The Practical Training Course of the Leo Cussen Institute provides one of the means of qualifying, under the rules of the Council of Legal Education, for admission to practise as an Australian Lawyer of the Supreme Court of Victoria. The PTC trains law graduates to reach the requirements of the National Competency Standards for Entry Level Lawyers. These are contained in Schedule 3 of  the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2008 (Vic).

An applicant for admission must also have passed all the subjects required, and be a graduate of a law teaching institution approved by the Council of Legal Education. Overseas applicants for admission may also be permitted by the Council of Legal Education to enrol for the course as an alternative to service as a Law Clerk.

The course should be considered as a link in the continuum between academic training in law and practice and as the first stage of a professional career, rather than the last stage of academic training.

Its purpose is to give sufficient practical information and training to enable the graduate to cope both competently and confidently with matters likely to arise in the first few years after admission.