A person wishing to be admitted as an Australian lawyer must complete a course of study under Part 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Rules 2015 (External link)prior to commencing a practical legal training course.

A person who is seeking dispensation to commence their practical legal training course prior to completing their academic studies must apply to the Board. See Guide for Concurrent Study.

Applications can only be received from those who have completed all of their Priestley 11 subjects and have no more than two subjects remaining.

All applications for concurrent study must be made via the online portal (External link).

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Can I apply for concurrent study?
 

To be considered for concurrent study you must have completed, and received the results, for all of the Priestley 11 subjects and have no more than two electives remaining to complete your law degree.

Concurrent study applications can be made on the VLAB website via the VLAB online application portal (External link).

To apply you will need to create an online application:

  • select PLTC application type;
  • proceed to step 3, answer YES to the first question “Have you commenced a PLT prior to completion of your academic studies?”; and
  • NO to the second question “Have you sought and obtained pre-approval of your concurrent study from VLAB?”.

A field will open where you are required to upload a copy of your academic transcript or statement of results and a letter from your university confirming the remaining subject/s to complete your law degree.

In addition, you will need to provide information about your PLT provider and intended commencement date.

Please note your concurrent study application will not be considered until the required documents have been uploaded to your online application.

If you intend to commence PLT you should ensure that you application is submitted to VLAB a minimum of 10 business days prior to commencement of your course.

Further information can be found in the Guide for Concurrent Study available here.

 

VLAB has approved my concurrent study.  How do I start my application for admission?

Your concurrent study application forms one section of your application for admission.  If approval was received, you can continue your application as normal.

If concurrent study has been approved and is no longer required, please email vlab@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) to let us know, and continue your application as normal.