C11232v2 Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice
Award(s): Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice (GradCertProfLegalPrac)CRICOS code: 077342G
Commonwealth supported place?: No
Load credit points: 24
Course EFTSL: 0.5
Location: City campus
Overview
Career options
Course intended learning outcomes
Admission requirements
Inherent requirements
Recognition of prior learning
Course duration and attendance
Course structure
Course completion requirements
Course program
Professional recognition
Other information
Overview
Practical legal training (PLT) is a mandatory requirement for admission to practise law in NSW and UTS was the first university in Sydney to offer a PLT qualification.
Students in the Graduate Certificate in Professional Legal Practice experience university-standard teaching combined with interactive content and practice-oriented exercises that bridge the gap between legal knowledge and professional practice. They develop the advanced knowledge and skills required for a legal career, including judgement, adaptability and an ethical mindset.
This course is offered online (with minimal attendance for assessments) and on campus. On completion of this course, students are eligible for admission as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of NSW, provided they have also completed a relevant academic qualification.
Career options
Career options include lawyer, provided graduates have fulfilled all other academic requirements.
Course intended learning outcomes
| 1.1 | a. A specialised understanding of the application of a complex body of legal knowledge within the context of legal practice in the Australian legal system, the principles and values of ethical practice, and contemporary developments in law and its professional practice. b. Demonstrate adherence with the PLT Competency Standards for Entry-level Lawyers as determined by the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC). |
| 2.1 | a. An advanced capacity to value and promote honesty, integrity, cultural respect, accountability, public service and ethical standards, including an understanding of approaches to ethical decision-making, the rules of professional responsibility, an ability to reflect upon and respond to ethical challenges in practice and to exercise professional judgment. b. Recognise, reflect upon and respond with professional judgment to ethical and professional responsibility issues that arise in legal practice. |
| 3.1 | a. A capacity to think critically, strategically and creatively, including an ability to identify and articulate complex legal issues, apply reasoning and research to generate appropriate theoretical and practical responses, and demonstrate sophisticated cognitive and creative skills in approaching complex legal issues and generating appropriate responses. b. Identify, synthesise and articulate complex legal and technical issues and apply analytical skills to identify innovation and generate clear, succinct and novel responses. |
| 4.1 | a. Well-developed cognitive and practical skills necessary to identify, research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy issues and demonstrate intellectual and practical skills necessary to justify and interpret theoretical propositions, legal methodologies, conclusions and professional decisions. b. Research, identify and evaluate technical information, legal judgments and issues to interpret, justify, or critique propositions, conclusions and professional decisions that are underpinned by ethical research practices. |
| 5.1 | a. Appropriate professional communication skills including highly effective use of the English language, an ability to inform, analyse, report and persuade using an appropriate medium and message and an ability to respond respectfully. b. Communicate accurately and appropriately with multidisciplinary audiences in a range of specialised formats, including productive collaboration with professional teams and clients. |
| 6.1 | a. Specialised collaboration skills, including effective team work to achieve a common goal in a group learning environment or the workplace. b. Take responsibility to give feedback and to respond to feedback in a professional context, to work effectively with colleagues and other stakeholders and to resolve challenges through effective negotiation. |
| 7.1 | Graduate Certificate Professional Legal Practice graduates will: Critically reflect on Indigenous Australian contexts to inform professional cultural capability to work effectively with and for Indigenous Australians as clients, legal practitioners and colleagues. |
| 8.1 | a. A high level of autonomy, accountability and professionalism, the ability to implement appropriate self-management and lifelong learning strategies including initiating self-directed work and learning, judgment and responsibility, self-assessment of skills, personal wellbeing and appropriate use of feedback, and a capacity to adapt to and embrace change. b. Evaluate and implement their own professional development and incorporate personal skills in order to work with autonomy as a responsible and adaptable professional. |
Admission requirements
To be eligible for admission to this course, applicants must meet the following criteria.
Applicants must have one of the following:
- Completed Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law within the past 5 years
OR
- Completed Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law more than 5 years ago AND A written assessment of the legal qualification from the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB) to ensure the qualification meets the current LPAB admission requirements
OR
- Completed overseas legal qualification AND A written assessment from the NSW Legal Profession Admissions Board (LPAB) indicating equivalency of the overseas legal qualification for the purpose of admission as a legal practitioner in NSW and the list of subjects necessary to be completed to meet the requirements for admission as a legal practitioner in NSW
OR
- Completed a legal qualification that enables admission to practise as a legal practitioner in NSW
OR
- Completed all core law subjects and still need to complete no more than 2 law elective subjects in an Australian Bachelor of Laws, Australian Juris Doctor, or NSW Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law AND Written permission from the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board to enrol in a course of practical legal training concurrently with the final session of the legal qualification
The English proficiency requirement for international students or local applicants with international qualifications is: IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with a writing score of 6.0; or TOEFL iBT: 79-93 overall with a writing score of 21; or AE5: Pass; or PTE: 58-64 with a writing score of 50; or C1A/C2P: 176-184 with a writing score of 169.
Eligibility for admission does not guarantee offer of a place.
International students
Visa requirement: To obtain a student visa to study in Australia, international students must enrol full time and on campus. Australian student visa regulations also require international students studying on student visas to complete the course within the standard full-time duration. Students can extend their courses only in exceptional circumstances.
Inherent requirements
Inherent requirements are academic and non-academic requirements that are essential to the successful completion of a course. For more information about inherent requirements and where prospective and current students can get assistance and advice regarding these, see the UTS Inherent requirements page.
Prospective and current students should carefully read the Inherent Requirements Statement below and consider whether they might experience challenges in successfully completing this course.
UTS will make reasonable adjustments to teaching and learning, assessment, professional experiences, course related work experience and other course activities to facilitate maximum participation by students with disabilities, carer responsibilities, and religious or cultural obligations in their courses.
For course specific information see the Faculty of Law Inherent (Essential) Requirements Statement.
Recognition of prior learning
University law graduates complete three core subjects (18cp), plus a choice of 13 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) OR 4 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) and a work integrated learning subject (6cp).
While all students must complete the compulsory core subjects including practical experience, university law graduates choosing 13 weeks of practical experience are given automatic recognition of prior learning for CBK90399 Law Options (6cp).
An application for recognition of prior learning (RPL) is accepted only in circumstances where the basis for credit for law subjects was successfully undertaken in a comparable course of study at a recognised university. Applicants who have completed the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board’s Diploma in Law may apply for 6 credit points of recognition of prior learning based on professional experience.
Applicants must provide:
- a CV or position description that outlines the relevant experience.
- letter from the applicant’s employers (where recognition is on the basis of work experience).
Course duration and attendance
The course can be completed in one session of full-time or one year of part-time study. As part of these students must undertake 65 days of full-time (or equivalent part-time) approved practical experience.
Further information regarding practical experience completion requirements is available from the practical experience guidelines and rules.
Students who undertake this course by distance mode are advised that there are several compulsory on-campus workshop attendance days.
Course structure
Students complete three core subjects (18cp). In addition,
- students in PLT Stream A complete 13 weeks (65 days) of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp).
- students in PLT Stream B complete 4 weeks (20 days) of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience (0cp) and the work integrated learning subject- 75425 Lawyers in Practice (6cp).
University law graduates taking Stream A are given automatic credit recognition for CBK90399 Law Options (6cp).
Industrial training/professional practice
A practical experience work placement is a compulsory and integral component of the course. Practical experience requires students to complete 13 weeks of full-time (or equivalent part-time) practical experience work placement or 4-week (or equivalent part-time) practical experience work placement and a work integrated learning subject. Students must complete their practical experience work placement within one year of enrolling in 75411 Practical Experience.
International students must complete their Practical Experience placement and have results finalised on their academic record within 12 months from the commencement of the session that they are enrolled in subject (75411) Practical Experience (as per domestic students); OR, by the time their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) has finished (whichever comes first).
Course completion requirements
| STM91971 PLT Core | 18cp | |
| CBK92383 PLT Options | 6cp | |
| Total | 24cp |
Course program
All subjects are timetabled each session. The UTS Timetable Planner enables current and future UTS students to view subject timetables.
| Autumn or Spring commencing, full time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn or Spring session | ||
| 75424 Skills and Wills Practice | 6cp | |
| 75422 Property and Commercial Practice | 6cp | |
| 75423 Litigation Practice | 6cp | |
| 75411 Practical Experience - 65 days | 0cp | |
| Select 6 credit points of options | 6cp | |
| Autumn or Spring commencing, part time | ||
| Year 1 | ||
| Autumn or Spring session | ||
| 75424 Skills and Wills Practice | 6cp | |
| Select one of the following: | 6cp | |
| 75422 Property and Commercial Practice | 6cp | |
| 75423 Litigation Practice | 6cp | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Autumn or Spring session | ||
| Select one of the following: | 6cp | |
| 75423 Litigation Practice | 6cp | |
| 75422 Property and Commercial Practice | 6cp | |
| 75411 Practical Experience - 65 days | 0cp | |
| Select 6 credit points of options | 6cp | |
Professional recognition
This course satisfies the requirements for admission as a lawyer to the Supreme Court of NSW.
Other information
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