CDU in conjunction with the Law Society Northern Territory are pleased to offer a free CPD regarding the future of PLT in Australia. This free CPD will be offered in-person and online.

Date:                    Friday, 7 November 2025
Where:                 CDU Danala Campus, Cavanagh Street Darwin City – Level 3
Time:                    1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Registration is not required for this event.

About the Speaker: Dr Jim McMillan is a lecturer at CDU with extensive academic and professional practice experience.  He was previously the course lead of the PLT Course offered by Curtin University and he has published articles critical of the current PLT requirements, with his work cited extensively in the discussion paper on PLT reform issued by the Legal Profession Admission Board of NSW on 30 September 2025.

Completion of Practical Legal Training is a mandatory requirement for admission as an Australian lawyer. 50 years after the first PLT courses were developed, major change is afoot, with Chief Justice Bell of the NSW Supreme Court a principal driver of the movement for change.  The session will cover:

• The current approach to PLT
• The role of the Law Admissions Consultative Committee
• Criticisms of PLT
• Recommendations in the Discussion Paper on PLT reform recently issued by the NSW LPAB
• The future of PLT and legal education in Australia

Links:

LPAB PLT discussion paper: LPAB PLT Discussion Paper

Articles which are also available through AUSTLII:

McMillan, Jim; Lilley, Rob — “After Law School: A Critical Evaluation of Practical Legal Training in the Australian Context” [2024] WALawTRw 2; (2024) 2 The Western Australian Law Teachers’ Review 1

McMillan, James; Lilley, Rob — “Why Isn’t All Legal Education Practical?” [2025] WALawTRw 4; (2025) 3 The Western Australian Law Teachers’ Review 49