Admission in Victoria
Council of Legal Education
CoLE is a statutory body that sets policy and makes rules in regard to legal education. The Council is part of the State Legal Admission Authority and assesses applicants for their suitability to practise. CoLE's assessment can be provided to DIAC by overseas practitioners as part of a visa application.
Contact details:
Council of Legal Education
Ground Floor, 451 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9603 2407
Fax: (03) 9603 2414
Email: colevic@justice.vic.gov.au
Board of Examiners
The Board of Examiners (BoE) processes applications for admission. The Board is responsible for overseeing admission to practise as an Australian lawyer of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Contact details:
Street Address:
Ground Floor, 451 Little Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph:
03 9603 2451
Fax: 03 9603 2414
www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au - Board of Examiners
Legal Services Board
A number of entities perform functions under the Legal Profession Act 2004. These include the Legal Services Board, the Legal Services Commissioner, the Council of Legal Education and others.
The Legal Services Board has a wide range of regulatory functions, a number of which have been delegated to the professional associations in Victoria (the Law Institute of Victoria and the Victorian Bar). Delegated functions are carried out in accordance with any applicable Board policy.
Practising certificate matters (grant, renewal, suspension, cancellation) are delegated to the Victorian Bar (for barristers) and to the Law Institute of Victoria (for other practitioners).
Contact details:
Street Address
Level 10, 330 Collins Street, Melbourne Vic 3000
Postal address
GPO Box 4937 V V, Melbourne, Vic 3001
DX 170 Melbourne
Ph: (03) 9679 8000
Fax: (03) 9679 8100
Email: admin@lsb.vic.gov.au
Law Institute of Victoria (LIV)
The Institute is the professional body representing practising solicitors in Victoria and membership is voluntary. The LIV administers the issuing of practising certificates to solicitors as an accredited RPA on behalf of the Legal Services Commission.
Contact details:
Practitioner Information Centre
Law Institute of Victoria
Ground Floor, 470 Bourke Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000
Postal Address: GPO Box 263C Melbourne 3001
DX 350 Melbourne
Ph: (03) 9607 9470 or (03) 9607 9322
Email: members@liv.asn.au
Web: www.liv.asn.au
The Victorian Bar
The Victorian Bar is the professional association for practising barristers in Victoria. Among other things it administers the issuing of practising certificates for barristers as a professional association on behalf of the Legal Services Board and it administers the Bar Roll.
www.vicbar.com.au/index.aspx
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How many ceremonies are held each year?
A. There is one admission ceremony held each month of the year except January, June and July.
http://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au – Board of Examiners - Admission
Q. How far in advance are applications for admission required?
A. Please see the information about timelines and supporting documents available on the Board of Examiners pages on the Supreme Court website
Q. What does an application for admission involve? Where can I access this information?
A. See above and Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2008
www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au
Q. For academic degrees, what are the requirements of the Court?
A. Bachelor of Laws from a Victorian university with subjects passed in 11 specified subjects :
- Criminal law and procedures
- Torts
- Contracts
- Property both real (including Torrens system land) and personal
- Equity (including Trusts)
- Administrative law
- Federal and state constitutional law
- Civil procedure
- Evidence
- Professional conduct (including basic trust accounting)
- Company law
For more information see the LIV's Education Requirements.
Q. Are interstate or overseas degrees acceptable?
- Interstate: Yes
Bachelor of Laws from an interstate university and a certificate from one of Deakin, Latrobe, Monash or Melbourne universities.
- Overseas: May be acceptable
Holders of an overseas degree, who wish to practise Australian law in Victoria, need to contact CoLE of educational qualifications (see above).
For more information see the LIV's Education Requirements.
Q. Is an applicant admitted as a legal practitioner, solicitor, barrister or both?
A. Admitted as a barrister, solicitor and officer of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Q. Does the applicant need to be present at the ceremony?
A. Yes
Q. Is a mover for the admission required?
A. Yes, and the mover must already be admitted as a barrister, solicitor and officer of the Court.
Q. Can the PLT provider assist to arrange a mover for admission?
A. Possibly, but this should be arranged by the applicant through contacts established in the work experience phase of the Program.
Q. Who is the appropriate contact for general admission and related enquiries?
A. Board of Examiners Office
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