Foreign Supervised Legal Training

Following assessment of your qualifications, you may elect to satisfy the practical legal training component by undertaking supervised legal training in a workplace for a period of not less than 12 months, under a training plan approved by VLAB.

If you have undertaken supervised legal training, you can make an application for admission as Foreign Supervised Legal Training via the online application portal.  Please contact VLAB by email on overseas@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) to commence the application for you.  The portal will take you though a series of questions listed below.

Contact details including change of name

Contact details including name, date of birth and residential address will be required. Note: employers address not to be provided. Suburb/city cannot be a capital city unless you live in the capital.

If you change your name and it differs from that on your documentation (transcript, ID etc.) and you wish to be admitted in your new name, a certified copy of either your marriage certificate or your change of name certificate is to be uploaded in the online portal.

Supplementary collection of personal information such as ancestry and languages spoken are optional questions listed in the online portal. (External link) 

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Consent

Applicant consent is required for all applications made via the online portal.  Questions will relate to VLAB sharing information or making enquiries from third persons for the purpose of applying for admission.  This can include health information and identification verification.

If you do not agree to consent, an application cannot be commenced, and you must make contact with VLAB.

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English language proficiency

The English Language Proficiency Guidelines  establish six pathways demonstrating how you can satisfy VLAB of your proficiency of written and spoken English to engage in legal practice in Australia.

All applicants are required to have completed at least the last two years of their secondary education (high school equivalent) and the entirety of their academic qualification (university equivalent) in English, in a recognised country (as stated in the Guidelines).  Otherwise, the applicant may be asked to undertake one of the two recognised English proficiency tests, IELTS (External link) and TOEFL iBT (External link) 

Further information on English language proficiency is available here.

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Employer details

Details of your employer must be provided including name of firm, contact details and name of your supervisor.  If your firm is not listed, please contact VLAB.

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Traineeship period

Supervised Legal Training is a minimum of 12 months under an eligible supervisor, during which time the trainee must acquire an appropriate understanding of and competence in each element of the skills, values and practice areas set out in Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015. Supervised Legal Training must not exceed 24 months.  Your commencement and completion date details are required to be entered into the online portal (External link).

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Approval as a training provider

An employer may apply to VLAB to teach Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Lawyer’s Skills and the Risk Management element of Work Management.  Once an employer has been approved to provide training in Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Lawyer's Skills and/or Risk Management that approval will be ongoing.

Training Provider Application
Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application as a training provider must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on training provider approval can be found here.

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Approval to provide training in alternate optional practice area/employer

An employer may apply to VLAB for approval to provide training in a different nominated practice area.

Approval to Provide Training in Alternative Optional Practice Area - Employer Application

Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application to provide training in alternative optional practice area must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on how to provide training in an alternate optional practice area is available here.

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Approval for dispensation to undertake training in alternate optional practice area/trainee

If an employer has approval to provide training in an optional practice area a trainee must file a statutory declaration seeking dispensation in accordance with Rule 27(b) to allow variation to Clause 3, Schedule 2 of the Legal Profession Uniform Rules 2015 to undertake a course of instruction in an alternative optional practice area.

Approval to Undertake Training In Alternative Optional Practice Area - Trainee Application
Unless you have received prior approval, an application for dispensation to undertake training in alternative optional practice area must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on how to seek dispensation to undertake training in an alternate optional practice area is available here.

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More than one trainee

An employer may apply to VLAB to engage a supervisor to supervise more than one trainee at the same time. A supervisor must not supervise more than one trainee at the same time without the prior approval of VLAB. A supervisor must hold a current Australian practising certificate and the statutory declaration must set out experience and background to be a supervisor to more than one trainee and the level of contact the supervisor will have with each of the trainees.

More Than One Trainee - Approval Application
Unless your employer has received prior approval, an application for more than one trainee must be made using the online portal.  This is done by way of a statutory declaration that can be accessed in the portal (External link).

Further information on more than one trainee is available here.

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Training plan

Within one month of commencing Supervised Legal Training a Supervised Legal Training Plan must be submitted to VLAB for approval.  You must choose ten competencies in total, with maximums in each of the area types as listed per below:

  • Values - 1
  • Skills - 4
  • Compulsory Practice Area - 3
  • Optional Practice Area – 2
  • Alternative Optional Practice Area – 2

If your employer HAS been granted approval to provide training in an alternative optional practice area, and you HAVE sought dispensation from the Board to undertake training in this area, then you may choose no more than two elements from the optional and/or alternative optional areas.

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Employers statutory declaration / commencement of training plan

Your employer is required to complete and upload a Commencement of Training Plan Statutory Declaration available to download in the online portal outlining details such as trainee, supervisor and traineeship period.

Further information on the employers Statutory Declaration commencement of training plan is available here.

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Work diary

Your work diary is an online record of the training you intend to, and have completed, during your traineeship period.  The diary lists:

  • Area Type
  • Course Name
  • Completion Status
  • Where Completed

Further information on the SLT diary is available here.

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Completion of traineeship

Completion of Traineeship Employer
A Completion of Traineeship Employer Statutory Declaration available in the online portal is required to be completed and uploaded to the portal upon completion of your traineeship.

More information on the employers completion of traineeship is available here.

Completion of Traineeship Supervisor
A Completion of Traineeship Supervisor Statutory Declaration available in the online portal is required to be completed and uploaded to the portal upon completion of your traineeship.

Further information on the supervisor's completion of traineeship is available here.

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Oath and affirmation

You may wish to make an affirmation or take the oath of office at your admission ceremony.  Please consider your response carefully as you will not be able to change it in the future.  The oath of office will be read aloud, and you will be asked to say "I swear by all mighty God to do so" on your chosen religious text.  If you are making an affirmation of office, you will be asked to say "I do so declare and affirm."

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Australian Jurisdiction

Any applications for legal admission made in another Australian jurisdiction will need to be disclosed.

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Police report

A national police report obtained via Victoria Police must be provided as part of your application.  The report must not be older than 6 months before the date of your application and must include all previous names by which you have been known.  If you currently, or have ever lived in Australia, apply via the Victoria Police website https://www.police.vic.gov.au/national-police-records-checks#apply-for-a-national-police-check (External link).

If you do not reside in Australia, you can apply online for an Australian National Police Certificate through the Australian Federal Police by visiting their website https://afpnationalpolicechecks.converga.com.au/ (External link) and selecting ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’ and then '33-Immigration/Citizenship’. (link to Police Reports page).  All reports are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link).

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Identification

To be eligible for admission, we must confirm your identity.  Two forms of ID must be provided, one must include a name and address which must match that on your application. 

For applicants who have never resided in Australia you must provide a foreign passport as proof of identification. For applicants who are from a foreign jurisdiction and are residing in Australia, you must provide a foreign passport that has an Australian issued Visa (two separate documents counted as one form of ID) In addition to any foreign issued passport/visa, two other forms of ID must be provided, one must include the name and address as stated on your application. In total, three forms of ID must be provided for those relying on a foreign passport/visa.  All ID docs are to be uploaded in the online portal. (External link)

The list of acceptable forms of ID are available.

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Certificate of good standing

If you have been admitted in a foreign jurisdiction (outside Australia), you must arrange for an original certificate of good standing from the relevant professional body in any jurisdiction that you have been admitted. The certificate of good standing must state that you are in good standing and are not subject to any current or pending disciplinary matters.

The certificate of good standing should show the date on which you were admitted in that jurisdiction and must be dated no earlier than two months prior to the date that your application has been made.

The certificate must be sent directly to vlabdocuments@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) from all relevant professional bodies in any jurisdiction you have been admitted.

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Foreign jurisdictions resided

If you have ever lived in a foreign jurisdiction, list all jurisdictions including the years and months of residence.  If you have resided in a foreign jurisdiction for over three months in the past 12 months, you will be required to obtain a foreign police report from all jurisdictions.  VLAB will write to you and advise if a foreign police report is required. 

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Suitability

In determining what matters should be disclosed you must read the LACC Disclosure Guidelines for Applicants for Admissions to the Legal Profession.

Disclosure Statement
You must make full disclosure of any relevant matters in a statutory declaration and exhibit documentary evidence to support the details of the matter/s you are disclosing.  A disclosure is only required if you have a matter to disclose as per the Disclosure Guidelines.  Do NOT attempt to upload a disclosure statement that states there are no disclosures. In the event that you have nothing to disclose, it is not a requirement that you upload a declaration.  All disclosures are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link). A disclosure statement template is available here.

Capacity Statement
When deciding whether to grant a compliance certificate, VLAB must have regard to whether a person is currently able to carry out the inherent requirements of legal practice. A mental health condition may be relevant to consideration of this question and hence may need to be disclosed to the Board. If you wish to make a disclosure relating to capacity you should set out the details in a separate statutory declaration.  All capacity statements are to be uploaded in the online portal (External link). A capacity statement template is available here.

Template Certificate Identifying Exhibit to Statutory Declaration
If a statutory declaration refers to a separate document you must identify it as an exhibit.   A template certificate for the exhibit is available.

Further information on suitability is available here.

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Admissions preferences

In order to be admitted, you may attend an in-person admission ceremony in the Supreme Court of Victoria or have your admission ordered by paper.  Please choose carefully as you will not be provided with an option to change your preferred admission type.

See more about admission preferences here.

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Character statement

Character statements must be made on a prescribed statutory declaration and signed in front of an authorised witness.  The types of statements available are:

  • Applicant never previously admitted with disclosure statement
  • Applicant never previously admitted without disclosure statement
  • Applicant previously admitted in another jurisdiction with disclosure statement
  • Applicant previously admitted in another jurisdiction without disclosure statement

Two of the same type of character statements are to be uploaded in the online portal. (External link)

Find out more information about local character statements here.

Find out more information about foreign character statements here.

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Statutory declaration

When you have completed your application, you can print your “Application for Compliance Certificate” statutory declaration, and have it signed in front of an authorised witness.  The declaration is to be uploaded in the online portal.

Finalise and Submit 
Once your application is complete, click the “Finalise & Submit Application” button, VLAB will then continue with the assessment of your application.

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Fees

A link to the Service Victoria payment page will be emailed to you when all documentation is complete.  You are unable to make any payment of fees prior to receiving this email.  No early requests for payment will be granted in any circumstance until your application is completed.  You can choose to make payment by either Visa, Mastercard or PayPal.

Payment must be received within 7 days of the email. If payment is not received your application for an admission ceremony may be deferred.

If you are unable to make payment within this timeframe, contact us vlab@justice.vic.gov.au (External link).

Further information on fees are available here.

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Form A Affidavit

The Form A Affidavit will be required as part of your application for admission if you choose a paper admission.  The Form A Affidavit is to be downloaded from the portal and uploaded once complete.  The Form A Affidavit will not be available to you until such time that a Compliance Certificate has been issued.  You will be sent an email directing you to return back to this section to complete the Form A Affidavit.

See more information here.

 Frequently Asked Questions

 

I have completed all the requirements of my foreign assessment, how do I apply for a compliance certificate?

VLAB will open up an application for a compliance certificate on your behalf, we do this so your original assessment is linked to your application for a compliance certificate. Please email us at overseas@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) when you are ready.

 

I am undertaking supervised legal training do I have to complete the online workbook?

You must complete the online workbook for all competencies completed in-house.

When completing the online workbook, you are restricted to 500 characters for each competency. Please summarize only or you will not be able to progress to the next section.

For all competencies completed at an external PLT provider you must arrange for the provider to email a completion certificate to VLAB at vlabdocuments@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)

 

How do I order a police report?
 

Every applicant for admission must provide a Police Report which has been issued in Australia. The Report shows whether you have any criminal history in Australia.

You must disclose Spent convictions when applying for admission as a lawyer.

You are required to obtain a Police Report issued by Victoria Police. You should order your Report when you commence your online application, allow 4-6 weeks to receive the Report. It must:

  • be dated no earlier than six months prior to the date your admission application is received; and
  • include all previous names by which you have been known.

Applicants who reside in Australia must obtain a Police Report via Victoria Police only.  Any other forms of police reports will not be accepted.  This can be found here (External link) and follow the steps below.

Online National Police Check

In partnership with Service Victoria, Victoria Police have launched an online national police checking service. If you meet certain criteria, your identity and ID documents will be verified electronically and you will be provided with a PDF certificate via email.

To do the check fully online you'll need at least 3 documents, including one photo ID.

To begin, you must have two of the following documents:

  • Australian birth certificate
  • Australian passport (current or expired less than 3 years)
  • Australian driver licence (current)
  • Foreign passport (with linked Australian visa)
  • ImmiCard
  • Australian citizenship certificate
  • If you don't meet the criteria or do not wish to transact online, please apply for a national police check via the steps below:

National Police Report via Post Application Instructions

  • Section A: Type of check required - Select National Name Check
  • Section B: Details of applicant - Ensure correct details are provided
  • Section C: Current, postal and previous residential address/es – Ensure correct details are provided
  • Section D: Payment provider – If your employer is paying for the police report check the Yes box, this section must then be completed by your employer, then go to Section E. If you are paying for the police report check the No box and go straight to Section E.
  • Section E: Purpose of check - Choose Option 1 Employment or occupational licensing purposes, select Legal Admission. (If you select any other option, we will not accept your police report).
  • Section F: Certification, authorisation and statement of consent and indemnity – Insert your name but do not sign or date the form.
  • Section G: Proof of identity - You must provide a minimum of two (2) types of identification from the list with a minimum total of 100 points, including at least one type of photo ID from category A.

You must complete the Proof of Identify list and details.

You are required to print the application form once it has been completed and take it to a certifier with your original proof of identity documents and a copy of your proof of identity documents.     A list of persons able to certify your identity documents is listed on Page 3 of the application.  You must sign and date Section F in the presence of the certifier.  The certifier must also sign and date each copy of your proof of identity documents (100 points) and complete and sign the Certifier Use Only in Section G of the application.

  • Complete the applicant checklist below section G.

Pay online or attach a cheque or money order with the required fee. Attach all the paperwork including payment and mail to the address listed on the application form.

Payment for police records checks can be made online https://www.police.vic.gov.au/national-police-records-checks (External link) (External link) (External link) or via cheque or money order payable to Victoria Police. Cheques/bank drafts must be issued by an Australian financial institution.

 

Do I need to obtain a foreign police report?
 

If you have resided in a foreign jurisdiction, for over three months in the past 12 months, you will be required to obtain a foreign police report from that jurisdiction.

For applicants residing in Australia, International Police Reports from over 200 jurisdictions are available through Equifax Fit2Work here (External link).

Until further notice, international checks for Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Cote D'Ivoire, Curacao, Djibouti, Dominica, Eswatini, French Polynesia, Gabon, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guinea-Bissau, Isle of Man, Kiribati, North Korea, Kosovo, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Martinique, Montserrat, Nauru, North Macedonia, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, Syria, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Vanuatu and Venezuela are currently unavailable via Equifax Fit2Work.  If you require a police report from any of these countries, please speak to the relevant Consulate for further information.

 

Who can witness my statutory declaration?
 

A list of authorised statutory declaration witnesses can be found on the Victoria State Government website here (External link).

 

I have uploaded my disclosure statement will I receive a response?

​​You should allow a minimum of 10 business days for your disclosure statement to be fully reviewed. You will receive an email to confirm receipt and also when it has been assessed to advise approval or referral for further review. Disclosure statements that have not provided a full and frank account of matters or are significant may require an applicant to file a further disclosure statement with additional material.

 

Accuracy of documentation
 

You should refrain from providing incorrect responses to application questions, or uploading draft or dummy documents to enable you to proceed through the admission application before ready to do so as this can result in a delay in your admission.

 

I am required to upload in PDF however I don't have access to a scanner

All documents uploaded to your application must be in PDF format and no more than 2GB.  Only matters of suitability will be able to upload up to 65GB.  For all suitability matters, collate your disclosure/capacity statement, exhibit certificates and exhibit documents into one file. There are many free apps available to download to a smart phone or tablet which will convert an image to a PDF document.  Please search the App Store or Google Play for a suitable application.

 

In what format can I upload my documents to my application?
 

All documents uploaded to your application must be in PDF format and no more than 2GB.  Only matters of suitability will be able to upload up to 65GB. For all suitability matters, collate your disclosure/capacity statement, exhibit certificates and exhibit documents into one file.

 

Who can certify my documents outside of Victoria?
 

Any person having authority to administer an oath or affirmation in that jurisdiction.

 

How do I get my documents certified?
 

Certain documents are required to be certified, you can find an example on how to do this here (External link).

 

How do I order a police report if I do not live in Australia?
 

You cannot apply for a Police Report through Victoria Police or a Nationally Coordinated Criminal Check and instead you must apply through the website of the Australian Federal Police here (External link) and select ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’, and then '33-Immigration/Citizenship’.

You must also obtain a police report from the country where you are currently residing. The report must be dated no earlier than six months prior to the date your admission application is received.

 

Can I provide a certified copy of my academic transcript?
 

No.  VLAB requires your academic transcript to be emailed to us directly from your University.  Alternatively, you can share the My eQuals link with us.

Your academic transcript is to be shared directly via the My eQuals portal.

 

Will VLAB accept my academic Graduation Statement (AHEGS) or Testamur instead of a transcript?

VLAB does not accept AHEGS or Testamur.  VLAB requires your official transcript to be emailed to us directly from your University or you can share the My eQuals link with us.

Your official transcript is to be shared to directly via the My eQuals portal.

 

Who is an Authorised Affidavit Taker?
 

A complete list of authorised affidavit takers can be found on the Victoria State Government website via the following link (External link).

 

What is a Certificate of Good Standing and how can I order this?
 

A Certificate of Good Standing is a report stating you are in good standing in a particular jurisdiction.  The report must be requested from the law society of each jurisdiction in which in you have admitted to practise law. The Certificate of Good Standing must be emailed directly to VLAB from the relevant law society.

We are unable to receive Certificates of Good Standing directly from applicants.