Become a real lawyer
Real-world experience
Our PLT is driven and shaped by practising lawyers, many of whom are leaders in their field. You’ll build a portfolio of real-world know-how and develop professional communication skills and workplace productivity skills including:
Interviewing and negotiating
Drafting legal documents and writing legal letters
Executing property, litigation and commercial transactions and proceedings
PLT in 3 easy stages
1: Skills component
- 6 weeks for all students - mostly online
- 5-day attendance school at QUT (or virtually if COVID-19 restrictions apply)
2: Practice areas component
- 13 weeks full-time or 26 weeks part-time (excluding breaks)
- Full-time or part-time online
- Full-time on campus (January/ July entries)
3: Placement
- 4-week placement at a law office (unless you have credit)
- We find this placement for you
Key dates for 2021
January intake
- Apply on time by 14 December 2020
- Apply late until 8 January 2021
- Teaching starts 11 January 2021
- 5 day attendance school 1-5 February 2021
- Full-time study ends 31 May 2021 (with placement credit)
- Full-time study ends 25 June 2021 including placement
- Part-time study ends 17 September with placement credit
- Party-time study ends 11 December 2021 including placement
March intake
- Apply on time until 3 March
- Apply late until 5 March 2021
- Teaching starts 8 March 2021
- 5 day attendance school 22-26 March 2021
- Full-time study ends 25 June 2021 (with placement credit)
- Part-time study ends 17 September (with placement credit) or 10 December (including placement)
July intake
- Apply on time by 30 June 2021
- Apply late until 9 July 2021
- Teaching starts 26 July 2021
- 5 day attendance school 2-6 August 2021
- Full-time study ends 12 November 2021 (with placement credit)
- Full-time study ends 11 December 2021 including placement
- Part-time study ends 8 April 2022 with placement credit
- Party-time study ends 31 May 2022 including placement
August intake
- Apply on time by 30 July 2021
- Apply late until 13 August 2021
- Teaching starts 16 August 2021
- 5 day attendance school 30 August-3 September 2021
- Full-time study ends 17 December 2021 (with placement credit)
- Full-time study ends 12 February 2022 including placement
- Part-time study ends 31 May 2022 with placement credit
- Party-time study ends 25 June 2022 including placement
For more information about when to apply, contact pltsupport@qut.edu.au
Want to know more about QUT's PLT Course?
Real stories
“It wasn’t just the theory I learned, but the skills and confidence I gained during my PLT that made a real difference.”
Annie Wang
Associate at MinterEllison
“QUT’s firm connections gave me the opportunity to turn my workplace experience into a real job when I finished.”
Mark Goldsworthy
Associate at Results Legal
“I was taught by experienced lawyers who mentored me, and helped me get a head start in my career.”
Zosia Kilmartin
Director of Kilmartin Knyvett Lawyers
Flexible study
Our PLT is structured for convenience with four intakes a year. And because we know how busy life can get when you’re balancing work and study, we’ve made our PLT as flexible as possible. You can choose between:
- full-time on campus
- external (online)
- part-time (online).
If you're studying online, you still need to do your placement in person.
Four-week placements
Through our relationships with firms, government and non-profit organisations, we are able to source a four-week placement for you in a law office. Alternatively, if you’re already working in a law office, you may be eligible to claim credit for your real-life legal work.
Ongoing assessment
There are no exams, just elements of assessment as you go. And because our PLT is built around a supporting learning environment, we help you to bring your work up to standard as you progress through the course.