Practical Legal Training in the ACT

Leo Cussen’s PLT course can be completed full-time or part-time.

Full-time PLT takes 20 weeks plus professional placement.

Part-time PLT takes 30 weeks plus professional placement.

Professional placement runs for 15 days and there are options to complete this concurrently with your PLT coursework

Yes – in most cases, completing a PLT (or equivalent course) is a compulsory step before seeking admission as a legal practitioner.

PLT is generally started after you’ve completed your degree, or in some cases, beforehand, when you only have two elective subjects left to do in your studies.

Most students start the PLT after completing their legal qualification at university. However in some jurisdictions you may be able to commence the PLT if you have no more than two elective subjects left to do in your studies.

The course qualifies you with a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) and eligibility to apply for Admission to the legal profession in any Australian state or territory.

For our Blended and Online courses, there are 10 face-to-face training days (called ‘immersives’). There are 4 immersive days at the beginning of the course, 3 in the middle and 3 at the end.

These days can be attended via video conferencing (for the Online course) or in-person (for the Blended course).

For our onsite courses, there are two days of in-person attendance each week for the duration of the course, as well as 10 face-to-face immersive days.

The attendance days are mandatory and scheduled on specific dates. For attendance dates, please see the Dates and Fees page.

If you are unable to attend a date due to illness or extenuating circumstances, we will work with you to organise a catch-up day.

In addition to your course work, you are also required to complete 15 days of placement in a legal setting. There are options to complete this either during or after your PLT course.

If you would like us to find your professional placement for you, Leo Cussen can organise this for an additional fee (which can be put on FEE-HELP) Please see the Dates and Fees page for details of current fees.

From day one, you’ll be assigned a dedicated mentor who is also an experienced lawyer. Your mentor will guide you through the whole course, and offer personalised coaching as you complete your PLT, get admitted and start your legal career.

You’ll also have access to tailored placement, careers, and admission support to help get you job-ready.

Yes. You will have access to a dedicated careers office staffed with qualified career consultants who have experience in the legal profession. With hundreds of employers in our network and decades of experience, we’ll help equip you with the tools you need to enhance your job search, and get you job ready.

Yes. Leo Cussen provides personalised admission support for every PLT student at no additional cost. This means you’ll get dedicated one-on-one help with your application to become an Australian lawyer.

Yes. The Australian legal profession allows for mutual recognition of admission across all Australian states and territories. If you complete our PLT course in one state/territory, there are pathways to practise law in all other states/territories.

Yes. FEE-HELP is available for our PLT courses for eligible graduates.

Yes. Students without access to FEE-HELP can apply for a payment plan.

In our PLT, you’ll learn how to become a lawyer by working in a simulated law firm under the supervision of lawyers. You’ll work on mock files based on real cases. And you’ll learn how to apply what you learned at law school to a real-world setting.

This means you will essentially be treated as a first-year lawyer, and given tasks that reflect the real-world of legal practice.
The cases and files you work on will include:

• Property transaction: you will sell or buy residential property
• Commercial transaction: you will sell or buy a business
• Civil Litigation: you will represent a plaintiff or defendant in a breach of contract case

You will also choose two of the following electives:

• Administrative law, Family law, Consumer law, Criminal law, Employment law, Planning/Environment law, Wills/Estates law, or Banking/Finance law.

Through running those matters, you will develop skills in areas such as advocacy, negotiation, drafting and client interviewing – all the key skills that employers look for when hiring graduates.

You will also complete a 15-day (20-day in WA) placement in a real legal setting.

No, there are no tests or exams in the Leo Cussen PLT.

Our PLT reflects real-life legal practice. So you’ll only do tasks that lawyers would do. Instead of assessments, we provide meaningful feedback on your simulated legal tasks, and give you an opportunity to resubmit if needed. No more exam pressure!

Yes, there are pathways for international students to complete our Practical Legal Training course.

Leo Cussen has a dedicated International Student team to guide you through the process for completing the PLT and getting admitted. Assistance can be provided in areas such as:

• Visa guidance & support 
• Options to complete the course online or onsite
• Quicker pathways to admission for some international students
• Support services, including referrals to migration lawyers
• Tailored career advice
• Access to flexible payment plans
• Pathways for students with law degrees from Australia or overseas

Leo Cussen is accredited by the Legal Practitioners Admission Board of the ACT as an authorised local provider of PLT in the Australian Capital Territory.

You can view the Terms and Conditions for Enrolment here.