How to Become a Lawyer in Australia

Choose where you want to be admitted (your 'home jurisdiction')

Admission is done state-by-state/territory-by-territory (e.g., WA, NSW, VIC). Your jurisdiction matters because the admission authority, forms, and timing rules can differ.¹

Complete an approved Australian law degree (LLB or JD)

You need an approved academic qualification (usually an LLB or JD) that covers the prescribed academic areas of knowledge (often called the 'Priestley 11' content).² ³

In the Uniform Admission Rules framework used in multiple jurisdictions (including WA), the academic areas are set out in Schedule 1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules.³

Complete Practical Legal Training (PLT)

After (and usually not before) your law degree, you must complete Practical Legal Training through an approved PLT provider.¹ ⁴

PLT is designed to ensure you can actually do the work of an entry-level lawyer (drafting, advising, interviewing, ethics, etc.), and it commonly includes a workplace experience component guided by national standards.⁵

Satisfy 'suitability' (fit and proper) and related requirements

You must be assessed as a fit and proper person to be admitted.¹ This involves full and frank disclosure of matters that could bear on character (e.g., criminal history, academic misconduct, serious financial issues), and you should treat this step as a formal process, not a box-tick.¹ ⁶

Some jurisdictions also require you to satisfy English language proficiency requirements.¹

Apply for admission (Supreme Court) and attend the ceremony

Once your academic + PLT requirements are done (or close to completion, depending on local process), you apply for admission in your jurisdiction.

Example: Western Australia

• The Supreme Court of WA states that an application is made by an originating motion for admission and must be filed at least 2 months before the proposed admission date.⁷
• The Court publishes admission dates, filing deadlines, and provides the motion template and filing guidance.⁸

At the ceremony, you are 'moved' for admission (a currently admitted practitioner typically moves your admission in open court).⁹

Get a practising certificate (so you can practise as a solicitor/lawyer)

Being admitted makes you an Australian lawyer, but to engage in legal practice you generally need a current Australian practising certificate issued by the relevant regulator in your jurisdiction.¹⁰

In WA, the Legal Practice Board explains that to engage in legal practice in Western Australia, a lawyer must hold a current Australian practising certificate, and practising certificates are renewed annually.¹⁰