Overview: Practical Experience Rules from Autumn 2026
Successful completion of Practical Experience (PE) will satisfy the workplace component of the UTS Law Practical Legal Training (PLT) program. Practical Experience is a compulsory component of the PLT program prescribed by the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB).
The purpose of Practical Experience is to provide students with an opportunity to apply, test and reflect on their coursework, and to experience the routines, procedures and dynamics commonly found in legal environments.
The Rules set out in the following pages apply to the subject Practical Experience - 15 days 75427.
Important Handbook Information
Students enrol in Practical Experience according to their course progression – as set out in the UTS Handbook. Students must adhere to the UTS Handbook relevant to the year they commenced their course. Handbook versions for previous years may be accessed by visiting the Archives webpage.
Practical Experience Rules
Rule 1: Application process
Students seeking approval for practical experience must:
a) Be enrolled in 75427 Practical Experience - 15 Days
b) Be enrolled in 75424 Skills and Wills Practice, and
c) Submit a Practical Experience Registration (Form 1) via CareerHub when enrolled into Practical
Experience and as soon as they have secured a placement.
Rule 2: Quality of workplace experience
The work undertaken by a student during Practical Experience consists of the application of legal knowledge and skills to legal work and must include most, or all, of the following:
a) Significant interaction with external or in-house clients.
b) Drafting documents.
c) Legal research.
d) Using a file management system.
Rule 3: Types of acceptable placements
Practical Experience may be undertaken with a:
a) Legal Practitioner who is in private practice and holds a full practising certificate;
b) Legal Practitioner who is in private practice and holds a restricted practising certificate and has held that restricted practising certificate for two or more years;
c) Person admitted to the legal profession by the Supreme Court of any Australian jurisdiction who is eligible to hold a practising certificate and who is able to satisfy the Committee that they can provide appropriate Practical Experience as described in Rule 2;
d) Government, semi-government or corporate legal office or department, employer or employee association, or a community legal service which is recognised by the Committee as being a legal office, department or centre in which appropriate Practical Experience might be undertaken;
e) Organisation, department or office which the Committee recognises, either generally, or upon application, as being an organisation, department or office in which the applicant might undertake Practical Experience; or
f) Judge or Judicial Officer where the student carries out duties such as those undertaken by the Judge's Associate or Tipstaff.
Rule 4: Qualifications of Supervisor
4.1 A person may act as a Supervisor if that person is a:
a) Legal Practitioner with a full practising certificate or a Legal Practitioner who has held a restricted practising certificate for two or more years;
b) Person admitted to the legal profession by the Supreme Court of any Australian jurisdiction who is eligible to hold a practising certificate and who is able to satisfy the Committee that they can provide appropriate practical experience as described in Rule 2;
c) Judge; or
d) Tribunal Member who has held a practising certificate for at least 2 years.
4.2 A person may act as a Supervisor if that person:
a) has not been the subject of an adverse finding by his/her licensing authority or disciplinary body;
b) has not been the subject a disciplinary order,[1]
c) normally has no more than three other persons working for him/her who are gaining Practical Experience; and,
d) advises the Practical Experience Rules Committee that they accept the responsibility to ensure that the experience outlined in these Rules is received, and that any other requirements of the Practical Experience Rules Committee will be complied with.
Rule 5: Length of Practical Experience
5.1 In order to satisfy the requirements of Practical Experience, students must enrol in 75427 Practical Experience – 15 Days. Practical Experience must be undertaken either concurrently with, or following, the PLT coursework subjects. Work undertaken prior to the commencement of the PLT coursework subjects cannot be credited.
5.2 Practical Experience may be obtained by either full-time or part-time work based on a maximum 35-hour working week.
5.3 Only full (no less than 7 hours per day) or half (no less than 4 hours per day) workday increments may be counted.
5.4 A part-time placement must be a minimum of 2 days per week (i.e. two full-days or four half days), unless permitted by the Practical Experience Rules Committee under special conditions prior to the commencement of the work placement.
5.5 75427 Practical Experience – 15 Days must be with the same supervisor.
5.6 Practical Experience must be undertaken within Australia.
Rule 6: When Practical Experience is to be undertaken
6.1 Domestic students have 12 months to complete their approved Practical Experience from the commencement of the session in which the subject Practical Experience appears as ‘enrolled’ on their study plan. Failure to do so, unless an extension has been sought, will result in a fail grade being recorded for the subject.
6.2 International students must complete their Practical Experience placement and have results finalised on their academic record before their Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) expires; or within 12 months, whichever comes first. Failure to complete within this timeframe will result in a fail grade being recorded for the subject.
An international student who fails this subject may be eligible to extend their CoE. International students should seek advice from UTSI at least 15 business days before formal classes end for the session they are enrolled into Practical Experience.
To ensure they finish their training in time, international students must contact the Law Practical Experience Rule Committee when they enrol in Practical Experience by emailing Law.PE@uts.edu.au with their plans for completion.
6.3 Credit cannot be given for any internship placement for which the student has already received academic credit within their degree.
6.4 Students undertaking more than 18-credit-points per session may only accrue 2 days’ of Practical Experience per week during the teaching weeks of that session. Relevant work experience up to a maximum of 5 days per week can be undertaken in the StuVac weeks.
6.5 Students undertaking 18-credit-points or less per session may undertake relevant work experience up to a maximum of 5 days per week.
Rule 7: Completion of a Practical Experience placement
8.1 Upon completion of a Practical Experience placement, students must submit a Practical Experience Log (Form 2) via CareerHub. This includes a list of the actual days worked (in full or half-day increments) during the placement, with the total number of days tallied.
8.2 Upon completion of students Practical Experience placement(s), the student must complete and submit a Reflective Journal via CareerHub.
Rule 8: The UTS Law Practical Experience Rules Committee
9.1 The Committee determines matters relating to Practical Experience. Any matters relating to student progression, course requirements and student services should be managed by students through the usual UTS processes.
9.2 The Committee is appointed by the UTS Law Dean and comprises the following UTS Law staff positions:
a) Director of Professional Programs;
b) Student Programs Coordinator;
c) Student Programs Officer;
d) Student Programs Assistant; and
e) Academic Services Manager
9.3 All members shall hold office until their resignation or upon receiving 1 month's written notice from the UTS Law Dean of the termination of appointment.
9.4 The Committee may regulate its own procedures and otherwise act to implement these Rules.
9.5 Subject to the requirements of the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board, the Practical Experience Rules Committee retains the right to exercise discretion in relation to minor noncompliance with these Practical Experience Rules.