Most newly admitted lawyers are subject to a supervised legal practice (SLP) condition on their practising certificate. This means that they must have their legal work supervised by an eligible supervisor for the first 18-24 months of legal practice.  

SLP is a vital period of professional development that sets lawyers up for their careers. It’s where they learn the legal skills they need for competent legal practice, form good work habits, and develop professional skills – from time management through to building client relationships.  

Over the past few years, we surveyed early career lawyers and the lawyers who supervise them to build our understanding of the SLP experience. We wanted to know the benefits, the challenges, and how it could be improved. 

While the importance of this period is well recognised, our research showed that many supervisees and supervisors wanted more guidance about the capabilities supervisees should develop, as well as practical resources to support effective SLP relationships. 

In response, we’ve developed the following resources:

Early Career Lawyer Capability Framework – this will help: 

• supervisees to understand the capabilities they need to develop for independent legal practice  
• supervisors to think about suitable work for their supervisee and identify development opportunities  

Supervision Plan Template – this will help supervisors to plan appropriate work for their supervisees and structure their supervision  

Reflective Practice Template – this will help all lawyers – especially early career lawyers – to reflect on their progress, professional development and wellbeing.   

These resources are designed to be used alongside our existing SLP tools and guidance.