Throughout each rotation, you will be supported by a mentor, who is a practising lawyer, providing personalised coaching to help you develop the skills and values necessary for reflective practice. In addition to mentoring you, they’ll also serve as your supervising lawyer during the rotations. In this role they will guide you through each client file, offering hands-on experience and insights.
While completing your PLT at Leo Cussen, you’ll progress through rotations that simulate the experience of a graduate in a law firm. Here’s a brief overview of each rotation:
Induction: This rotation helps you transition from university to legal work. You’ll be introduced to the key skills you’ll need to develop as a new lawyer, become familiar with the course structure, the pathway to admission, and the legal profession you’re about to join.
Transactions: In this rotation, you will handle client files in the Property Law and Commercial and Corporate practice areas, gaining hands-on experience in these essential fields.
Specialist: Here, you’ll choose two practice areas to specialise in. Options include:
- Administrative Law
- Banking & Finance
- Consumer Law
- Criminal Law
- Employment Law
- Family Law
- Planning & Environment (VIC, NSW, QLD only)
- Wills & Estates
Disputes: During this rotation, you’ll work in our simulated law practice environment acting for a business navigating a disputed agreement, get experience appearing in court and represent your client at a negotiation. It’s just like real work but in a learning setting.
Profession Ready: This final rotation is where you draw together all your skills, ready to commence your legal career.
Each rotation is crafted to build on your skills and provide a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of legal practice.
Throughout the PLT program, you’ll engage in immersive workshop learning designed to enhance the interpersonal skills essential for a successful legal career. Immersive learning varies depending on the mode of instruction.
In Blended, Online and Onsite programs, you will participate in three key ‘Immersives’ throughout the program. Each immersive is a multi-day, face-to-face learning block where you will interact with mentors and fellow graduates. These immersive sessions occur during the Induction, Specialist, and Profession Ready rotations.
For the Blended and Onsite programs, these immersives are conducted in person at the designated locations. For the Online program, immersives are held virtually via video conferencing.
From Week 12 onwards, you will participate in the Leo Justice Lab, where you will work in teams to create innovative policy or technology solutions that make a tangible impact on justice. This experience will help you develop essential skills for the future of law, including legal design, and collaborative problem-solving.
Building on the skills you’ve developed through the PLT program, the professional placement offers you a chance to gain practical experience in real-world legal work.
You’ll apply the skills acquired during the program in a professional setting, with the possibility of completing your placement at a law firm, a community legal centre, a government department’s legal office, or in-house.
The professional placement is a mandatory component of our PLT program, requiring 20 days in WA and 15 days in all other states to fulfil admission requirements for legal practice.
Leo Cussen offers a placement coordination service for an additional fee.
