPD (Continuing Professional Development) or MCLE (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education) to keep your practising certificate. The rules vary between the states and territories. For example in NSW and Victoria, you need to complete at least 10 hours of MCLE/CPD to keep your practicing certificate