Advanced Standing for GDLP Workplace Experience
What is Advanced Standing?
Advanced Standing recognises previous supervised legal experience that can be credited towards your Practical Legal Training (PLT). This can help reduce some of the workplace experience requirements of ACAP’s Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP).
What legal experience counts towards Advanced Standing?
Eligible experience may include:
- Clinical legal education or university law clinics
- Legal internships or externships
- Paralegal work
- Legal volunteering
- Supervised legal support work
What part of my PLT can Advanced STANDING APPLY TO?
Standing apply to?
As part of ACAP’s GDLP, students complete workplace experience in a professional legal environment consisting of two components:
- Workplace Experience A (WPE-A): 15 mandatory days of workplace experience. Advanced Standing cannot be applied to WPE-A.
- Workplace Experience B (WPE-B): Up to 45 additional days completed through placement, coursework, or a combination of both.
Advanced Standing may be applied towards WPE-B only, reducing your workplace experience requirements by up to 45 days. WPE-A is mandatory and cannot be credited.
How are Advanced Standing applications assessed?
All applications are assessed individually and are based on:
- the type of legal work completed
- level of supervision
- duration of experience
- relevance to WPE-B learning outcomes.
To be considered, prior experience generally must:
- involve supervised legal or law-related work
- be completed during or after your law degree
- have been completed within two years prior to commencing the GDLP. Experience completed outside this period will not normally be eligible for Advanced Standing consideration.
Students may be asked to provide supporting documentation, including:
- employment or placement details
- dates and hours completed
- details of legal work undertaken
- supervisor or employer confirmation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Potentially, yes. Relevant supervised experience may include:
- university law clinics
- legal internship or externship subjects
- supervised Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experiences
Eligibility is assessed individually based on the nature, supervision, duration, and relevance of the experience to WPE-B requirements.
Yes, if it involved supervised legal work relevant to WPE-B requirements.
Yes. Supervised paralegal or legal support work may be considered.
Legal volunteering may be considered where it involved supervised legal work in a relevant setting.
No. WPE-A is mandatory and cannot be credited.
No. All applications are assessed individually and require supporting documentation.