From theory to practice, PLT brings the Law to life

For Deon, the Criminal Law Practice elective was instrumental in helping him operationalise much of the knowledge he’d gained during his undergraduate law degree. While he studied, he was simultaneously completing a clerkship with criminal law firm Zhai and Associates.

The crossover between his PLT learning and his day-to-day workplace was significant.

“The PLT assessors were all current legal practitioners or people who had worked in the system, and so the experience really reflected what I’d seen in criminal courts around Sydney that I’d been frequenting for work,” he says.  

Real-world skills for real-world legal practice

The PLT course also helped to drive home the realities of practising the law. Unlike on the TV shows Deon had watched as a kid, where lawyers frequently stood up in front of a magistrate and made long-winded speeches, PLT taught him that real courtroom practice required much more flexibility and quick thinking than he’d anticipated.

In one of his classes, an assessor continually interrupted his carefully planned out argument, challenging his statements and requesting information that threw his structured presentation out of order.  

“That was definitely something that changed my paradigm. I started being a lot more realistic and flexible in terms of how I address the court, and that’s definitely proving invaluable in my job now,” he says.

“Oftentimes there are these little things you don’t pick up in the classroom that you can only learn through practical exercises.”

But PLT turned out to be more than just an opportunity to sharpen Deon’s understanding of legal practice and how to do it well. After sharing his criminal law ambitions with the UTS Law team, a tutor who had previously worked for Legal Aid NSW took him aside and encouraged him to apply. She also gave him valuable insights into the application and interview process.

Professional connections like these can become a launching pad into a law career. For Deon, that support and advice turned into a full-time job with Legal Aid NSW, essentially the largest criminal law firm in NSW.

A set of fundamental principles 

Today, Deon is based in Legal Aid NSW’s Wagga office where he represents some of the most vulnerable people in the Riverina area. This includes people in custody and those who can’t access or pay for legal services.

His first year of practice has been a crash course in juggling the logistical complexities of an enormous caseload in a region where disadvantage is rife. The time management skills he gained during his studies have been instrumental to his success to date.

“Meeting deadlines was a very big thing at UTS, especially with a degree like law and PLT where you're studying multiple things of high intensity. You need to be across all fronts,” he says. 

“In my practice, I have 86 matters at the moment. That’s 86 people who are depending on me, so I’m serious about managing my time and getting the work done. It can really make or break you in this industry.” 

But despite the pressures, Deon is thriving; to date, he hasn’t lost a single case. It’s an outcome that speaks volumes about his ability to think quickly and strategically and to transform the reams of legal information that live inside his head into practical and effective action.   

In large part, he has the UTS to thank for that.

“I think what PLT gives you is a set of fundamental principles that you know you can fall back on,” Deon says.

“As long as you have those principles, you know what it is to be a lawyer.”