LAW INDUSTRY BASICS

COMPLETING A LAW DEGREE AT UNIVERSITY IS THE FIRST OF A NUMBER OF STEPS TO BECOMING A FULLY QUALIFIED LAWYER. THIS SECTION WILL INTRODUCE YOU TO THE STEPS YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE TO BECOMING A PRACTICING LAWYER.

UNIVERSTIY DEGREE The first step to becoming qualified as a lawyer in Queensland is completing an LLB program that consists of a number of core subjects, often referred to as ‘black letter’ law subjects or ‘the Priestley 11’ (such as Torts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Corporate Law). You also need to take some electives, where you can choose to follow any interests you may have in particular areas of law (e.g. Family Law) or subjects in different faculties and disciplines.

PRACTICAL LEGAL TRAINGING (PLT) Towards or at the end of your LLB degree, you are required to undertake a course called practical legal training, that aims to provide you with an opportunity to apply all the technical knowledge that you did over the course of your degree. Once you successfully complete your PLT, you will be ready to become an admitted solicitor to the profession.

ADMISSION Once you have completed your PLT, you will apply to become ‘admitted’ to the profession. This is a process of applying to the Supreme Court of Queensland to review your character against criteria set out in legislation. Upon a successful admission, you will be issued with what is called a ‘Solicitors Practising Certificate’. This qualifies you to practice as a solicitor. To practice as a barrister, you need a barristers practicing certificate, further discussed below. POST-ADMISSION EXPERIENCE (PAE) When you begin your job search, you will see the acronym ‘PAE’ pop up from time to time. It stands for post-admission experience and describes how many years’ experience you should ideally have had after you became an admitted solicitor. So, any work you have done as a paralegal or clerk while you were still at uni is excluded from this.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) The learning does not stop upon becoming admitted. To be continually recognised as a solicitor, the Queensland Law Society requires that you clock up a minimum of 10 ‘CPD’ points a year. CPD means what it sounds like. CPD is a professional and ethical responsibility designed to keep lawyers up to date on their technical knowledge and practical skills so that they provide their clients with top-notch legal services.

BECOMING A BARRISTER Once you have completed your LLB, PLT and obtained your Solicitors Practising Certificate, you can embark on the following steps to become a barrister: Pass three Queensland Bar examinations Pass the Bar Practical Course Apply for a barrister’s practising certificate Undertake the Readership program, where you will get more practical experience for at least 12 months under the supervision of two mentors (usually more senior members of the Bar).

COMMON CAREER PATHS Clerkships Graduate jobs Associateships

ALTERNATIVE ROUTES Not everyone will receive a clerkship, and not everyone is suited to a clerkship. There is no need to fret if you do not feel the clerkship call or you apply for all of them and receive no offers. There is still a plethora of other career routes that will lead you to great success. The QUT Law Faculty and the QUTLS host many events throughout the year that give you the chance to engage with professionals from every corner of the legal industry, such as top tier firms, community legal centres, the courts, and government.

AN INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

Top Tier Firms Community Law Firms Mid Tier Firms LegalTech / Startups Boutique / Specialist Firms Courts / Tribunals Policy and Government Academia In-house Legal Counsel Alternative Disute Resolution

Having a law degree does not mean that you must practice law. The skills you will acquire through undergraduate legal training (critical thinking, creative problem-solving, persuasion, research, oral and written communication, time management, and people skills) can be transferred over to any and every industry.

FINDING A JOB AT UNI • Seek • Indeed • Unihub • Goinglobal • LinkedIn Jobs • Facebook groups – QUT Law Students, QUTLS also post available jobs • QUT Unihub • Jobs board • Student success workshops • Book career one-on-one appointments

wCareer educators can review your resume, cover letter, and any responses to selection criteria before you apply for a job! (QR code to this maybe?)

Also keep your eye out for the QUTLS Springboard Careers Guide that will be published in April! This guide will provide more information about the various job options that are open to you.