Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice
Approach the bench
The Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) is a compulsory requirement to be admitted as a barrister and solicitor in South Australia. It provides practical legal training for law graduates.
To apply, you must have successfully completed a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), or met the criteria specified by admitting authorities in your state or territory. If you studied your LLB overseas you’ll need to have your qualifications accredited by the South Australian Board of Examiners before you can commence the GDLP. You can contact the Law Society of South Australia to discuss these requirements.
What will you do?
The GDLP program is designed to be flexible around other requirements. You’ll choose between weekday, after-hours and weekend classes. There is also an accelerated pathway, which can be completed in 20 weeks. You will:
- complete five core courses
- select two electives aligned to your interests and career goals
- undertake five hours minimum of continuing professional development
- build real-world skills through 30 days (225 hours) of legal practice placement.
After gaining admission, you can apply for a Practising Certificate in other Australian states and territories via mutual recognition.
Campus Information
North Terrace
The campus provides a mix of the historical and contemporary, combining old sandstone buildings with state-of-the-art teaching, learning and research facilities.
Intakes
- Feb
- April
- July
- Oct
Application Processing Time in Days: 10
Minimum English Language Requirements
English Level Description | IELTS (1.0 -9.0) | TOEFL IBT (0-120) | TOEFL CBT (0-300) | PTE (10-90) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Expert | 9 | 120 | 297-300 | 86-90 | |
Very Good | 8.5 | 115-119 | 280-293 | 83-86 | |
Very Good | 8 | 110-114 | 270-280 | 79-83 | |
Good | 7.5 | 102-109 | 253-267 | 73-79 | |
Good | 7 | 94-101 | 240-253 | 65-73 | |
Competent | 6.5 | 79-93 | 213-233 | 58-65 | |
Competent | 6 | 60-78 | 170-210 | 50-58 | |
Modest | 5.5 | 46-59 | 133-210 | 43-50 | |
Modest | 5 | 35-45 | 107-133 | 36-43 | |
Limited | 4 | 32-34 | 97-103 | 30-36 | |
Extremely Limited | < 4 | < 31 | < 93 | < 30 |
Job Opportunity Potential
There are three key steps you will need to take when addressing the selection criteria in any University of Adelaide job application:
- Create a new document. Your statement addressing the position’s specified selection criteria should be separate from your cover letter and resume.
- List each criterion separately. Give each a title, using exactly the same wording as appears on the Position Description (e.g. Excellent verbal communication skills).
- Address each criterion. Under each heading, write two short paragraphs explaining how your experience, skills, education and training equip you to meet that specific requirement. Dot points are also acceptable.
Please note that failing to submit a statement addressing the selection criteria could result in your application not being considered.
Some helpful writing tips
There are a number of steps you can take when putting together your responses to increase their clarity and impact.
- Give details of one or two specific things you’ve done that are good examples of the relevant experience or knowledge required. For example: ‘I was responsible for organising an event attended by… This involved…'
- Preface these examples with a short overview that shows you appreciate the relevance of the specific criterion.
- Quantify your experience (number of years worked, staff supervised, etc.). For example: ‘I delivered a presentation to an industry forum with an audience of 80 people.’
- Where possible, indicate how successfully you meet the criterion. You could do this by referring to feedback from others, or things you've set up that are still being used. For example: ‘A report I wrote about… was endorsed by the… Committee and circulated to all stakeholders for discussion.
You could also consider using the STAR method as a structural framework when describing examples of your work. This involves describing, in the order listed here, the:
- situation you faced
- task required, and desired outcome
- action you took to complete the task
- results you achieved, and lessons you learned.
PSW Opportunity
The additional year of post study work rights is not available to international students studying in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
Bachelor Degree or Masters by Coursework Degree - 2 years - 3 years (Adelaide)
Masters by Research - 3 years - 4 years (Adelaide)
PhD qualification - 4 years - 5 years (Adelaide)
Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria
Entry to postgraduate coursework programs as a minimum requires a Bachelors degree or equivalent qualification from an approved institution as a qualification for entry.
Some of the graduate certificates and graduate diplomas that are offered may be accepted as qualifying work for entry to a Masters program, or as professional qualifications in their own right.
IELTS Overall 6.5 Reading 6.5 Listening 6.5 Speaking 7 Writing 7
- Course Code: 077967G
- Course Type: Full Time
- Course Level: Post Graduate Diploma or Certificate
- Duration: 01 Year
-
Total Tuition Fee:
19000 AUD
Annual Cost of Living: 24505 AUD
Application Fee: 100 AUD
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