Legal Services offers two programs in which law students can participate:

• a Summer Clerkship program, and
• a Practical Legal Training program.

Summer Clerkship Program

Legal Services' Summer Clerkship program is an exciting opportunity to experience the work we undertake on a day to day basis and see firsthand the impact we have on the South Australian community.

Applications for our 2025 Summer Clerkship program have now closed. Applications for Legal Services' 2026 Summer Clerkship program will open mid-2025.

Aims

The aims of the Summer Clerkship program include:

• assisting law students to develop professional knowledge and skills within a legal environment
• encouraging law students to consider a career in the legal assistance sector, and
• providing Legal Services with the opportunity to recruit suitable, trained and qualified Indigenous and non-Indigenous lawyers.

About the Summer Clerkship Program 

The Summer Clerkship program is a structured program which includes training and development, as well as placement within all of our practice areas (Criminal Law, Family Law, Civil Law and Legal Information and Advice) and other areas such as the Grants team. Students are supervised and supported throughout the program. Summer Clerk positions at Legal Services are paid positions.

Legal Services offers up to six Summer Clerk positions, at least two of which are prioritised for Indigenous law students and those who identify has having disability. Indigenous and non-Indigenous law students are encouraged to apply.

Timing

Summer Clerkships normally commence in the last week of January each year. The program is offered over four weeks, on a full-time basis.

The 2025 Summer Clerkship ran from Tuesday 28 January to Friday 21 February 2025.

Selection Process

Summer Clerkship applications are assessed on the basis of a written application addressing the selection criteria, together with a covering letter, current curriculum vitae and academic transcript.

We use face-to-face (and/or telephone) interviews for short-listed candidates.

Legal Services is a member of the joint SA Law Student Associations' Uniform Clerkship Scheme.

All successful applicants are required to hold a valid Criminal History Check and a DHS Working with Children Check. 

Applications for the 2026 Legal Services Summer Clerkship will open mid-2025. 

Enquiries

Please direct enquiries to Legal Education Officer, Hannah Millard, at hannah.millard@lsc.sa.gov.au. 

Practical Legal Training Program

Legal Services offers three PLT placement blocks each year.

About the PLT Program

Students are able to complete a Practical Legal Training (PLT) placement with Legal Services as part of their Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP).

Legal Services' PLT Placement blocks run for three weeks, full-time (15 days). We cannot accomodate requests for part-time placements.

Legal Services' PLT Placement positions are unpaid.

Legal Services will host up to six students per placement block. PLT students will be placed in one of the following divisions for the entirety of their placement, in accordance with capacity and availability of supervisors to provide a quality placement experience:

• Criminal Law
• Family Law
• Civil Law
• Legal Information and Advice

If students have a preference as to the Division in which they undertake their placement, this should be indicated in their application. All effort will be made to match the student with their preferred area of law, however, this cannot be guaranteed.

Most PLT placements will be based from our Adelaide city office.

We may have an opportunity to undertake a PLT placement with our Criminal Law team in our Noarlunga or Elizabeth office. If this is something you would be interested in, please indicate this is in your application and we will do our best to accomodate this preference.

Students selected to undertake a PLT Placement with Legal Services will be responsbile for ensuring all necessary documentation from their GDLP provider is received and completed in order to commence and finalise their placement.

Dates

The dates for PLT placement blocks in 2025 are:

Selection Process

Application Process

Only students who are currently undertaking their PLT/GDLP are eligible.

Applications can be sent directly to Legal Services via the PLT Placement Coordinator, Hannah Millard, at hannah.millard@lsc.sa.gov.au, during the application period and must include the following:

• Cover letter (noting legal Division preference, if applicable)
• Curriculum Vitae (including contact details of at least two current referees)
• Academic Transcript

Succesful applicants will be required to hold a valid Criminal History Check and a DHS Working with Children Check. If you have these current checks please include evidence with your application, otherwise Legal Services will arrange for them to be obtained.

We select students for PLT based on the written applications. We do not conduct interviews for PLT placements.

Applicants will be notified of the success of their application at least four weeks from commencement of the placement block.

Enquiries

Please direct enquiries to Legal Education Officer, Hannah Millard at hannah.millard@lsc.sa.gov.au.