Dual Award for future lawyers
Bachelor of Laws (Swinburne) + Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (Leo Cussen)
As a Swinburne law student* you can choose to take part in a dual award program with Leo Cussen Centre for Law. This makes it possible to study your LLB at Swinburne, while also completing Practical Legal Training (the Swinburne program) at Leo Cussen.
Two steps are required before a person can apply to become a qualified Australian lawyer:
- Attain specific academic qualifications (e.g. a Bachelor of Laws)
- Successfully complete specified practical legal training (PLT) – either through an accredited course or through supervised legal training.
Leo Cussen Centre for Law is an independent not-for-profit centre widely recognised for their outstanding practical legal training course, the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (PLT). People intending to become lawyers normally enrol in this program after they have graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB).
Swinburne and Leo Cussen offer a dual award program that allows Swinburne law students to enrol in the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (PLT) at Leo Cussen while still completing their law degree at Swinburne*. This is also referred to on the Leo Cussen website as the “Swinburne PLT” course. This dual award program was accredited by VLAB in May 2017 and will be offered for the first time in July 2018.
Dual award enrolment requirements and options
There are two options for integration. In addition to the entry requirements set out below, students must also have completed all the Priestley 11 units prior to enrolling in the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (PLT).
Option 1: Integration of the PLT in the final year of study:
- Students need to overload their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) by at least two units prior to beginning their final year.
Option 2: Integration of the PLT the final semester of study:
- Students need to overload their Bachelor of Laws (LLB) so that they are only taking one LLB unit in the final semester of their LLB.
Swinburne offers law electives in summer and winter terms to ensure students are able to meet the entry requirements for the two integration options above.
For enrolment and course structure advice relevant to your needs, book an appointment with a Course Advice Specialist.
Apply Now
Apply for the Swinburne Practical Legal Training Course as offered through the Leo Cussen Centre for Law website and remember to select the ‘Swinburne’ option.
The Priestley 11
The term “the Priestley 11” refers to law subject areas all students must study in order to be eligible for admission to practice as a legal practitioner in Australia. At Swinburne the Priestley 11 units are:
|
Priestley 11 subject requirement for Victorian admission |
Equivalent Swinburne unit |
|---|---|
|
Criminal Law and Procedure |
LAW10015 Criminal Law and Procedure |
|
Torts |
LAW10014 Torts: LAW20008 Misleading Conduct, Economic Torts & Product Liability |
|
Contracts |
LAW10011 Contract Law |
|
Property both real (including Torrens system land) and personal |
LAW20013 Property Law LAW20014 Land Law |
|
Equity (including trusts) |
LAW30012 Equity and Trusts |
|
Administrative Law |
LAW20010 Administrative Law |
|
Federal and State Constitutional Law |
LAW20012 Federal and State Constitutional Law |
|
Civil Procedure |
LAW10012 Civil Procedure and Alternative Dispute Resolution |
|
Evidence |
LAW20009 Evidence |
|
Professional Conduct (including basic trust accounting) |
LAW30015 Legal Practice and Professional Conduct |
|
Company Law |
LAW30013 Company Law |
Further Information
Victorian Legal Admissions Board: https://www.lawadmissions.vic.gov.au/admission-procedure
Leo Cussen Centre for Law: https://www.leocussen.edu.au/
* This Dual Award is not available to Swinburne students on an international student visa, as this class of visa does not allow students to be enrolled at two separate institutions at the same time. Leo Cussen Centre for Law does offer practical legal training to people on student visas and this option is available once these students have graduated from Swinburne.