Firm reverts to supervised traineeships

With debate swirling around whether Practical Legal Training is the most effective method to prepare for admission, Brisbane firm Bennett & Philp decided to take its own steps forward.

Before PLT became the dominant pathway to admission, Bennett & Philp trained many of its lawyers through articles of clerkship.  Many of these articled clerks became successful senior lawyers, and in some cases Directors, within the firm.

Recently Chief Justice Andrew Bell of New South Wales has raised concerns in respect of the current system, and in April said the program’s work experience component, when unpaid, could be a barrier to entering the legal profession.

Even though articles of clerkship no longer exist, the firm recognises the value of structured practical learning and decided to reintroduce a graduate pathway to meet the requirements of admission to the profession.

After careful planning to ensure all competency and elective requirements could be met internally, Bennett & Philp launched its Supervised Traineeship Program in January 2024 and is now on its third intake of trainees.

Andrew Lambros, Managing Director of Bennett & Philp, said the program was designed to give graduates a strong practical start to their careers without imposing further financial burden.

“We wanted to create a pathway that reflects how lawyers actually learn – by doing the work,” Andrew said.

“Our trainees are supervised, supported, and involved in real matters from day one. 

“We also wanted to help graduates by substantially reducing the costs of becoming a lawyer. With this program, trainees are paid when they commence rather than doing substantial unpaid work experience and don’t have to pay the costs associated with PLT.”

Following Justice Bell’s comments, the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board of New South Wales launched a review of PLT. Surveys of more than 4500 graduates and supervisors found that only 43 per cent considered PLT assignments practical, 40 per cent rated the teaching satisfactory, and just 13 per cent believed the course was reasonably priced.

The NSW admissions board’s 2025 Discussion Paper concluded that PLT is trying to do too much and achieving too little in meaningful skills training. Many graduates (74 per cent) said the work experience component, while valuable, was often unpaid and created financial barriers to entry.

While reform discussions continue in New South Wales, Queensland already offers a practical alternative through its supervised traineeship pathway, allowing graduates to complete a 12-month traineeship in a law firm and earn an income while gaining hands-on experience in client work.

Lawyers who complete this pathway are also recognised for their full year of supervised training, as they are only required to hold a restricted practising certificate for 18 months, compared with two years for those who complete PLT.

Despite these advantages, it appears that few law firms offer this pathway and few graduates choose to pursue it.

Data from the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board of Queensland’s annual reports shows that, on average, supervised traineeships account for less than 2.5 per cent of the total number of admission applications in Queensland since 2020.  To put that into perspective, in 2023-2024 there were 1119 lawyers admitted in Queensland but only 28 did a supervised traineeship.

The Queensland Law Society is aware of concerns raised over current standards and training, and formed a working group this year.

Sandra Pepper, Chair of the Early Career Skills Working Group, said the group was providing feedback on the proposed reform options for PLT and driven by a commitment to improving educational and professional outcomes for early career lawyers.

“There are two current reviews – one being led by the Legal Practitioners Review Board of New South Wales and a second as part of a national review led by the Legal Services Council’s Admissions Committee and the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC),” Sandra said.

“These are at the consultation stage.

“The working group has made submissions that broadly supports reform to practical legal training emphasising the need for clear and updated competency standards, increased integration of practical skills into university curricula and ongoing work experience, development of alternative PLT training models, additional early career lawyer CPD training and enhanced support financially and practically for supervisors and mentors.

“Further results of the two reviews are expected in the new year and the working group will respond further as these come in.”

Sandra said while there was still a way to go and detail to develop around the proposed reforms, the issue was moving forward. 

During traineeships at Bennett & Philip, participants rotate through the firm’s three core practice areas: business advisory, litigation, and property and planning which covers the compulsory practice areas of the traineeship.

Within these groups, they also gain exposure to elective practice areas to complete the admissions requirements for a traineeship which may include administrative law, banking and finance, wills and estates, family law, planning and environment, and employment law. This structure allows trainees to experience a broad range of legal work and identify the areas that interest them most.

Bennett & Philp’s structure enables trainees to meet all admission competencies within the firm. Trainees work on client matters from their first day by drafting legal documents, managing files, communicating with clients, and collaborating across teams, including regular one-on-one contact with Directors.

The firm also covers all costs associated with the traineeship and admission process, including the compulsory Programmed Training in Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Supreme Court filing fees, and LPAB fees.

Bennett & Philp’s investment in supervised traineeships reflects the firm’s belief that the best lawyers are developed through direct experience, mentorship, and professional support.

“We see this as an investment not only in our people but in the profession as a whole,” Andrew said.

“By training lawyers in a real environment, we help them grow faster, build confidence, and deliver better outcomes for clients.”