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Assessment information

What is the expected performance standard?

Participants are expected to achieve the standard of the ‘specially competent practitioner’, who can demonstrate the core skills and practical capabilities in the selected area of the law, as assessed against the spectrum of capability of all practitioners in that area of the law.

This standard is to be distinguished from the idea that the Scheme requires the highest technical legal knowledge across all aspects of the selected area of law.

What are the methods of assessment?

Methods of assessment in each practice area generally include:

• an open/closed book written exam 
• a take home mock file or take home assignment
• a peer or a simulated interview.

Please Note:

The assessments for the Specialist Accreditation program are undertaken on an anonymous basis and as such, candidate and assessor details are not made available to each other.  This is to ensure all assessments are approached objectively and to prevent any conflict of interest. 

The Advisory Committees are comprised of persons with expertise in the relevant area of practice and/or skills in performance assessment in a legal environment and are appointed through a rigorous annual selection process against the following additional eligibility criteria:

• Experienced practitioner in NSW;
• Experience in the design and implementation of educational assessment;
• Sound understanding of the legal needs of the community; and
• Business development expertise, preferably in a legal services environment.

More assessment information

Each of the areas of practice in which accreditation is offered has it own specific assessment requirements.

Note: Assessment requirements for 2013 can now be downloaded from the 2013 Program page.