Admissions Committee and LACC launch national survey as part of a review of Practical Legal Training

The Admissions Committee of the Legal Services Council and the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC) have launched a national survey of legal practitioners as part of a comprehensive review of Practical Legal Training (PLT).

This landmark review responds to concerns that PLT may no longer meet the needs of the modern legal profession. It aims to ensure that PLT equips new lawyers with the skills and values required in today’s legal landscape. It will also consider how PLT can be provided in a cost effective way which is achievable for new lawyers and graduates.

The review is examining how the content and delivery of PLT programs, including cost and quality,  might be improved to develop national proposals for reform. This work builds upon earlier research regarding entry level lawyers in Queensland, and the ongoing review of PLT in NSW led by the NSW Legal Practitioners Admission Board, with a view to nationally consistent reform.

To support this work, the Legal Services Council has engaged Urbis Ltd to conduct a national survey of legal practitioners (excluding New South Wales, where a similar survey has already been completed). The survey will:

• Identify the legal skills and values that are essential for new lawyers to be ready to enter supervised legal practice across the range of contemporary practice environments
• Understand when and how these skills and values should be taught; and
• Explore opportunities to enhance the delivery of PLT nationally.

Legal practitioners are invited to participate if they have:

• Completed PLT in the past ten years (including supervised legal training or legal traineeships); and/or
• Supervised an early career lawyer during their first two years of practice.

The Hon. Justice François Kunc, Chair of the Admissions Committee and the LACC, encouraged practitioners to take part:

“This review is an opportunity to have your say and shape the future of PLT.  The voice of the profession is essential to ensure that PLT prepares new lawyers with the skills and values that they need to start practice, now and into the future.”

Mr Sitesh Bhojani, Chair of the Legal Services Council, added: 

“The Legal Services Council is proud to support this important initiative. The survey will provide the evidence base needed to guide meaningful national reform and ensure PLT remains fit for purpose in a changing legal environment. Your input matters.”

They survey closes on 21 November 2025. The Committees thank the following bodies for their support in distributing the survey:

• ACT Law Society
• ACT Bar Association
• Northern Territory Law Society
• Queensland Law Society
• Queensland Bar Association
• Law Society of South Australia
• Law Society of Tasmania
• Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner
• Legal Practice Board in Western Australia

Legal practitioners in New South Wales are not being asked to complete the survey, as their feedback has already been captured through a local consultation.

The Admissions Committee and LACC thank the legal profession for its ongoing support and look forward to using the insights gathered to inform the next phase of the review.