Our History
While not always a prerequisite for admission to practice, professional legal training in Tasmania has a long history, with the first course – The Legal Practice Course – held at the University of Tasmania in 1970 conducted by the Law Society of Tasmania. Professional legal training continued to be delivered via several different educational institutions and funding structures until 1991 when the University of Tasmania became responsible for funding and delivering 6 month post graduate practical legal training course at the culmination of an undergraduate law degree.
The Centre for Legal Studies Ltd is an independent not for profit company limited by guarantee with a Board of Directors currently made up of representatives from the University of Tasmania’s Faculty of Law and the Tasmanian legal profession.
The Centre for Legal Studies was established in 1998 with its primary function being to deliver practical legal training to law graduates as a joint arrangement between the University of Tasmania and the Law Society of Tasmania. The Centre for Legal Studies is primarily funded via the University of Tasmania by fees paid by law graduates who enrol in and attend the Tasmanian Legal Practice Course.
