RPL for Diploma of Paralegal Services

Diploma of Paralegal Services takes 12 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for BSB50720 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 12 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you BSB50720. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what BSB50720 involves →

The 12 units you complete, chosen from these 24

You do not do all 24. Diploma of Paralegal Services is 5 core units, which everyone does, plus 7 chosen from the 19 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Core units — everyone does these

• BSBLEG421 — Apply understanding of the Australian legal system
• BSBLEG422 — Maintain a file in a legal services environment
• BSBLEG521 — Conduct and apply legal research
• BSBLEG534 — Take instructions in a legal services environment
• BSBWRT411 — Write complex documents

Electives — you choose from these

• BSBCMM511 — Communicate with influence
• BSBCRT511 — Develop critical thinking in others
• BSBDAT501 — Analyse data
• BSBLEG425 — Apply principles of legal project management
• BSBLEG522 — Apply legal principles in contract law matters
• BSBLEG523 — Apply legal principles in tort law matters
• BSBLEG524 — Apply principles of evidence law in matters under litigation
• BSBLEG525 — Apply legal principles in intellectual property law matters
• BSBLEG526 — Apply legal principles in criminal law matters
• BSBLEG527 — Apply legal principles in family law matters
• BSBLEG528 — Apply legal principles in property law matters
• BSBLEG529 — Apply legal principles in corporation law matters
• BSBLEG530 — Apply legal principles in wills and probate matters
• BSBLEG531 — Apply legal principles in administrative law matters
• BSBLEG532 — Assist with court procedure
• BSBLEG533 — Support alternative dispute resolution processes
• BSBOPS403 — Apply business risk management processes
• BSBPEF501 — Manage personal and professional development
• BSBTWK401 — Build and maintain business relationships

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

When you are ready, see what BSB50720 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.