Admission to Practise
The Melbourne JD and LLB lead to admission to the legal profession in all Australian jurisdictions, and can be used as a basis for seeking admission in many law jurisdictions overseas.
Admission to practise in Australia
Admission to practise in Victoria for foreign trained graduates and lawyers
Admission to practise Overseas
The Law Institute of Victoria's FAQ webpage has very useful information on admission to practise.
Admission to practice in Australia
As of 1 July 2008 Articles of Clerkship have been replaced by Supervised Workplace Training. Requirements for admission to practise as a solicitor in Victoria can be found at the Supreme Court of Victoria website. In order to be admitted upon graduation you must complete Practical Legal Training (PLT). To fulfil the requirements of PLT you must successfully complete either:
1. A Practical Legal Training course conducted by an approved provider, or
2. Supervised Workplace Training (formerly Articles of Clerkship).
Mutual recognition legislation generally allows lawyers admitted in Victoria to gain admission to practise in any State or Territory of Australia and New Zealand.
You will need to apply to the Law Admitting Authority in the state or territory in which you seek admission.
A listing of the Admitting Authorities in each state and territory can be found on the Law Council of Australia website.
Admission to practise in Victoria for foreign trained graduates and lawyers
If you have been admitted to practise as a legal practitioner of a country beyond Australia the procedure to gain admission to practise law in Victoria is as follows:
You would be required to contact the Council of Legal Education to seek advice on the requirements for you to be admitted to practise law in Victoria. The address of the Council of Legal Education is:
Secretary
Council of Legal Education
Ground Floor
451 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne 3000
Ph: 03 9604 2451
Fax: 03 9604 2414
Email: colevic@justice.vic.gov.au
The Council of Legal Education will instruct you in which areas of Law you will need to complete to satisfy the conditions for practise in Victoria.
For further information please see the relevant link from the Law Institute of Victoria.
Admission to practise Overseas
Melbourne Law School graduates are eligible to apply for admission to other jurisdictions. The requirements for admission to jurisdictions other than Australia vary widely and are subject to change.
There are generally two routes to working as a lawyer internationally. One is to be admitted in the jurisdiction you wish to practice in. Each jurisdiction will have different criteria and you would need to contact the relevant admitting authority to determine the procedure. Details for some countries are listed below.
The other route is to work for an international firm. In this case you would be a 'Registered Foreign Lawyer' and you are restricted to practice within the laws of the jurisdiction in which you are admitted. Many lawyers working internationally work under this system. As a Registered Foreign Lawyer you would normally gain admission and some work experience in Australia before moving overseas. Again, you would need to contact the admitting authority to the jurisdiction you plan to work in to determine the exact procedure.
Further information on working as a lawyer overseas
- International Internship and Careers Guidebook - information about international organisations based in Geneva and internships which may be available.
- A Lawyer's Guide to Working Overseas 2007 - a useful guide to working in different jurisdictions and the areas of law in demand.
- Legal 500 - an invaluable resource for researching firms across the globe. Includes commentary of each country's legal profession plus profiles and recommendations of firms and their practice areas.
- NALP Directory of Legal Employers - a comprehensive directory of law firms across the whole of the USA and Canada. Search also for government and public interest employers.