There are a variety of different paths one can take to become a lawyer in Australia. However there are a number of requirements that must be completed before you can be admitted.

1. Law Degree

The Council of Australian Law Deans has a list of law schools in Australia.

The main division in is between studying law as an undergraduate, or as a post-graduate. Most law schools offer a double degree undergraduate program lasting from five to six years. This is the most common degree that Australian law students undertake. A smaller number of schools offer either a three-year graduate LL.B. program, or a two to three year graduate Juris Doctor (J.D.) program.

In Australia, law degrees are becoming a more general qualification. Up to 50% of graduates do not end up working as lawyers, and instead undertake the degree in order to support a career in banking & finance, consulting, journalism and many other fields.

2. Work Experience

While studying law many students gain experience by working for law firms in positions known as vacation clerkships. Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland have clerkship ‘schemes’ which regulate who can apply for these positions and when. Students also undertake vacation placements with other bodies, such as the various state Law Reform Commissions, Community Legal Centres and government departments.

Most students who wish to practice in law undertake apply for some form vacation work in their second last year of study. In commercial firms, students who undertake clerkships generally receive priority over other applications for graduate jobs. Information about clerkships and other opportunities can be found at career fairs or from publications produced by the Law Student Societies at each school.

More information on the types of work experience available, and the schemes in each state can be found on the websites of Law Student Societies at each university.

Click here for a list of all Law Student Societies in Australia.

3. Graduate Training

To be admitted to practice as a lawyer, law graduates must undertake certain post-graduate training.

The rules for admission to practice differ in each state in Australia. Currently, all states except Western Australia require students to complete Practical Legal Training (PLT), in which they learn basic practical skills undertaken by lawyers, including negotiation, dispute resolution, drafting letters and interviewing clients.

PLT courses cost approximately $AU8000, and are run by private provides (such as the College of Law or Leo Cussen Institute). Some law schools run PLT course alongside an undergraduate law degree or as a separate course.

Often people undertake this PLT training while being employed by a law firm as a graduate. Graduate positions are incredibly competitive, as the employing law firm usually pays for the practical training in full.

In Western Australia, the older system of Articled Clerkships is still available as an alternative to undertaking Practical Legal Training. Students who undertake Articles must work in a law firm for a year, under the supervision of a senior lawyer. After this they can seek admission to legal practice.

4. Admission to Practice

Once the practical training is complete, law candidates can then apply to be admitted to legal practise in the state they completed their graduate training it. Admission to practise is a lifelong privilege and can only be revoked in cases of misconduct or criminal convictions. As well as this admitted lawyer must obtain a practising certificate from the state or territory in which they live. This certificate lasts for a finite amount of time and must be renewed regularly.