LAWYERS (Solicitors)
As an overseas qualified lawyer, you must have your academic qualifications and practical legal training assessed by the Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB) of NSW before being admitted to the profession to practice law in NSW. You are required to have completed the relevant tertiary course that normally leads to admission to practise law in the jurisdiction of course completion and is substantially equivalent to a three-year full-time (equivalent course that leads to admission to the legal profession in Australia. Once you have been admitted by the LPAB, you can apply for a practising certificate granted by the Law Society of New South Wales.
If you are registered to practice in New Zealand, please click here.
If you are applying for a Visa, please click here.
Key Terms: Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB); Practical Legal Training (PLT);
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01
Assessment of academic qualifications
First, access the Uniform Principles for Assessing Qualifications of Overseas Applicants for Admission to the Australian Legal Profession, and the Guide for Applicants documents via the buttons below. These contain relevant information for the process of getting your qualifications and skills accessed, specifically see Section 5 in the Guide for Applicants for information regarding assessment of academic studies.
As stated in Section 5, as an overseas qualified lawyer, you will need to have your qualifications assessed by LPAB's Academic Exemptions Sub-Committee. The subjects you completed in your degree must include the following areas of study;
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Administrative Law,
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Civil Dispute Resolution,
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Contracts,
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Company Law,
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Criminal law and procedure,
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Equity (including Trusts),
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Ethics and Professional Responsibility,
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Evidence,
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Federal and State Constitutional Law,
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Property (including Torrens System Land),
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and Torts.
The content of each subject must be substantially equivalent to that described in Schedule 1 of the Uniform Principles for Assessing Qualifications of Overseas Applicants for Admission to the Australian Legal Profession.
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For the assessment, you will need to provide:
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evidence of your studies in the form of original academic transcript(s), and
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details of any experience in practising the law (a copy of your up-to-date Curriculum Vitae)
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and pay the prescribed fee online.
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You can access all necessary forms via the Assessment Forms button below.
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To complete all applications, including qualifications and PLT assessments and admissions applications, you will need to create an account in the Admissions Portal (ADMIT). Follow the button below to be taken to the access page.
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02
Assessment of Practical Legal Training (PLT)
If you completed PLT for admission and have been admitted in a foreign jurisdiction (outside Australia), you will need to apply to the LPAB's Practical Training Exemptions Sub-Committee, for an assessment of your training and experience against the PLT prerequisite. This involves an assessment of whether such training and experience has provided you with competence in each element of the Skills, Practice Areas and Values that are set out in Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015. Access this via the button below.
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For the assessment, you will need to provide;
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indication of the exemptions you are seeking from the Skills, Practice Areas and Values listed in Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015
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evidence of your copmletion of PLT
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any expereince in practising the law which is relevant to the exemptions you are seeking (or other non-practising experience which may be relevant)
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when describing your experience, please limit your description to no more than 1 page for each Skill, Practice Area or Value from which you are seeking an exemption,
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pay the prescribed fee in the online admission portal.
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This application is considered at Sub-Committee meetings and is therefore subject to deadlines throughout the year. See the Assessment of Qualifications and Skills page via the button above.
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If your PLT is insufficient, you may be required to complete workplace competencies to gain the requisites of PLT required for admission to the profession.
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*See section 7 of the Uniform Principles document for information regarding assessment of PLT.​
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03
Application of admission to the profession
To apply for admission as a lawyer in NSW, you need to complete the process in the ADMIT portal and lodge an Application for admission as a lawyer in NSW (L1) form and provide;
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assessment outcomes,
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disclose any matter which may affect the Board’s assessment of whether you are a fit and proper person to be admitted to the Australian legal profession,
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sign the consent for the LPAB to arrange a compulsory National Police History Check of any police history information about you in Australia,
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sign the consent for the LPAB to obtain student conduct reports about you directly from any tertiary institution or practical legal training provider which you have attended,
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using the specified template, obtain two character references that have been made by way of statutory declaration and have been signed in the presence of an authorized witness,
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provide any other documentary evidence specified according to your particular circumstances, such as if you are disclosing a matter relating to 4) above, and
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pay the appliction fee.
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If your application is approved, you must also take an Oath of Office (or make an Affirmation of Office) during a ceremony held at the Supreme Court at Sydney, and then sign the Supreme Court Roll at the conclusion of the ceremony. You must attend this ceremony within 12 months of being granted a compliance certificate.​
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You will also need to provide evidence of sufficient knowledge of written and spoken English to practice law in Australia. See below under English Language Requirements for further details.
04
Apply for a Practising Certificate
Solicitors: ​Once you have been admitted to the profession, you will need to get a certificate of practice from the Law Society of New South Wales. There are different types of certificates depending on your circumstances;​
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Principal of a law practice: The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice as a principal of a law practice* and also as an employee of a law practice, corporate legal practitioner or government legal practitioner and also as a volunteer at a community legal service, or otherwise on a pro bono basis**.
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Employee of a law practice: The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice as an employee of a law practice and also as a corporate legal practitioner or government legal practitioner and also as a volunteer at a community legal service, or otherwise on a pro bono basis**.
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Corporate legal practitioner: The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice as a corporate legal practitioner or government legal practitioner and also as a volunteer at a community legal service, or otherwise on a pro bono basis**.
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Government legal practitioner: The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice as a government legal practitioner or corporate legal practitioner and also as a volunteer at a community legal service, or otherwise on a pro bono basis**.
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Volunteer: The holder is authorised to engage in legal practice both as a volunteer at a community legal service and otherwise on a pro bono basis, only**.
*The holder may not engage in legal practice as a sole practitioner or sole principal of an incorporated or unincorporated legal practice or a community legal service if the holder's practising certificate is subject to Condition 2 (supervised legal practice) or a discretionary condition requiring supervision.
**Discretionary conditions imposed by the Law Society's Council may prohibit, restrict or regulate the provision of legal services by an Australian legal practitioner at community legal services or otherwise on a pro bono basis.
(Cited from the Law Society of New South Wales, 2025).
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Please see the Law Society's website for more information and to access the application process.​
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New Zealand registered professionals
​If you have been admitted as a lawyer in New Zealand, you will need to lodge an application for admission in NSW directly to the Supreme Court of NSW, pursuant to the Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Act 1997 of the Commonwealth. Click here for more information.
Visa Applicants
It is not clear if the LPAB Assessment of Skills and Qualifications can be used as a skills assessment for visa purposes. Please contact LPAB to enquire.
Need-to-know
Estimated Costs
(in AUD)
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Assessment of qualifications: $370
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Assessment of PLT: $370
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Admissions application fee (including a certificate of admission): $950
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Skills Assessment letter: $115
Estimated Time Commitment
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Qualifications assessment: 10 - 12 weeks
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Consider deadlines for PLT assessment as noted above.
English Language Requirements
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Applicants for admission as a lawyer must have sufficient knowledge of written and spoken English to engage in legal practice. English proficiency may be demonstrated by undertaking the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic test and achieving the minimum scores required. Click here for details and more information.
Documentation
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You will be required to provide evidence of your academic qualifications, such as a completion certificate, transcripts and descriptions of course and unit content.
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You will be required to provide evidence of your Practical legal Training, such as a compeltion certificate.
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You will be required to provide identity documentation, such as your passport.
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Note: See section 9 (page 8) of the uniform principles for assessing overseas qualifications for detailed information regarding the documentation required.
Other Career Options:
If you are unable to gain recognition for your full qualifications, here are some other options for careers you may pursue in Australia;
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Legal assistant: you could become a legal assistant to gain entry-level experience in Australia, and you may then be able to work as a pralegal without needing your qualifications accredited.