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Legal Profession Admission Board
News archive
2025
PLT reform project
The Board has embarked on a project to consider costs and quality issues about the current PLT offering in this State. A survey was sent to all practising solicitors seeking their views about PLT. The Board is interested in hearing from anybody who for whatever reason was unable to complete the Board’s survey, including current PLT students. A separate email address has been set up to receive submissions from those who for, whatever reason, have not participated in the Board’s PLT survey. That address is: pltsurvey@urbis.com.au .
If any legal practitioner or PLT student wishes to make a submission it will be considered by the Board as part of its PLT reform project. Any submission should indicate if the maker wishes to remain anonymous.
2024
Online admission portal planned maintenance 27 November 2024
The online admission portal will be down for planned system maintenance on Wednesday 27 November 2024. The online admission potal cannot be accessed and the admissions team are unable to answer any questions about admission applications.
New fees
The Board approved CPI based increases to most of its fees. Those changes apply on and from 1 July 2024.
The fee for applying for a compliance certificate remains at $950.
2023
Posted 10 December 2023
Admission portal will be offline from Tuesday 12 December 2023.
Due to recent migration issues which have prevented automated emails being sent by the portal, we have a scheduled update. We regret any inconvenience caused. We will advise as soon as access is restored.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while we make these necessary improvements to the online applicant experience.
Posted in October 2023
The Admission Portal is unable to send automated emails due to a migration issue
We are currently working to resolve the issue however suggest checking your application status within the portal for any updates. If you require urgent assistance please email lpab@justice.nsw.gov.au directly. Thank you for your patience.
Posted in June 2023
Our new address from June 2023
The Office of the LPAB will commence operations at a new address on Tuesday 13 June 2023.
Our new address is Suite 1805 on Level 18, 109 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000.
Visiting us
From Tuesday 13 June 2023 , our new office at Level 18, 109 Pitt Street will be accessible to the public between 12 noon and 2:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (except public holidays).
For access requests at other times during business hours, please contact us in advance to make an appointment.
Sending us hard copy documents
Our postal address will remain the same: GPO Box 3980, Sydney NSW 2001.
Phoning us
Our phone number will remain the same after the move: +61 (2) 9338 3500 available between 10:00am and 3:00pm.
Emailing us
Our email addresses will remain the same after the move:
lpab@justice.nsw.gov.au – for general enquiries and lodgement of all applications
lpabexams@justice.nsw.gov.au – for Diploma in Law exam processes.
Posted February 2023
Are you interested in learning more about the Diploma in Law? Our next Open Day will be held on Wednesday 8 February 2023 from 12noon to 2pm via Zoom.
Register here to hear about the Diploma in Law from staff, students and graduates and have all your questions answered.
2022
Posted 05 October 2022
Eligibility criteria for remote admissions
Effective from 1 June 2022, the remote admission process is limited to applicants who can demonstrate that they meet strict eligibility criteria.
The eligibility criteria for remote admissions are that:
a) you are presently located outside Australia and are prohibited by law from entering Australia (for example: due to a closure of Australia's international border or because you do not have a valid visa and are not an Australian citizen or resident), or
b) you ordinarily reside outside NSW and are prohibited by law from travelling to NSW or returning to your home state from NSW (for example: due to a closure of a state/territory border), or
c) you have a medical condition, or are undergoing medical treatment, which places you at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 (such medical condition or treatment being one of those listed on the relevant Australian Government Department of Health webpage).
In all other cases, applicants will be required to attend an admission ceremony in-person at the Supreme Court, to take the oath/affirmation of office and sign the Supreme Court Roll.
Booking a remote admission
To book a remote admission you will need to:
o send an email to lpab@justice.nsw.gov.au with your full name and your admission application number (eg ADM-123456)
o attach relevant official documentation/medical certificate to prove the existence of your claimed circumstances.
Booking an admission ceremony
To book an admission ceremony, you need to sign in to the online Admission Portal and book the available date and time of your choice.
Bookings close 7 calendar days before the date of the relevant ceremony (or earlier, if all places have already been booked).
The dates and times of admission ceremonies that are available for booking are listed in the online Admission Portal
.
Posted April 2022
Admission Portal is offline
Access to be restored by Friday evening 8 April 2022
The LPAB Admission Portal will be offline for a short period. This is to enable an upgrade to address recent performance issues.
We regret any inconvenience caused. Access is expected to be restored by Friday evening 8 April 2022. When you login after that, you may notice differences in the Admission Portal.
If you have an application in 'Draft', some questions in the application form have changed, which means you may need to update some of your existing answers. We recommend you check each page that you have already completed in the application form, before progressing further through the form.
Thank you for your understanding while we make these improvements to the online applicant experience.
2017
Enrolments
Enrolments for LPAB Students at Law are between 20-28 April 2017. Please see the enrolment page for further information and the online payment form.
posted 12 April 2017
Examinations
Exams for the LPABs Students at Law are being held between Thursday 2 March and Thursday 9 March at various locations around the State.
posted 2 March 2017
Update to reduced office hours
posted 23 February 2017
Due to work being completed sooner than anticipated the Office of the LPAB will now be open until 5:00pm on Friday 24 March.
March Admission ceremonies
posted 23 February 2017
The admission ceremonies for 24 March are currently at full capacity and you will not be able to book using the online portal. A decision will be made on Monday 27 February 2017 whether there is sufficient demand to release an additional ceremony. Should you wish to be admitted in March please check the online portal after 12 noon Monday 27/02/2017.
Reduced office hours
posted 15 February 2017
Between Thursday 16 February and Friday 24 February 2017 inclusive, the Office of the LPAB will close at 3:00pm every day. During the hours of 9:00am to 3:00pm, we will operate with reduced staffing levels. This is necessary due to the impact of work to replace the office's malfunctioning air conditioning system. We regret any inconvenience this may cause, and encourage our clients to consider emailing enquiries or mailing applications during this time, rather than visiting the office. If our reduced office hours cause you a significant difficulty, please bring this to our attention by sending an email to lpab@justice.nsw.gov.au and we will do our best to assist you.
Upcoming Admission Ceremonies
posted 6 January 2017
Admission ceremonies will be held in the Banco Court in Sydney on 17 February 2017 and in Newcastle on 24 February 2017. Applications for these ceremonies must be lodged using the online admission portal. If you are planning to attend these ceremonies you should ensure the hard copy documentary evidence is received no later than 4 weeks before the ceremony. If you have a complex application you should ensure your hard copy documentary evidence is received on or before 12 January 2017 to ensure it meets the deadline for the Board meeting on 7 February 2017.
2016
Festive season closedown
Posted 15 December
The Legal Profession Admission Board will be closed for the Christmas/New Year period from 5:00pm Friday 23 December 2016 until 9:00am Wednesday 4 January 2017.
Half day closure
The office of the Legal Profession Admission Board will be closed for half a day: Wednesday 14th December 2016, 1pm - 5pm.
The LPAB will be shutting down for a work function.
Staff will not be accessing emails during this time and will not be able to attend to your queries until the following business day.
Please contact our Client Relationship Manager on lpabfeedback@justice.nsw.gov.au should you have any issues with the scheduled shutdown.
December Admission Ceremonies
Issued: 25 November 2016
There are only a few seats remaining for the admission ceremonies on 8 and 9 December 2016. These are the last ceremonies for 2016 and eligible applicants wishing to be admitted in December should book as soon as possible.
December admission ceremonies
Issued: Tuesday, 15 November 2016
Two additional ceremonies have been made available through the Online Admission Portal: 3.30pm on Thursday 8 December 2016, and 3.45pm on Friday 9 December 2016.
No further ceremonies will be made available in 2016. There will be no ceremonies held on Monday 12 December 2016.
The next ceremonies will be held on Friday 3 and Friday 17 February 2017.
December admission ceremonies
Issued: Monday, 14 November 2016
Additional ceremonies will soon be made accessible through the Online Admission Portal for 8 and 9 December 2016. It is anticipated this should occur before 12:00 noon today.
18 November admission ceremonies
Issued: Thursday, 27 October 2016
The admission ceremonies to be conducted on Friday 18 November will be the first for applicants who have lodged applications for admission as a lawyer using the new Online Admission Portal. These applicants are the first to have their applications for admission approved using an Instrument of delegation allowing the LPAB's Executive Officer to approve applications.
October admission ceremonies
Issued: Thursday, 08 September 2016
All admission ceremonies previously scheduled for Friday 21 October 2016 have been moved to Monday 24 October 2016.
This change was necessary to accommodate requirements of the Supreme Court of NSW. We regret any inconvenience that the change may cause to people who have applied for admission and their guests.
Applicants who were planning to be admitted on Frid ay 21 October 2016, but cannot attend a ceremony on the re-scheduled date of Monday 24 October 2016, may be able to defer their admission until a later ceremony day. The next ceremony day after October will be held on Friday 18 November 2016. Please contact us if want to defer your admission ceremony.
Changes to admission process
Issued: 30 August 2016
The LPAB is launching an online Admission Portal soon. If you apply for admission as a lawyer after 23 September 2016, you will need to sign up to use the portal, and complete a new online form. Existing versions of Forms 10 and 11 will no longer be accepted.
The benefits of the online Admission Portal are explained in the fact sheet 'Applying online for admission as a lawyer' (PDF, 75.6 KB).
Corporate and government lawyers
Issued: April 2016
If you are a corporate or government lawyer in NSW and you have not been admitted to the Australian legal profession, you may need to notify the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board.
You will need to notify the Board within one year of engaging in practice pursuant to the transitional exemption in Clause 19 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulation 2015.
Visit our Government and Corporate Lawyerspage for more information.
An online formfor the purpose of notifying the Board is now available. For further information about the transitional exemptions please read the Factsheet - Corporate Lawyers or Factsheet - Government Lawyers.
2015
Uniform Admission Rules
Issued: June 2015
Uniform Admission Rules for the admission of lawyers in NSW take effect from 1 July 2015.
Updated forms and a guide for applicants are now available on this website. Previous versions of admission forms are no longer being accepted.
These changes relate to the commencement of a uniform regulatory regime for the legal profession in NSW and Victoria, under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
Further information about the Uniform Law is at the website of the Legal Services Council.
Last updated:
27 Mar 2025
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.