Graduate Diploma
ACAP's Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP) prepares law graduates with essential skills and knowledge for modern legal practice. Developed with industry expertise, it combines academic training with practical learning, ensuring graduates are ready for supervised legal practice.
ACAP's Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP) equips law graduates with the skills, knowledge, and professional competencies essential for modern legal practice. Developed with industry expertise and developed in partnership with the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV), the program combines rigorous academic training with practical, workplace-focused learning.
Our GDLP is designed for aspiring legal professionals who want more than just theory. It's a practice-ready, industry-informed course that ensures you graduate with the confidence, skills and credibility to thrive in supervised legal practice from day one.
Whether you're starting your legal journey or transitioning into practice, ACAP's GDLP offers the support, professional edge and real-world you need to succeed.
Domestic students must meet one of the following requirements:
Please click here for information on Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning.
Prospective international students must obtain a visa other than a student visa (e.g., a temporary graduate visa) to be eligible for application to this course. We strongly recommend that international students seek independent immigration advice to explore their visa options.
ACAP's GDLP program combines practical, applicable coursework with professional workplace experience opportunities to nurture confident and career-ready law graduates.
Workplace experience is a compulsory part of all GDLP courses, providing you with an invaluable opportunity to put your skills and knowledge into practice. With support from ACAP, students will secure a professional placement and complete 15 days of workplace training as part of Work Placement A. For Work Experience B, students are responsible for sourcing their own placement to meet the program requirements.
As part of the PLT course, you can tailor your learning through eight practical, hands-on electives that build specialist skills, provide real-world experience, and align studies with your career goals. These include Administrative Law, Banking & Finance, Consumer Law, Criminal Law, Employment Law, Family Law, Planning & Environmental Law, and Wills & Estates Practice.
In addition to your core coursework units, you'll have the opportunity to study two elective units of your choice. These electives include banking and finance, criminal law, consumer law, employment and industrial relations, family law, and more.
To successfully complete your ACAP PLT course, you'll undertake a final component designed to enhance your practical legal skills and knowledge. You can choose between additional workplace experience, a selection of elective coursework, such as Government Law and In-House Counsel, or a combination of both. This flexible structure allows you to tailor your GDLP journey to align with your professional interests and career aspirations.
Once you graduate from the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (PLT), you will open doors to a range of possible career opportunities. Listed below are a few typical roles you could consider.
ACAP's GDLP course is comprised of the following units:
CourseworkCredit points: 30
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description: This coursework unit includes the following practice areas.
Compulsory:
Electives (choose two):
Credit points: 6
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description:
Workplace experience is a compulsory part of all GDLP courses and provides students with an important opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired through the GDLP coursework.
Workplace experience A includes support from ACAP to source a host company through our relationship with the LIV and their extensive employer network.
This unit includes the mandatory 15 days of practical work experience.
Workplace Experience B (choose one of the following):Credit points: 12
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description:
This Workplace Experience B option comprises 45 days of self-organised workplace experience. Any workplace experience must take place at an approved host organisation and with appropriate supervision as per the LACC Standards. You will need to provide evidence of your placement, the activities undertaken and submit a final assessment to meet the requirements of this unit.
Credit points: 12
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description:
This Workplace Experience B option comprises 30 days of self-organised workplace experience and 1 elective practice area coursework component.
Any workplace experience must take place at an approved host organisation and with appropriate supervision as per the LACC Standards. You will need to provide evidence of your placement, the activities undertaken and submit a final assessment to meet the requirements of this unit.
The elective practice area coursework can be selected from any elective not completed as part of the initial GDLP coursework.
Credit points: 12
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description:
This Workplace Experience B option comprises 15 days of self-organised workplace experience and 2 elective practice area coursework components.
Any workplace experience must take place at an approved host organisation and with appropriate supervision as per the LACC Standards. You will need to provide evidence of your placement, the activities undertaken and submit a final assessment to meet the requirements of this unit.
The two elective practice area coursework components can be selected from any elective not completed as part of the initial GDLP coursework.
Credit points: 12
Pre-requisites: None
Unit description:
This Workplace Experience B option comprises 3 elective practice area coursework components. The three elective practice areas can be selected from any elective not completed as part of the initial GDLP coursework.