VLAB

Updated on 24 Nov 2020

Description : 

The Victorian Legal Admissions Board is empowered by Rule 11 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015 to assess the qualifications of overseas candidates and determine the requirements for applicants to be eligible for admission to practise in Victoria. Two categories of candidates are eligible to apply to have their qualifications assessed:

1. Qualified Overseas Applicants who hold an academic qualification in law (LLB or equivalent).
2. Overseas Practitioners who are admitted and eligible to practise as a legal practitioner in a jurisdiction outside Australia

New Zealand applicants may be eligible to apply for admission in Victoria under the Mutual Recognition Principle.

Criteria : 

Qualified Overseas Applicants who hold an academic qualification in law (LLB or equivalent) but have not been admitted to practice in a foreign jurisdiction may proceed to obtain a skills assessment from the Victorian Legal Admissions Board.

You may apply to the Board for a direction under rule 11 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015 (Vic) as to whether or not your existing academic qualifications and practical legal training are sufficient to be admitted to the legal profession in Victoria. You may only apply for such a direction if you already hold an academic qualification recognized in your home jurisdiction as meeting the requirements for admission in that jurisdiction (for example, an LL.B. degree or equivalent).  You may also have completed any other formal practical legal training required for admission in that jurisdiction, such as a Legal Practice Course.

Academic Requirements

The Board will almost invariably direct a foreign graduate to undertake further academic study in Australia before applying for admission. In many cases, graduates will be required to undertake further studies in Australia in each of the areas mentioned in item 3 and Schedule 1 of the Uniform Principles. In almost all cases, graduates will be required to study Federal and State Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. The additional academic studies commonly required of graduates from different countries are set out in Schedule 2 of the Uniform Principles.

Practical Legal Training

You must also have acquired and demonstrated an appropriate understanding of, and competence in, certain skills, practice areas and values required of all who apply for admission in Victoria. These Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers are set out in Item 5 and Schedule 4 of the Uniform Principles.

Although you are fully-qualified, as you have not yet been admitted to legal practice in your home jurisdiction you will be required to acquire and demonstrate in Australia an appropriate understanding of, and competence in, each of the Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers, in the same way as an Australian applicant

English Requirements : 

English language proficiency requirements:

To meet the English language proficiency requirements you must achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests - IELTS Academic, PTE Academic or TOEFL iBT. Test results must have been obtained within the past two years from the date your Skill Assessment application is lodged.

 English Requirements Table:

Name of Test	Speaking	listening	Reading	writing
IELTS	7.5	7.0	7.0	8.0
TOEFL iBT	24	24	24	27

Guidelines:

All applications for a direction about your academic qualifications and practical legal training must be made to the Board using the online client portal.  The Board will only accept a paper version in circumstances where you are unable to use the portal in the form of a statutory declaration.

Fees

Section 72A of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 provides for the Victorian Legal Admissions Board to charge a fee for undertaking an assessment of foreign qualifications and training.

The following categories of applications are eligible to have qualifications assessed to determine the requirements for applicants to be eligible for admission to practise in Victoria.

1. Foreign Lawyers who are admitted and eligible to practice as a legal practitioner in a jurisdiction outside Australia
2. Foreign Graduates who hold an academic qualification in law (LLB or equivalent).
3. Application for review of decision of previous assessment will require the assessment to be set aside and a new assessment to be completed

Fees are set at $320 per academic/PLT assessment or $640 for both.

Online Applications:

FAQ

Contact Details:

Address: Ground Floor,
451 Little Bourke Street,
MELBOURNE, VIC 3000

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail] (External link)

Foreign Enquiries:
For all enquiries relating to assessment of foreign degrees contact:

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail] (External link)