PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINING SOUTH AUSTRALIA
If you’re studying law in South Australia, Practical Legal Training (PLT) is the step that takes you from university into legal practice.
The College of Law’s PLT is recognised by the Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council (LPEAC), the body that oversees admission requirements in South Australia. It’s designed to help you build practical, job-ready skills through real legal tasks, with no written exams or academic essays.
Study full-time, part-time, or at a balanced pace. Complete most of your coursework online, with workshops delivered online or in person in Adelaide. You choose what works for your schedule.
WHAT IS PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINING (PLT) IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA?
Practical Legal Training (PLT) is the step you complete after your law degree before applying for admission as a lawyer in South Australia. It leads to the award of a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP), the qualification required to apply to the Supreme Court of South Australia.
PLT focuses on developing the practical skills lawyers use every day, including drafting, client communication, negotiation, and managing legal matters in a real-world context.
In South Australia, PLT programs are recognised by the Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council (LPEAC). The College of Law offers flexible study options, with multiple course formats, regular start dates, and the ability to complete most of your coursework online, so you can fit PLT around work and other commitments.
Key facts for South Australian graduates:
- Complete your PLT in 15–30 weeks of coursework, depending on your study mode
- Choose between 15 or 75 days of work experience
- More than 80% of your coursework is completed online
- Attend 5 workshop days, 10 days (balanced), or evening workshops
- Learn through practical legal tasks that reflect real legal work
- Graduate with a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP), recognised by LPEAC
WHAT YOU'LL COVER IN PLT
The program is made up of seven subjects, five core and two electives, delivered through a mix of online coursework and scheduled workshops.
COURSEWORK
Less theory. More real legal work.
Your coursework is designed to build practical legal skills step by step, through a mix of online tasks and workshops.
Most of your learning happens online, where you’ll work through practical legal tasks like drafting documents, advising clients, and managing files, with feedback from your facilitator.
Workshops are built into your coursework and focus on skills that benefit from real-time interaction, like advocacy, negotiation, and client interviews. These are highly interactive and run as role-plays and guided exercises.
Depending on your course:
- You’ll attend 5 days of workshops, or
- 10 days on campus, or
- 10 evening workshops online
Workshops can be completed online or in person in Adelaide, depending on your course and your preference.
No written exams. No essays. Just practical legal experience.
Instead, you’ll build your skills in a supportive environment before applying them in a real workplace.
- Practical tasks: Work through simulated legal files (around 2-3 tasks per week in the full-time course, or 1–2 tasks per week part-time), with feedback from your facilitator.
- Huddles: Optional small-group sessions to ask questions and talk through your work.
- Progress quizzes: Short knowledge checks at the end of each subject. You can retake them, so they’re designed to support your learning.
- Practice ready reviews: A 45-minute open-book conversation with a supervising lawyer at the end of each subject. It mirrors how a junior solicitor would report to a supervising partner on a file.
- Lawyer Skills - covers client communication, file management, legal research, drafting
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility - covers professional obligations, conflicts, confidentiality, trust accounting
- Civil Litigation Practice - covers court procedures, evidence, interlocutory applications, dispute resolution
- Property Law Practice - covers conveyancing, leases, mortgages, property due diligence
- Commercial and Corporate Practice - covers company formation, contracts, shareholder agreements, compliance
- Administrative Law Practice
- Criminal Law Practice
- Family Law Practice
- Consumer Law Practice
- Employment and Industrial Law Practice
- Planning and Environmental Law Practice
- Wills and Estates Practice
- Banking and Finance Practice
WORK EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Options
Option 1:
75 days' work experience
Complete 75 days in a legal workplace.
Option 2:
15 days + 6-week online program
Complete 15 days of work experience plus an additional six weeks of online coursework.
Work experience is your chance to see how legal work operates in a real-world setting.
As part of Practical Legal Training in South Australia, you’ll complete either 15 or 75 days of work experience, depending on the pathway you choose. This gives you the opportunity to build practical skills and gain insight into how matters are handled day to day.
You’ll arrange your own placement and can complete your days in one organisation or across multiple workplaces.
You don’t need to have a placement secured before you enrol. Many students complete their work experience alongside their coursework, or at a time that suits their schedule.
As a College of Law student, you’ll also have access to Career Coaches who can help you get started, prepare applications, and plan your placement.
HOW LONG DOES PLT TAKE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA?
In South Australia, the coursework component of Practical Legal Training (PLT) typically takes between 15 and 30 weeks, depending on the study option you choose.
You’ll also complete work experience in a legal workplace. In South Australia, this can be either 15 days or 75 days, depending on the pathway you select.
The total time it takes to complete PLT will depend on when you complete your work experience. Some students complete their placement alongside their coursework, while others may complete part or all of it before or after their course.
Once you’ve completed both your coursework and work experience, you’ll be awarded a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP), which allows you to apply for admission in South Australia.
Entry Requirements for South Australia PLT
Most students start PLT after completing their law degree, but in South Australia you may be able to begin earlier in some cases with approval from the Board of Examiners.
You can enrol if you have:
- Completed your law degree (including double degrees)
- Sat your final law degree examination
- Received your exam results by the program census date
Stale learning clause
If your law degree was completed more than five years ago, the Board of Examiners will need to assess your qualifications before you enrol.
Early Commencement (with Board of Examiners Approval)
In some cases, you may be able to start PLT in South Australia before completing your law degree.
To do this, you’ll need approval from the Board of Examiners (BOE). To apply, you’ll need to:
- Have completed all Priestley 11 subjects
- Have no more than two electives remaining
- Be enrolled in those subjects
- Receive approval from the Board of Examiners (BOE)
You’ll need to provide proof of BOE approval by the census date.
COURSE FORMATS AND STUDY LOAD
You can choose a study option that fits your schedule. All formats lead to the same GDLP.
You can switch between study modes after enrolling. Changes after the census date may involve a fee.
FULL-TIME
15 weeks
30-35 hrs study per week
5 days held on the Adelaide campus
Students who can dedicate themselves to full-time study and want to finish quickly
BALANCED
18 weeks
15–17 hours
10 days on the Adelaide campus
Students who want a slightly longer runway with more scheduled workshop time
PART-TIME
30 weeks
15–17 hours
5 daytime sessions or 12 evening sessions (after 5:30 pm), held on the Adelaide campus or online
Students who are working, have caring responsibilities, or prefer a steadier pace
FEES & PAYMENT
Program Fees
Practical Legal Training
Domestic $9,200
International $13,270
Optional 15 days' work experience & 6-week coursework
Domestic $1,690
International $1,690
What’s included
Your PLT fee covers everything you need to complete the course. This includes:
- All learning materials and platform access
- One-on-one career consultations: available during your PLT and for one year after you finish
- Access to a legal practitioner mentor
- Access to College Connect, our online student community
- Ongoing support from facilitators and student services
Payment options
- FEE-HELP (eligible students)
- Upfront payment
- Scholarships and bursaries
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council (LPEAC). Completing the program awards you a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP), which meets the practical legal training requirement for admission.
You can apply to the Supreme Court of South Australia for admission.
Yes. If you've finished your Priestley 11 subjects and have two or fewer elective subjects remaining, you can apply to the Board of Examiners for approval to start PLT early.
Yes. We offer courses with 12 evening sessions (after 5:30 pm) instead of 5 daytime sessions.
Yes. In South Australia, the part-time evening course has 12 online workshops held in the evening after 5.30pm. Alongside these workshops, you’ll also complete coursework online through our learning portal.
To count towards your PLT, your work experience must:
- Occur in the delivery of legal services
- Be under the supervision of an appropriate supervisor
- Comply with the work experience rules
You can find out if your work experience can count towards your PLT by submitting an Application for Approval Form to support@collaw.edu.au
This form can be submitted before you enrol at the College of Law, and we’ll keep a record of your work experience.
Yes, provided you complete the Remote Supervision Diary and follow the Work Experience Rules.
Yes. Australia's mutual recognition framework means that once admitted in South Australia, you can apply for admission in other states and territories.
You’ll need your qualifications assessed by the Board of Examiners. You may be required to complete additional subjects before starting PLT.
Yes. Eligible domestic students can use FEE-HELP to cover the PLT fee and the 15-day work experience option if selected.
ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF LAW SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The College of Law has been educating the legal profession for more than 50 years. Established in 1974, the College has helped over 100,000 graduates start their legal careers across Australia.
In South Australia, the College has delivered Practical Legal Training since XXXX, supporting law graduates as they transition from university into legal practice. The program is approved by the Legal Practitioners Education and Admission Council (LPEAC), the authority responsible for accrediting PLT providers in the state.
Our Adelaide campus at 19 Grenfell Street places students in the centre of the city’s legal precinct, close to courts, law firms, and the profession they are preparing to join.
As a not-for-profit provider, the College works closely with practising lawyers, employers, and the wider profession to ensure its Practical Legal Training reflects the skills needed in modern legal practice.
The College delivers PLT programs across Australia, with campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth, and courses accredited by the relevant legal admissions authorities in each state.
