Frequently Asked Questions - Student Registration

If you wish to enrol as a new student in the Diploma-in-Law you must register as a Student-at-Law by no later than 1 March or 1 September each year to be eligible to enrol in the following term.   

Late applications may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Please submit a new student enquiry  detailing the extenuating circumstances that lead to you being unable to register by the deadline. 

Sign up for your student portal (STEMS) account on the LPAB website.

This will take approximately 20 minutes to complete

You will need a private email address. This will serve as your username, which cannot be changed during your studies with the LPAB. Please use an appropriate email address, i.e., not a workplace, temporary or shared email address. 

Step 1: You will receive three separate emails with verification passcodes. This is required to meet the high security standards of Department of Communities and Justice accounts. 

Step 2: Log-in to the STEMS portal via the log-in screen. We suggest you add the log-in page to your bookmarks for easy access.  

Step 3: Apply to register as a student-at-law by selecting ‘Registration’ from the home screen.  There is a one-off registration fee of $340 that will be payable on STEMS as part of the application process. 

Step 4: Once you have completed the registration process, the LPAB team will assess your registration and you will be notified of the outcome via email.

To be eligible to register as a student you must satisfy the criteria of one of the entry categories as required by the Legal Profession Admission Rules 2005.

A list of the categories and documentation required can be found here.

Note: If you are applying for Entry under category 29 (i) please refer to the Department of Education website for further information. 

If you have undertaken, but not completed, academic studies in an Australian accredited course or undertaken, within Australia, law-related studies outside an Australian accredited law course you will need to apply to the LPAB for an assessment of these qualifications. 

You can apply for an assessment of your existing academic qualifications by submitting Form A3 and paying the associated $370 fee. The assessment process takes up to 12 weeks. 

You will only be able to enrol in subjects in order until you have received the outcome of your application i.e. in your first semester you must enrol in 01 Foundations of Law to start. 

The Diploma in Law is not designed as an online course. However, there are provisions for remote participation.

•  If you are an overseas trained lawyers participating in the course from overseas for the purpose of completing subjects required for admission as a lawyer in Australia. Please see the 'Remote Study from Overseas Declaration' for more information. You will need to attach the completed declaration to your student registration case on STEMS. 

• If you do not have an assessment of your overseas legal qualifications and wish to participate in the course from overseas you will need to seek an exemption to Rule 29(1) of the NSW Admission Board Rules 2015. For more information please see the Request for exemption to Rule 29(1) – Australian Residency Declaration Form. Any request should be made BEFORE attempting to register as a student. 

Attending Lectures 

All students have the option to attend classes in person on Campus or via Zoom as LEC live stream the lectures in real time. You just need to keep in mind that the lectures will be in Sydney Time 6pm-9pm (AEST). While all students are provided with lecture recordings at set points in the tuition the expectation is that students will attend lectures. 

Attendance at Weekend Schools

Distance students are strongly encouraged to attend in-person, the two relevant Weekend Schools each term. The Weekend Schools provide important opportunities for interaction with lecturers and other students, and for networking generally. Weekend School activities are not recorded and are not available online. Although in-person attendance at Weekend Schools is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.  

Attendance at Exams 

Distance students must make reasonable efforts to attend an exam centre in person. A list of exam centres is listed on the Legal Profession Admission Board website. Students may make an application on STEMS to sit the examinations online ($220 fee per semester). Please refer to the Online Examinations by Exception Policy for more information and eligibility criteria. It is not possible to sit the examination via handwriting remotely.