Finishing law school and taking the first steps into your legal career can feel overwhelming. That is why here at Leo Cussen, our aim is to help pave the way between finishing your law degree and starting your first job in law. Leo Cussen’s PLT course is designed to transition you from law school to lawyer school before you start your legal career.
We recently caught up with WA Leo Cussen Graduate, Jasmine Kasbergen to find out about her experience of completing her GDLP.
Law School to Lawyer School
For me, the biggest difference between law school and PLT with Leo Cussen was the style and content of learning. At law school, learning was theory-based and assessments were assignments and examinations. However, at Leo Cussen, the learning was hands-on and the assessments were practical applications of the theory we learnt back in law school. It was learning how to put all that abstract knowledge into reality in a practical sense. That meant learning how to manage my own files, draft court documents and appear in court, all of which were unfamiliar to me.
Practical File Work
Assessments at Leo Cussen were practical rather than theory-based. I was provided with mock instructions from a person with a particular legal issue. The assessments required me to assist this individual step by step as if it were a real file. This involved taking file notes, conducting client interviews, writing letters, making phone calls, drafting court documents, and appearing in court, all of which I was required to maintain in a physical file and which I was assessed on. Although it was daunting to begin with, the practical assessments enabled me to develop practical skills that have really set me up as a junior lawyer today.
Supportive Lawyer Mentors
My mentor was an incredible inspiration for me during my time at Leo Cussen and going forward. Whilst at Leo Cussen, the mentor relationship was a space for me to seek honest feedback on my work from a person I really respected and aspired to be. It was a chance for me to ask the hard questions and learn what it was really like to be a practising lawyer. It was also a space for me to seek support when the course was challenging, particularly during my full-time placement. My mentor was there to pick me up when I felt lost or doubted my own abilities. Most importantly, my mentor was (and still is) a constant source of professional support and a guiding hand into the legal profession. I believe I am a better lawyer today because of this experience.
Since completing her GDLP at Leo Cussen, Jasmine works as the Professional Assistant to the State Solicitor and will take up a role as a Law Graduate at the State Solicitor’s Office in 2022.
Ready to take the next step in your career? Register now to attend our WA PLT Information Session at 5:30pm on Monday 22nd November at Level 9 Golden Square (32 St Georges Terrace, Perth).
If you are finishing up law school and want to reserve a time to discuss your future PLT feel free to book a chat to ask anything you are unsure about the course. Alternatively, you will find our PLT guide has plenty of information.
Enrolments are open and filling fast. Completing our enrolment form submits your application for PLT and reserves you a place in the course. This form does not commit you to the course and you are still able to cancel your enrolment should you wish to do so.
