The Bar conducts the Readers' Course twice each year starting at the beginning of March and September and running full-time for 12 weeks. Generally, each Readers' Course intake has a maximum of 46 available places.

The course is co-ordinated by Deborah Morris, Legal Education Officer and overseen by Mark Halse, Manager - Legal Education.

Full attendance and participation is compulsory and a pre-requisite for signing the Roll of Counsel at the completion of the Course.

Course fees

As at March 2008, the fees for the Course are $3,771 (including GST). A deposit of $903 is required when submitting an application to attend a course. The balance of $2,868.00 is payable prior to commencement of the course. The fees are subject to review from time to time by the Bar Council. Please check with Deborah Morris to confirm current pricing.

Withdrawal of application

Where an applicant withdraws from a Readers' Course, an administrative fee equivalent to 25% of the fee for the Readers' Course will be forfeited by the Applicant. The remainder of the fee paid by the Applicant will be refunded to the Applicant if previously paid. If in the opinion of the Applications Review Committee special circumstances apply, the administrative fee may be waived.

Focus of the Course

Principally, the Course focuses upon the teaching of advocacy skills by actual performance by the reader of simulated court performances or partial performances, followed by assessment and instruction relating to the performance. Instruction by lectures is kept to a minimum.

In its development, the Course has drawn upon methods used in other countries, as well as modifying such methods and developing its own methods and techniques. The Victorian Bar's course is regarded as the most advanced and developed in Australia and has led the way in advocacy training generally. In addition, the Course has earned an international reputation and has been visited by lawyers from the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.

The Readers' Course Committee and Manager - Legal Education have been consulted by both international and interstate lawyers concerned with advocacy training in their respective jurisdictions.

A more recent initiative of the course has been the conduct of teacher training programs, aimed at establishing consistency in teaching techniques, rather than relying upon idiosyncratic lecture type instruction, as was once the case.

Lawyers from the Pacific Islands

The Bar has since 1987 accepted applications from lawyers from Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands to undertake the Course. Lawyers from Indonesia and South Africa have also been accepted in the course and applications from other South Pacific countries are anticipated and will be considered. Such practitioners, not being admitted to practice in Victoria are not eligible to sign the Bar Roll, but sign the Roll of Overseas Practitioners at the completion of the Course to record their participation.