Public Consultation on Uniform Admission Rules changes to Schedule 2 Clause 5 (PLT Competency Standards)

12 March 2018

On 21 February 2018 the Legal Services Council (LSC) approved the release of draft changes to Schedule 2 cl 5 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015 (UARs) for public consultation. Schedule 2 of the UARs outlines the practical legal training (PLT) competencies for entry-level lawyers.   

The objectives of Schedule 2 are:

1. to incorporate, and
2. to adapt, as far as is practicable and convenient for the purposes of the rules, the form of the PLT Competency Standards for Entry-level Lawyers published by the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC), which came into effect on 1 January 2015.

On 27 October 2017 LACC altered cl 4 of its PLT Competency Standards for Entry-level Lawyers, by retaining the text of cl 4 but re-numbering it cl 4.1 and including a new cl 4.2. The Council has resolved to mirror LACC's changes in the UARs by amending Sch 2 cl 5 accordingly. 

The UARs Sch 2 cl 5 adopted and comprised cl 4 of the LACC PLT Competency Standards for Entry-level Lawyers. The effect of the proposed changes is to prescribe how the minimum requirement of 15 days of workplace experience is to be completed; that is, at a rate of at least two full days per week or four half days per week.

The proposed clause 5.2(g) also allows a PLT provider to grant credit for any workplace experience acquired by an applicant up to two calendar years after the applicant has completed the programmed training component of a PLT course.

Submissions may be forwarded to: submissions@legalservicescouncil.org.au by COB Thursday 12 April 2018.

Amendment of Schedule 2 Clause 5 Legal Profession Admission Rules 2015