Our Graduates

Donald Charrett
PDLP Graduate 2000
Barrister

A Monash Engineering graduate (Donald completed his Bachelor of Engineering and PhD in civil engineering in the 1960s), Donald completed his law degree at Melbourne University in June 2000.

Donald wanted to be admitted to practice as fast as possible, so applied for the June 2000 intake of the PDLP immediately upon his graduation. He felt that the PDLP was better suited to his needs than other practical legal training courses available or articles. As a mature-age student entering his second career, Donald felt that he had limited time to develop the necessary skills and breadth of experience as a lawyer and did not want to spend time as an articled clerk working in various of the law which he did not intend to pursue.

“I also believe that the PDLP’s focus on the skills required to deal with clients would be much better training if I contemplated setting up in practice on my own in the future,” says Donald. Studying with Monash Law also appealed to Donald, who was excited by the prospect of having exposure to the Law School’s resources and facilities, as well as the ‘hands-on’ client contact through the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Clinic.

Donald says that the Monash PDLP met all his expectations. “I came away feeling confident that I had made the transition from the theoretical knowledge of the law imparted in my LLB to being a lawyer capable of working in a legal practice. The practice in oral skills, both in the classroom situation where there was ample feedback, and particularly in the Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service, was the most valuable part of the course. I had the good fortune to have a range of clients at Monash-Oakleigh with a number of different legal problems, and the face-to-face contact with real clients provided training and experience that no amount of bookwork or simulation could replace.”

During his study, Donald was offered a part-time position at Mallesons Stephen Jaques and commenced full-time employment immediately upon graduation from the PDLP, where he was part of a small team of lawyers working on large litigations in the Supreme Court. He is now a barrister and specialises in a range of construction law issues, including issues of contract, insurance and insolvency.

Donald’s advice to students contemplating the PDLP

“The Monash PDLP course should not be viewed in as an inferior route to practice than articles. It offers a number of advantages that even the best of articles cannot match, including the range of areas of law and the experience of dealing with clients in the legal clinic. The relatively short duration of the course (five months) is substantially less than the year of articles, and also significantly less than the Leo Cussen course. These factors should also be carefully considered, particularly where they assist in getting a job as a qualified lawyer considerably earlier than would otherwise be possible.

“The shorter duration of the course and the starting dates should also be carefully assessed in any comparison of fees that have to be paid for a practical training course.”