The Gawie le Roux Institute of Law offers a 150-hour practical vocational training (PVT) programme (previously known as practical legal training (PLT)), for candidate attorneys who are serving under a 24-month contract (articles) or have completed a 24-month contract (articles).
Why should you attend a PVT School?
It is compulsory to complete a programme of structured coursework (law school) if you want to be admitted as an attorney.
When should you choose to do the 150-hour programme?
If you are planning to serve or are already serving under a 24-month PVT contract, you must complete the 150-hour programme of structured coursework (Reg 6(1)(a)).
You must either complete this programme while you are serving under your PVT contract (Reg 6(1)(a)(i)), or within a period of no longer than 12 months after the termination of your PVT contract (Reg 6(1)(a)(ii)).
What are the benefits of the 150-hour programme?
- It covers the same course content as the 400-hour programme, but with fewer lectures and fewer prescribed study hours.
- It complements your two-year PVT contract.
- It is more cost-effective than the 400-hour programme.
- Students who completed the 150-hour programme are eligible for a 10% discount when registering for the Attorneys’ admission exam courses to prepare for the competency-based examinations (board exams).
What are the limitations of the 150-hour programme?
- It cannot give you a reduction of one year on your PVT contract.
- You cannot upgrade to the 400-hour programme later as they are two separate programmes.
- You may only write the admission examinations after having served six months under a PVT contract.
Compare the benefits of the 150- and 400-hour programmes here.
After successful completion of this programme:
You will receive a certificate of competence, which forms part of your application for admission and enrolment as an attorney.
Hear what GLR alumni have to say about their experience with our Institute.
Subjects for the 150-hour and 400-hour PVT programmes are the same but the prescribed notional hours spent on lectures and assignments differ.
- Constitutional law
- Ethics for legal practitioners
- Delictual & personal injury claims
- Civil procedure & trial advocacy
- Criminal court practice & trial advocacy
- Labour dispute resolution
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Legal practice accounts management
- Wills & estates
- Matrimonial matters & divorce
- Legal costs
- Drafting of contracts
- Introduction to cyber law
- Introduction to practice management
The timetables for 2025 are now available.
- An LLB degree from a South African university; or
- A law degree in another country, which is equivalent to the South African LLB degree, and which is recognised by SAQA as equivalent. (Please note that confirmation of foreign accreditation by SAQA is the sole responsibility of the applicant); and
- An average of 55% or more in your degree (this requirement may be waived at the discretion of the School’s Principal).
- The 150 notional hours prescribed by the Legal Practice Council (LPC) for this accredited programme consist both of lectures and homework. (‘Homework’ is time allocated for preparation, assignments, further reading, and assessments.)
- There are two options available for lectures -
- online attendance of lectures; and
- by watching recordings of these lectures.
- All subjects will be presented online and will be available via recordings, except the following two, which will be presented either in person or online and must be attended in real-time, namely: Civil procedure and trial advocacy (4½ weekdays); and Criminal court practice and trial advocacy (3 weekdays).
- The lectures for these two subjects will be offered in Pretoria (Lynnwood) in person and simultaneously online. The duration will be the same whether you attend in person or online. Recordings will not be available for these two subjects.
- Assessment for each subject will be online.
- The fee includes all study material (PDF format), lectures, and access to the online portal, where applicable.
- The timetables for 2025 are now available. The School reserves to right to amend the timetable. You will be notified as soon as possible, should it be necessary to make any changes. Enquiries may be directed to pvt
gawieleroux.co.za
- The aim of this programme is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and the applied understanding required for legal practise.
- We strive to equip you with the practical skills you will need to successfully immerse in the legal profession.
- Our lecturers are authoritative in their respective fields of law and draw from a vast pool of personal experience to offer a high-quality and compact learning experience.