Four Brisbane graduates recently gave their views on legal training to the Queensland Law Society as part of a move towards establishing a working group addressing early career lawyers training.
QLS Legal Education Consultant Sandra Pepper met with Barry Nilsson National Family Law Manager Maureen Schull and members of the firm’s 2025 graduate program to discuss their experience of legal education and Practical Legal Training (PLT).
The meeting focused on the issues outlined in the 2022 QLS Report – Job Readiness of Law Graduates and Entry Level Solicitors in Private Practice, as well as recent findings from the New South Wales Legal Profession Admission Board (NSW LPAB) Report regarding PLT.
The Society is forming a working group to consider and implement what QLS can do to ensure ECL offerings and training continue to evolve to support graduates to transition from students and ensure the ongoing competency, increase retention and wellbeing, and future-proof the profession with good lawyers.
Graduates Isabella Warrener, Tiarn Johannesen, Zoe Nicholson and James Cleary shared their experiences.
Requirements for admission as a solicitor in Queensland include candidates successfully completing a law degree and the completion of additional training through either the PLT or by serving as a supervised trainee.
Costs for both university degrees and PLTs can be financially prohibitive – with the average cost of a law degree, according to a unicosts.com, ranging from $50,000 to $114,000 and the completion of PLTs, according to NSW Chief Justice Andrew Bell in February 2025, ranging between $9000 to $12,000.
The four graduates were grateful they worked in a firm that covered their PLT costs, but commented they had friends who were not in the same position because of the sector or firm they were at, and that expense was a real burden for those graduates.
In September last year, QLS Future Leaders Committee President Helen Driscoll encouraged Queensland’s early career lawyers to respond to the NSWLPAB survey which included the value and real-life benefits completion of PLTs achieved to make graduates fit to enter the legal profession.
Sandra said with a diverse and growing profession, QLS recognised the training and skills of ECLs needed to evolve to ensure they were ready and had the capabilities required to enter private practice.
“While there are clearly many positive attributes of the next generation of law graduates, particularly around core values, the 2022 QLS Job Readiness Report identified gaps, with some clear messaging that graduates would benefit from more practical training and relevant work experience opportunities,’’ she said.
The four ECLs said while they saw some benefits in completing a PLT, they collectively believed this training was a “one size fits all’’ and they would have liked more choice to reflect the areas of law in which they were working and business needs. They agreed the first week in intensive in-person training was of significant benefit.
The foursome said their best learning came from practical experience via mentors and being involved working on supervised matters.
Maureen said: “We spend a lot of time investing in programs and support to ensure our graduates learn what they need to know while they are here with us (at Barry Nilsson) but I think it would be great if PLT could put more of the ‘P’ back into what they are doing. Practical training to help young new lawyers be ready to enter the profession.’’
Sandra said QLS was aware of concerns raised over current standards and training with the Society attempting to respond to the concerns by setting up a working group to help review current graduate and ECL training offerings; and identify and implement options to directly address the practical skills gaps of young lawyers.
“Many firms support their graduate lawyers with excellent training and mentoring, but there are gaps, and not all graduates have access to the same resources,’’ she said.
“We know a holistic approach is needed between the higher education sector, PLT providers and the profession itself, and QLS is focused on playing its part to bridge the gap.
“Graduates want to turn up, learn, grow and do a great job for their firms and clients.
“They need to be well supported to transition from student to lawyer by aligning real world needs with practical skills, so as to lay a strong and ethical foundation for those graduates to build successful thriving legal careers and future-proof the profession with good and competent lawyers.”
If you would like to submit an EOI for the working group or contribute feedback please email: newlawyer@QLS.com.au
One Response
Having worked in a number of predominately small to medium sized firms (about 8) in Brisbane in 20 years, the training in the vast majority was almost non existent for new lawyers. It was sink or swim. At the same time , the efforts by new lawyers to follow procedures , read carefully and use checklists was also almost non existent in the last 10-14 years.
I hope you can come up with some useful efforts to improve the profession.