Bar Practice Course

Applicants are advised to read the Bar Practice Course Policy.

Cost

The course fee is $4,200.00 (GST free). 

BPC fees may be waived or reduced where it is considered that payment could cause financial hardship. An application for a fee reduction or waiver should be addressed to the executive director and should set out the reasons for the application – for example, if you are a holder of a current Commonwealth concession card; or details of your current financial situation. The Association has a discretion to grant (or refuse) all fee waiver / reduction applications.

Registration

Registration to the Bar Practice Course is by invitation only. A registration link will be sent to all eligible lawyers once they pass the NSW Bar Examination. While the examinee does not need to be admitted as a lawyer in order to attempt the Bar Examination, the registrant of the Bar Practice Course does need such qualification in order to apply for a practising certificate and commence the Reading Programme.

The Bar Practice Course must be commenced within 15 months of passing the examination. When completing the registration for the Bar Examination, the registrant will be invited to indicate their preference for any of the two Bar Practice Courses immediately following the examinations. While all efforts are made to accommodate each registrant's preference, there is no guarantee that a registrant will be able to enrol in the course of his or her choosing. In order to ensure the efficacy of the course and the ability to obtain the optimal learning outcomes, the number of places in each course is limited. The limits that are applicable and the manner in which the places in the course are allocated are set out in the Bar Practice Course Policy. 

In summary, there will be a limit of 54 places in each Bar Practice Course. Those places are allocated in the following order of priority: 

• (a)   First, to Indigenous applicants, and International visitors who have been invited by the Association to participate in that Course; and
• (b)   Secondly, subject to (c), in accordance with the date on which an applicant applied for entry to the Course in accordance with the method of application nominated by the Bar Association, such that earlier applicants will be afforded priority over later applicants. (The current method of application nominated by the Bar Association is the completion of an online application form. A link to the relevant form will be emailed to all candidates who have passed a recent Bar Exam and not yet enrolled in a Bar Practice Course shortly after the release of results of each Bar Exam. Candidates who pass a Bar Exam are able to apply for any of the three Bar Practice Courses following their receipt of results),
• (c) In the event that a particular Course becomes oversubscribed by reason of applications made by candidates on the same date, then as between candidates making applications on that day, priority shall be determined by a random selection conducted by the Bar Association.

Acceptance of a place in the Bar Practice Course is deemed to have been confirmed only upon receipt of the 'Registration to attend the NSW Bar Practice Course' form and fee. To complete the registration application form, you will need to have the following information at hand:

• Confirmation/date of admission in an Australian jurisdiction
• Details of arranged tutors, including at least one signed tutor form
• Details of arranged chambers
• A current curriculum vitae
• An application for a NSW Practising Certificate  (Before completing an application for a practising certificate, you should familiarise yourself with the relevant provisions of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) Chapter 3, the Legal Profession Uniform General Rules 2015 Part 3.3 and the Disclosure Obligations of Barristers)

Course materials

On registration, participants will be offered a place in their preferred course and directed to the Readers noticeboard. The timetable and a comprehensive reading list will be available on the noticeboard. Additional course materials will be distributed throughout the course, with most also being accessible online. The timetable specifies the required readings for each day, which should be completed in advance. Please note that any lecture notes and teaching materials provided before or during the Bar Practice Course cannot be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the Bar Association. Additionally, video recordings of practical performances, which are reviewed by group leaders, are compulsory.

Attendance

Participants must attend all sessions punctually and perform satisfactorily in the Bar Practice Course.

The course has a duration of four weeks, including two Saturdays. Attendance at the course is generally required between 8.30am and 6.30pm. Readers can expect to devote a further few hours in the evening in preparation for the following day.

Readers are required to give their complete professional attention to coursework. It is a condition of the reader's practising certificate that the reader will not practice during the period of the course. In order to meet the requirement of satisfactory performance in the Bar Practice Course, readers must attend all sessions in the Bar Practice Course unless exempted or excused by prior arrangement and satisfactorily:

• present applications before the court for each of the practical sessions;
• perform an opening address, examination in chief of a witness, and cross-examination of an expert witness in the advocacy sessions;
• conduct a series of discrete mini-hearings;
• conduct conferences with witnesses for the purposes of the final trial;
• prepare an advice in a matter set for trial; and
• prepare and present a case for hearing at the final trial.

Assessment

Readers are progressively assessed throughout the course. Assessments are conducted via a number of written and oral exercises, instructor-completed feedback forms and mock hearings. Failure to attend all sessions punctually & perform satisfactorily constitutes a breach of practising certificate conditions.

Bar Practice Course Dates 2025

Readers Notice Board (Login required)