Contact details including name, date of birth and residential address will be required. Note: employers address not to be provided. Suburb/city cannot be a capital city unless you live in the capital.

If you change your name and it differs from that on your documentation (transcript, ID etc.) and you wish to be admitted in your new name, a certified copy of either your marriage certificate or your change of name certificate is to be uploaded in the online portal.

Supplementary collection of personal information such as ancestry and languages spoken are optional questions listed in the online portal. (External link) 

Applicant consent is required for all applications made via the online portal.  Questions will relate to VLAB sharing information or making enquiries from third persons for the purpose of applying for admission.  This can include health information and identification verification.

If you do not agree to consent, an application cannot be commenced, and you must make contact with VLAB.

The English Language Proficiency Guidelines  establish six pathways demonstrating how you can satisfy VLAB of your proficiency of written and spoken English to engage in legal practice in Australia.

All applicants are required to have completed at least the last two years of their secondary education (high school equivalent) and the entirety of their academic qualification (university equivalent) in English, in a recognised country (as stated in the Guidelines).  Otherwise, the applicant may be asked to undertake one of the two recognised English proficiency tests, IELTS (External link) and TOEFL iBT (External link) 

Further information on English language proficiency is available here.

Details of your employer must be provided including name of firm, contact details and name of your supervisor.  If your firm is not listed, please contact VLAB.

Supervised Legal Training is a minimum of 12 months under an eligible supervisor, during which time the trainee must acquire an appropriate understanding of and competence in each element of the skills, values and practice areas set out in Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015. Supervised Legal Training must not exceed 24 months.  Your commencement and completion date details are required to be entered into the online portal (External link).

An employer may apply to VLAB to teach Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Lawyer’s Skills and the Risk Management element of Work Management.  Once an employer has been approved to provide training in Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Lawyer's Skills and/or Risk Management that approval will be ongoing.

Training Provider Application
Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application as a training provider must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on training provider approval can be found here.

An employer may apply to VLAB for approval to provide training in a different nominated practice area.

Approval to Provide Training in Alternative Optional Practice Area - Employer Application

Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application to provide training in alternative optional practice area must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on how to provide training in an alternate optional practice area is available here.

If an employer has approval to provide training in an optional practice area a trainee must file a statutory declaration seeking dispensation in accordance with Rule 27(b) to allow variation to Clause 3, Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Rules 2015 to undertake a course of instruction in an alternative optional practice area.

Approval to Undertake Training In Alternative Optional Practice Area - Trainee Application
Unless you have received prior approval, an application for dispensation to undertake training in alternative optional practice area must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on how to seek dispensation to undertake training in an alternate optional practice area is available here.

An employer may apply to VLAB to engage a supervisor to supervise more than one trainee at the same time. A supervisor must not supervise more than one trainee at the same time without the prior approval of VLAB. A supervisor must hold a current Australian practising certificate and the statutory declaration must set out experience and background to be a supervisor to more than one trainee and the level of contact the supervisor will have with each of the trainees.

More Than One Trainee - Approval Application
Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application for more than one trainee must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on more than one trainee is available here.

Within one month of commencing Supervised Legal Training a Supervised Legal Training Plan must be submitted to VLAB for approval.  You must choose ten competencies in total, with maximums in each of the area types as listed per below:

• Values - 1
• Skills - 4
• Compulsory Practice Area - 3
• Optional Practice Area – 2
• Alternative Optional Practice Area – 2

If your employer HAS been granted approval to provide training in an alternative optional practice area, and you HAVE sought dispensation from the Board to undertake training in this area, then you may choose no more than two elements from the optional and/or alternative optional areas.

Your employer is required to complete and upload a Commencement of Training Plan Statutory Declaration available to download in the online portal outlining details such as trainee, supervisor and traineeship period.

Further information on the employers Statutory Declaration commencement of training plan is available here.

Your work diary is an online record of the training you intend to, and have completed, during your traineeship period.  The diary lists:

• Area Type
• Course Name
• Completion Status
• Where Completed

Further information on the SLT diary is available here.

Completion of Traineeship Employer
A Completion of Traineeship Employer Statutory Declaration available in the online portal is required to be completed and uploaded to the portal upon completion of your traineeship.

More information on the employers completion of traineeship is available here.

Completion of Traineeship Supervisor
A Completion of Traineeship Supervisor Statutory Declaration available in the online portal is required to be completed and uploaded to the portal upon completion of your traineeship.

Further information on the supervisor's completion of traineeship is available here.

You may wish to make an affirmation or take the oath of office at your admission ceremony.  Please consider your response carefully as you will not be able to change it in the future.  The oath of office will be read aloud, and you will be asked to say "I swear by all mighty God to do so" on your chosen religious text.  If you are making an affirmation of office, you will be asked to say "I do so declare and affirm."

Any applications for legal admission made in another Australian jurisdiction will need to be disclosed.

A national police report obtained via Victoria Police must be provided as part of your application.  The report must not be older than 6 months before the date of your application and must include all previous names by which you have been known.  If you currently, or have ever lived in Australia, apply via the Victoria Police website https://www.police.vic.gov.au/national-police-records-checks#apply-for-a-national-police-check (External link).

If you do not reside in Australia, you can apply online for an Australian National Police Certificate through the Australian Federal Police by visiting their website https://afpnationalpolicechecks.converga.com.au/ (External link) and selecting ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’ and then '33-Immigration/Citizenship’. (link to Police Reports page).  All reports are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link).

To be eligible for admission, we must confirm your identity.  Two forms of ID must be provided, one must include a name and address which must match that on your application. 

For applicants who have never resided in Australia you must provide a foreign passport as proof of identification. For applicants who are from a foreign jurisdiction and are residing in Australia, you must provide a foreign passport that has an Australian issued Visa (two separate documents counted as one form of ID) In addition to any foreign issued passport/visa, two other forms of ID must be provided, one must include the name and address as stated on your application. In total, three forms of ID must be provided for those relying on a foreign passport/visa.  All ID docs are to be uploaded in the online portal. (External link)

The list of acceptable forms of ID are available.

If you have been admitted in a foreign jurisdiction (outside Australia), you must arrange for an original certificate of good standing from the relevant professional body in any jurisdiction that you have been admitted. The certificate of good standing must state that you are in good standing and are not subject to any current or pending disciplinary matters.

The certificate of good standing should show the date on which you were admitted in that jurisdiction and must be dated no earlier than two months prior to the date that your application has been made.

The certificate must be sent directly to vlabdocuments@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) from all relevant professional bodies in any jurisdiction you have been admitted.

If you have ever lived in a foreign jurisdiction, list all jurisdictions including the years and months of residence.  If you have resided in a foreign jurisdiction for over three months in the past 12 months, you will be required to obtain a foreign police report from all jurisdictions.  VLAB will write to you and advise if a foreign police report is required. 

In determining what matters should be disclosed you must read the LACC Disclosure Guidelines for Applicants for Admissions to the Legal Profession.

Disclosure Statement
You must make full disclosure of any relevant matters in a statutory declaration and exhibit documentary evidence to support the details of the matter/s you are disclosing.  A disclosure is only required if you have a matter to disclose as per the Disclosure Guidelines.  Do NOT attempt to upload a disclosure statement that states there are no disclosures. In the event that you have nothing to disclose, it is not a requirement that you upload a declaration.  All disclosures are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link). A disclosure statement template is available here.

Capacity Statement
When deciding whether to grant a compliance certificate, VLAB must have regard to whether a person is currently able to carry out the inherent requirements of legal practice. A mental health condition may be relevant to consideration of this question and hence may need to be disclosed to the Board. If you wish to make a disclosure relating to capacity you should set out the details in a separate statutory declaration.  All capacity statements are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link). A capacity statement template is available here.

Template Certificate Identifying Exhibit to Statutory Declaration
If a statutory declaration refers to a separate document you must identify it as an exhibit.   A template certificate for the exhibit is available.

Further information on suitability is available here.

In order to be admitted, you may attend an in-person admission ceremony in the Supreme Court of Victoria or have your admission ordered by paper.  Please choose carefully as you will not be provided with an option to change your preferred admission type.

See more about admission preferences here.

Character statements must be made on a prescribed statutory declaration and signed in front of an authorised witness.  The types of statements available are:

• Applicant never previously admitted with disclosure statement
• Applicant never previously admitted without disclosure statement
• Applicant previously admitted in another jurisdiction with disclosure statement
• Applicant previously admitted in another jurisdiction without disclosure statement

Two of the same type of character statements are to be uploaded in the online portal. (External link)

Find out more information about local character statements here.

Find out more information about foreign character statements here.

When you have completed your application, you can print your “Application for Compliance Certificate” statutory declaration, and have it signed in front of an authorised witness.  The declaration is to be uploaded in the online portal.

Finalise and Submit 
Once your application is complete, click the “Finalise & Submit Application” button, VLAB will then continue with the assessment of your application.

A link to the Service Victoria payment page will be emailed to you when all documentation is complete.  You are unable to make any payment of fees prior to receiving this email.  No early requests for payment will be granted in any circumstance until your application is completed.  You can choose to make payment by either Visa, Mastercard or PayPal.

Payment must be received within 7 days of the email. If payment is not received your application for an admission ceremony may be deferred.

If you are unable to make payment within this timeframe, contact us vlab@justice.vic.gov.au (External link).

Further information on fees are available here.

The Form A Affidavit will be required as part of your application for admission if you choose a paper admission.  The Form A Affidavit is to be downloaded from the portal and uploaded once complete.  The Form A Affidavit will not be available to you until such time that a Compliance Certificate has been issued.  You will be sent an email directing you to return back to this section to complete the Form A Affidavit.

See more information here.