Concurrent study refers to law students who wish to commence a Practical Legal Training course before completing their university law degree.

Do you need to apply for Concurrent study?

Yes, if both of the following apply to your personal situation:

  • You have no more than two academic subjects to complete in your LLB or JD, neither of which are academic requirements for admission (ie. Priestly 11 subjects), and;
  • You have enrolled in up to two remaining subjects while undertaking a Practical Legal Training course.

Next step?

You must obtain permission from the Admitting Authority. Please refer to the table below by the state you which to apply for admission after completing your PLT course.

Please note, this does not apply in the ACT. You are unable to commence your Practical Legal Training until you have completed your degree unless exceptional circumstances apply.

New South Wales

View the Legal Profession Admission Board section 6 of the Guide for Applicants for Admission as a Lawyer

To apply for prior permission from the LPAB to commence PLT early, you need to:

• complete the application form (available here).

• include a statement giving reasons why your application should be approved, and detailing your capacity to undertake concurrent academic and PLT studies

• attach a letter from the Dean of the Law School which verifies:

– Your completion of the academic areas of knowledge set out in Schedule 1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015, and

– your current enrolment in the last two subjects of the qualification, neither of which is one of the academic areas of knowledge set out in Schedule 1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015, and

Then, scan all of the above material into a single PDF digital file and email the PDF to lpab@justice.nsw.gov.au

Pay the prescribed fee online via the online form (available here).

 Western Australia

View the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia Guidelines for Concurrent Study

To apply for permission, please submit a signed statutory declaration, the original of which must be posted to the Board.

The statutory declaration should include:

1. The name of the relevant University and the degree course in which you are enrolled;

2. Confirmation that you have successfully completed all of the units covering the 11 required subjects for admission;

3. Confirmation that you only have one or two electives to complete, and details of the those unit/s including confirmation of enrolment and confirmation of expected completion dates; and

4. Details of the approved practical legal training course that you intend to complete and the proposed commencement and anticipated completion dates.

You should request the university to email an academic transcript or statement of academic record showing the units completed to date and the subjects in which you are presently enrolled, to admissions@lpbwa.com.

 Victoria

View the Victorian Legal Admissions Board Guide for Concurrent Study

To apply for permission, you must commence an online application (available here).

When applying, specify “yes” to the question “have you commenced PLT prior to completion of your academic studies” to be eligible.

Permission should be sought a minimum of one month prior to commencement of PLT and evidence of approval must be provided to Leo Cussen.

 Queensland

View the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board section 3.2 of the Guideline – Practical Legal Training Requirements

To apply for permission, please contact Legal Practitioners Admissions Board (LPAB) via email at admissions@qls.com.au

If you wish to discuss your personal situation before submitting your application, please email enrolment@leocussen.edu.au or call 03 8667 5667.