Program Overview

Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Overview

The Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice is a specialized, practical legal training (PLT) course designed for law graduates who wish to apply for admission to the legal profession in Western Australia. It is approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia and was the first PLT program to be delivered by a WA university.

Professional Recognition and Accreditation

The Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice fulfills the Practical Legal Training requirement for admission as a practitioner by the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

Admission Criteria

• A Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent qualification from a recognized university approved under the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2009 (WA), or prior written approval from the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia to enroll in the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice Course.
• Students who have less than 50 credits of optional units remaining in the undergraduate degree and have received written approval from the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia may be enrolled to commence the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice concurrently with enrollment in those optional units.

English Requirements

• IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System)
  • Writing: 6.0
  • Speaking: 6.0
  • Reading: 6.0
  • Listening: 6.0
  • Overall band score: 6.5

Fees and Scholarships

• Domestic fee-paying postgraduate
  • 2025 Fee year: $12,416*
  • 2026 Fee year: $12,416*
• Fees are indicative only and based on a first-year full-time study load of 200 credits.

Location

• Perth city

How to Apply

• Please review information on how to apply for the campus of your choice.
• Each campus has different application deadlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is practical legal training (PLT) and how long is the program at Curtin?
  • Practical Legal Training, commonly referred to as PLT, is a requirement for admission by the WA Supreme Court. An approved PLT course, like the one offered by Curtin, equips students with real-world legal proficiency. Curtin's PLT course commences in late January and culminates in September.
• Who is eligible for PLT?
  • Eligibility for PLT is primarily extended to students who have successfully completed an Australian law degree. International law graduates can also be considered eligible upon meeting LPBWA requisites and securing approval for PLT course enrollment.
• Are all PLT courses the same?
  • While all PLT courses in Australia adhere to the National Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers and necessitate LPBWA approval in WA, Curtin's offering is distinct. Our PLT seminars are conducted in-person at our CBD Law School campus, nestled in the very epicenter of Perth's legal precinct.
• What is the difference between practical legal training (PLT) and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP)?
  • As Curtin is a University, students who complete PLT at Curtin are conferred an academic qualification – the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.
• When can I start practical legal training (PLT)?
  • Our course commences every January.
• What qualification do I receive after completing practical legal training (PLT)?
  • Upon the successful completion of PLT at Curtin, you are eligible for admission as a legal practitioner by the Supreme Court of WA, and you receive a GDLP from Curtin University.

What You'll Learn

• Research, interpret, and apply knowledge of Western Australian and Commonwealth legal concepts, theory, procedure, statutory rules, case law principles, work management, and business skills and professional ethical responsibilities to understand, evaluate, and apply them in legal practice.
• Critically and creatively analyze complex legal problems to effectively identify and articulate the issues involved, generate innovative options, and apply legal reasoning to make a considered choice between competing solutions which best serves the needs of the client.
• Identify, access, assess, and synthesize relevant information from a client, primary legal sources such as cases and legislation, and secondary sources such as journal articles, commentaries, relevant websites, and precedents (including electronic versions of these sources), identify all relevant issues, and gather and present relevant information in practical oral and documentary advice, legal documentation, and communications.
• Identify and evaluate the needs of a client and the purpose of a proposed communication; accurately confirm instructions, effectively undertake inquiries, communicate the outcomes of legal research and analysis effectively, appropriately, practically, and persuasively to colleagues, clients, courts, and tribunals, other professionals, and the broader community.
• Use appropriate electronic resources (law libraries, on-line searches, electronic data bases, legal citators, and digests) - for advanced legal research and precedent identification purposes, use appropriate institutional databases for search and lodgement functions for legal documents, understand appropriate technologies to maintain trust and office accounts and file management, and be able to communicate effectively in electronic forms.
• Use learning by doing and observing, documenting in writing, and critically reflecting on your own and others' performance as legal professionals, making use of feedback as appropriate, demonstrating intellectual curiosity, including via research tasks and problem-solving, and demonstrating an understanding of resilience and well-being in the legal profession.
• Understand the similarities and differences between local and other jurisdictions, including interstate and overseas jurisdictions, and be aware of the client's and other practitioners' perspectives, be able to effectively represent clients in negotiations by recognizing other perspectives, and apply best practice file and client management practices.
• Demonstrate a highly developed understanding of, and be able to identify and respond appropriately to, cross-cultural verbal and non-verbal communication issues, particularly indigenous cultures, and the possible effect that these issues may have upon a client's dealings with the police, courts, government, and legal agencies.
• Understand, apply, and demonstrate professional responsibility and professional courtesy in all dealings with clients, the courts, and tribunals, the community, and other practitioners, and demonstrate ethical legal practice and professional integrity when working within a team and independently.

Course Outline

• Duration: The minimum duration of this course is 33 weeks. The coursework components of this course are undertaken across three study periods. The course also includes a workplace experience component of either 15 weeks within a Curtin-approved legal workplace or 10 weeks clinical experience in the John Curtin Law Clinic.
• Credit: A full-time study load usually consists of 200 credits (approximately eight units) per year, with 100 credits (approximately four units) in each semester.
• CRICOS: The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) Code indicates a registered program offered to international students studying in Australia on student visas.
• Location: The Curtin campuses or teaching locations where units of this course are offered. Perth city.

Deadlines for Applying Direct to Curtin