Piddington PLT,
A Piddington justice project
Piddington PLT is a high-quality, work-ready practical legal training course that focuses on The Piddington Society’s values of access to justice, ethics and collegiality.
Piddington PLT is the best pathway to admission in Western Australia for law graduates.
Our course was only the third to be approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia as satisfying the practical legal training requirements for direct admission to legal practice in WA.
👇 Applications have now closed for our 2025 cohort, however, expressions of interest for our 2026 cohort can be made through this form 👇
Piddington PLT is a unique program designed for law graduates who are committed to advancing access to justice and want to complete their practical legal training as part of a community of peers and mentors who are committed to ethics, professional responsibility, and collegiality.
The course is focused on real-world problems that help you start your career in the best position you can.
Piddington PLT is a 10-month program running from mid-January to October, which involves:
450 hours of programmed coursework including in-person workshops, seminars and tutorials; group-based practical activities where you practice developing skills necessary for advising clients; and structured reflective activities).
80 days of supervised work experience.
Placements can be completed through volunteer placements in community legal centres (CLCs) or paid roles in CLCs, private firms, for barristers, working for judges or even a mix of CLC volunteer and paid roles.
The course was designed by and is taught almost exclusively by senior lawyers and judges who have created a course that prepares you for the reality of being a new lawyer in Western Australia.
a pathway for law graduates
The Piddington Society has been providing practical legal training focused on access to justice, ethics and collegiality since 2016. We initially delivered the Australian National University course. In 2018 our own course was approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.
We developed this course in consultation with senior members of the profession about what junior lawyers really need to thrive when they join the profession. We are proud that these contributors including judges and leaders of the bar, government lawyers, the community legal sector and private firms, continue to support the course and teach in it.
This course is Piddington PLT.
Piddington PLT was born out of the recognition that law graduates need pathways to admission that allow them to develop the skills necessary to start their careers as lawyers in a supportive environment, and that community legal centres (CLCs) need support to continue their important role in both providing access to justice and training young lawyers.
As well as focusing on the fundamental skills, values and ethics that graduates need when they enter the legal profession, Piddington PLT supports our graduates to do their compulsory vocational training placements at CLCs, and supports CLCs in recognition of their important contribution to the profession and the community.
A unique pathway to admission
We do PLT differently, and we think better. Our Graduates develop the key skills needed for admission as a legal practitioner in Western Australia through a 10-month program program that focuses on The Piddington Society’s values, which are to:
promote collegiality in the legal profession;
improve access to justice;
support entry into the profession by aspiring and junior lawyers; and,
provide legal education and training to aspiring and existing members of the legal profession.
An important part of the way we run Piddington PLT means our Graduates belong to a community of peers and supporters in the profession who become lifelong friends and mentors.
Piddington PLT 2019 cohort at their Admission.
Furthering collegiality and access to justice
Practical legal training is not an extension of law school. Piddington PLT focuses on supporting our graduates to develop the core skills young lawyers need to become legal practitioners grounded in the ethics and values that underpin the professional responsibilities and obligations that come with being members of the legal profession.
Piddington PLT graduates who complete their PLT Work Experience Placements with our Community Legal Centre partners contribute hundreds of hours of legal service as part of their training. Lawyers from our CLCs partners are also directly involved in delivering our coursework, and The Piddington Society makes direct financial contributions recognition of the important role that CLCs play in training future lawyers.
By completing Piddington PLT, you are starting your career increasing access to justice.
We have also integrated The Piddington Society’s professional development program into our PLT course, which means at Piddington PLT you are connected with the profession and continually engage in key issues and updated on new developments in the law with the rest of the legal profession.
Outcomes from piddington plt
Piddington PLT has two direct outcomes - for our graduates themselves as well as the community legal sector.
For individuals who complete Piddington PLT, they experience a leading PLT course, with meaningful work experience, a simplified and centralised application process and opportunities to meet with and learn from senior practitioners and legal experts.
By completing Piddington PLT, you will end our course with a network of peers, colleagues and mentors to sustain you through your career.
Each year, The Piddington Society, through Piddington PLT, is able to contribute thousands of hours of legal advice through placements at community legal centres.
On top of this, we are able to make direct financial contributions of over $20,000.
These are important additions to the community.
Improving access to Justice also improves the administration of justice. PwC has conservatively estimated that every dollar spent on legal aid generates a return of $1.60-$2.25. The National Association of CLCs estimated that the return on investment is $18.
Piddington PLT 2024
The 2024 Piddington PLT cohort with Director Elisha Rose (far left) and Coordinator Lucette Quinlan (far right).
Previous Piddington PLT cohorts
