How much does a law degree cost in Australia? We’ve collected the data from every law school in the country, calculated the tuition fees and then ranked them from the cheapest to the most expensive.
Why does this matter? To be honest it sort of doesn’t, but law students and lawyers are a competitive bunch, so what better way to spend our time than comparing a whole list of completely pointless numbers!?
Contents
- 1 The summary – five key findings
- 2 The list – the cost of law degrees in Australia
- 3 CSP places and juris doctor (JD) degrees
- 4 Other university fees, and FEE-HELP
- 5 The cost of an “average CSP bachelor of laws degree”
- 6 Universities with CSP law degrees
- 7 The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board diploma
- 8 The boring stuff
- 9 Are law degrees worth the money?
The summary – five key findings
The cheapest law degree in Australia is found at the University of Western Australia, and is (surprisingly) a CSP juris doctor! Being a year shorter than the average four year undergraduate bachelor of laws, the UWA JD costs a mere $32,557. That said, any three year straight law degree at the undergraduate level will cost the same.
The cheapest full fee (ie non CSP) law degree in Australia is by TOP Education Institute Bachelor of Laws, a private university, with an estimated cost of $49,830.
The most expensive law degree in Australia is the Bond University Juris Doctor, another private university, at an estimated total cost of $131,790 (full fee place).
The cheapest or most expensive online law degree? Makes no difference – they cost just as much as on-campus degrees!
The shortest law degree in Australia is the Bond University Juris Doctor at 2 years (4 law subjects per trimester – god help those students!)
Check out the table below for all the gory details.
The list – the cost of law degrees in Australia
Note: the table is pretty large so you’ll need a lot of patience if you want to view this on an iPhone! I’d recommend you jump on a computer when you get home to get the best results from this.
The columns are self explanatory, but for completeness:
- Degree: The name of the university and kind of law degree
- State: The state in which the university is located (though remember, you can enrol in online degrees from any state)
- Est. total cost: The cost to undertake all subjects for the law degree. This is calculated by adjusting the cost per subject by the predicted rate of inflation each year (2.5%), and then multiplying that by the number of subjects in the second, third and fourth year, as required. Of course, universities may decide to increase their fees by more, so this is why it’s an “estimated” total cost.
- Cost per subject: Most universities charge students per subject (and all subjects are the same credit points, eg 6 credit points). There are a few universities that charge per credit point (and subjects will have uniform credit points, eg 6 per normal subject or 12 per subject that spans two semesters) or will have varying credit points (eg a mix of 6 and 8 credit points). I have flagged which universities charge based on a mix of credit points in the footnotes.
- 1st year subjects: This is how many subjects are taken in the first year of the law degree, as shown in the suggested course structure. Only a few universities fail to provide a suggested course structure or otherwise state how many subjects are studied during first year. For these universities, I have taken the average (eg if there are 24 subjects over 3 years, I have assumed 8 subjects for the first year).
- 1st year cost: The cost per subject multiplied by the number of 1st year subjects.
- Est. average cost per year: A lot of universities provide students with an “indicative cost per year”. This can be quite misleading because it does not take into account fee increases, or the fact that the first year can have a lower amount of subjects (law students usually take one or two more subjects per year in their final years). The estimated average cost per year is calculated by dividing the estimated total cost by the number of years.
- Years (structure): The number of years and whether each year is divided into semesters (two study periods each year) or trimesters (three study periods per year).
If there is one of these in the degree column – (*1) – then see the corresponding footnote number under the table.
| Degree | State | Est. total cost | Cost per subject | 1st year subjects | 1st year cost | Est. avg cost per year | Years (structure) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Western Australia Juris Doctor (CPS JD!!) | Western Australia | $32,557 | $1,324 | 8 | $10,592 | $10,859 | 3 (semesters) |
| Average CSP bachelor of laws degree | Any state | $43,983 | $1,324 | Varies | $10,592 | $10,996 | 4 years (varies) |
| Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB Diploma) (*10) | New South Wales | $18,426 | $855 | 5 | $4,275 | $4,606 | 4 (part-time only) |
| TOP Education Institute Bachelor of Laws | New South Wales | $49,830 | $1,500 | 8 | $12,000 | $12,458 | 4 (semesters) or 3 yrs fast track |
| University of Canberra Juris Doctor | Australian Capital Territory | $60,590 | $2,463 | 8 | $19,700 | $20,197 | 3 (semesters with winter term) |
| University of Southern Queensland Juris Doctor | Queensland | $62,251 | $2,530 | 8 | $20,240 | $20,750 | 3 (semesters) (online only) |
| Flinders University Juris Doctor (*4) | South Australia | $72,855 | $2,961 | 7/8 | $23,688 | $24,285 | 3 (semesters) |
| University of Newcastle Juris Doctor (*9) | New South Wales | $79,367 | $2,760 | 8 | $22,080 | $26,456 | 3 (semesters) |
| Deakin University Juris Doctor (*6) | Victoria | $80,385 | $3,267 | 8 | $26,136 | $26,795 | 3 (trimesters) |
| Australian National University (*5) | Australian Capital Territory | $90,926 | $3,852 | 7 | $26,964 | $30,308 | 3 (semester) |
| Macquarie University Juris Doctor | New South Wales | $97,888 | $3,978 | 8 | $31,827 | $32,629 | 3 (semesters) |
| RMIT University Juris Doctor | Victoria | $106,294 | $4,320 | 8 | $34,560 | $35,431 | 3 (semesters) |
| Monash University Juris Doctor (*2) | Victoria | $115,760 | $4,700 | 7 | $32,900 | $38,587 | 3 (trimesters) |
| La Trobe University Juris Doctor (*7) (*8) | Victoria | $116,529 | $4,406 | 8 | $35,250 | $38,843 | 3 (semesters) |
| University of Melbourne Juris Doctor (*1) | Victoria | $116,529 | $4,736 | 8 | $37,888 | $38,843 | 3 (semesters) |
| University of Sydney Juris Doctor | New South Wales | $116,873 | $4,750 | 8 | $38,000 | $38,958 | 3 (semesters) |
| University of Technology Sydney Juris Doctor (*11) | New South Wales | $118,332 | $6,141 | 6 | $36,846 | $39,444 | 3 (semesters) |
| University of New South Wales Juris Doctor | New South Wales | $122,533 | $4,980 | 8 | $39,840 | $40,844 | 3 (semesters) |
| Bond University Juris Doctor (*3) | Queensland | $131,790 | $4,436 | 12 | $53,232 | $65,895 | 2 (trimesters) |
(*1) University of Melbourne Juris Doctor – This is actually lower than the UOM indicative cost, and I don’t know why. UoM provides the following estimate based on a 2% rise in fees: “The indicative cost of the standard three year program for students commencing in 2017 is $120,668.”
(*2) Monash University JD – The website gives the yearly fee of $37,600 and then states that “Fees are per 48 credit points which represents a standard full-time course load for a year.” This is really unhelpful because the first year only has 42 credit points (according to the structure), so the extra points have to be picked up in later years when the fees would be increased. The end result is that the total course cost will be higher than 3 * the yearly cost.
(*3) Bond University – Bond uni provides an indicative cost of $107,079. The cost is broken down into (what appears to be) 18 JD subjects at $4,436 per subject, 2 JD subjects at half the normal credit points at $2,218 per subject (so when you add the credit points up, it is just another normal subject cost of $4,436), and then 10 other subjects from the Masters of Laws program which are a little bit more expensive – $4,559 per subject. See the “limitations” section in respect of inflation, below.
(*4) Flinders University also offers a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) (2 semesters, full time) for law students, which means all practical legal training requirements will be satisfied. For undergraduate students, you can commence the GDLP in your final stages of the degree, before you have finished all of your law subjects – a nice way to break up some of the final law units. For Juris Doctor students, it looks like you need to complete the JD before you commence the GDLP. The 2016 cost for the GDLP is $8,280. Also, I can’t tell from the Flinders Uni website whether these are the 2016 or 2017 fees.
(*5) ANU notes that its indicative fee per year is $30,768.00, only a few hundred dollars above my estimate here.
(*6) Deakin University does not provide much information on course structure, other than the fact that students needs to complete 24 units in total. Many universities have a light first year (eg require students to take 6 or 7 subjects to ease in, and then make up for this in later years). As Deakin University doesn’t provide this information on its website then I have assumed that there are 8 subjects per year.
(*7) The La Trobe University Juris Doctor can be fast tracked by taking electives during the semester breaks over summer and winter.
(*8) La Trobe University also has one of the least helpful websites for determining fees out of all the universities in this table.
(*9) The University of Newcastle JD integrates practical legal training into the course so students are ready to go once they leave the university.
(*10) This is the only service provider honest enough to flag how much they intend to increase fees by each year, which is 5%. While the rest of the table is calculated rather conservatively on a 2.5% increase, in line with the predicted CPI over the next few years, I think the 5% increase is more realistic.
(*11) The subjects in the University of Technology Sydney Juris Doctor are either 6 or 8 credit points so the fees need to be calculated from on total credit points rather than subjects. Importantly, the 2.5% increase needs to be calculated on the individual credit points before the yearly totals can be determined. Using the suggested course structure, there are 46 credit points in the first year, followed by 48 and then 50 for the following years. The indicative price noted by the university is based on 48 credit points, so it is higher that the “1st year cost” column in the graph above.
CSP places and juris doctor (JD) degrees
When you start researching a little further into what university you want to go to, and what degree you want to pursue, you will see that almost all universities will indicate that CSP places are available for their JD degrees.
Note that there will always (or usually?) be a few CSP places available for JD students, but I’d be surprised if you ever find out how many are available, without some heavy qualifications. 20% of places? 10%? 5%? Less?
Unfortunately, I haven’t run across a university website that actually provides useful and usable information for students on this point. Universities say that the number changes from year to year, but it wouldn’t be hard to simply state how many places were offered each year over the previous, say, five years, or to provide an average.
There should definitely be some more transparency on this point for prospective students.
Other university fees, and FEE-HELP
My other post “how much does a law degree really cost?” goes into the details of all the other kinds of hidden fees and costs that you will pay at law school. Head on over if you’re interested.
The post above also covers what you need to know about FEE-HELP, including the “FEE-HELP gap” which you definitely need to know about if you’re applying to one of the high cost universities. But in short, if you’re a full fee paying student you can put your fees on FEE-HELP and pay the fees back later. However, the fee help limit for 2017 is $100,879, so you will have to pay the gap between this and the total cost of your degree before you finish your degree. That could be up to ~$30,000, depending on the university you attend!
The cost of an “average CSP bachelor of laws degree”
You will see that I’ve included a catchall row for all bachelor of laws degrees. There is so much variability within undergraduate and graduate entry bachelor of laws degrees that it’s easier to make a few assumptions here.
For the purposes of the table above, the average CSP bachelor of laws degree:
- is an undergraduate degree;
- may or may not allow graduate entry;
- takes four years;
- is not a double degree (which would increase the length of the degree); and
- contains all subjects that are required to be admitted as a lawyer, and probably includes a few legal or non-legal elective subjects.
Universities with CSP law degrees
A number of universities in Australia offer only CSP places for their law degrees. These are all undergraduate or graduate entry bachelors degrees (that is, none of these universities offer JDs). The University of Western Australia is the only exception – it doesn’t have a bachelor of laws, only has a JD, and doesn’t charge full-fee to any of its students.
So how much does it cost for a CSP place in 2017? $10,592!
The following universities offer CSP places (no full fee places) for law degrees:
- Australian Catholic Univeristy (graduate entry law and undergraduate law degree)
- Central Queensland University (CQUniversity) (undergraduate bachelors)
- Charles Darwin University (bachelor of laws – non graduate and graduate entry)
- Curtin University (undergraduate)
- Edith Cowan University (undergraduate and graduate entry, double degrees)
- Griffith University (bachelors of law – non graduate and graduate entry)
- James Cook University (bachelors of law – non graduate and graduate entry)
- Murdoch University (undergrad and graduate entry)
- Queensland University of Technology (bachelor of laws – non graduate and graduate entry)
- Southern Cross University (undergraduate and graduate llbs)
- Swinburn University of Technology (undergrad and graduate entry)
- University of Adelaide (single undergrad, double degree undergrad, grad entry)
- University of New England (bachelor of laws – non graduate and graduate entry)
- University of Notre Dame (undergrad with normal and graduate entry, and postgrad graduate entry)
- University of Queensland (no straight bachelors of laws – UQ only has bachelor of laws (honours))
- University of South Australia (undergraduate bachelor’s only – no graduate entry)
- University of Sunshine Coast (non graduate and graduate entry bachelors)
- University of Tasmania (undergrad and grad entry, undergrad with honours)
- University of Western Australia (Juris Doctor! I’ve also included this in the table above)
- University of Wollongong (undergrad and graduate entry)
- Victoria University (bachelor of laws – non graduate and graduate entry)
- Western Sydney University (graduate and non graduate entry)
Does anyone even consider enrolling in full fee undergraduate degrees? If so, let me know and I’ll see if I can find the data on those courses – I’ve haven’t included any of that information because I assume it doesn’t happen very often.
The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board diploma
The LPAB diploma isn’t particularly well known among those considering law school, despite being the oldest institution providing all the education necessary to become a lawyer. Further, its by far the cheapest legal educational provider. So what’s the deal?
For some reason or another, the LPAB simply isn’t that well regarded by employers. I don’t know why this is the case, but I suspect it’s mainly due to the fact that it isn’t a university, so it would be difficult for employers to determine how to evaluate applicants with these credentials (though that said, I also suspect some employers would regard applicants from the newer universities less favourably as well).
Further, it’s just not that well known. Unfortunately, people don’t like things that they are unfamiliar with, and employers (especially human resources staff at larger law firms) generally can’t afford to make mistakes, so they go with what they know.
I’m going to write a separate post on this in the future, but in the meantime, do you own research!
The boring stuff
Method for preparing the table
It’s not rocket science – I just looked at each law school webpage, collected whatever information was available and then gave the law faculties a phone call where fees were missing (or unclear). At some points I’ve made assumptions, and these are flagged in the footnotes.
The difficult part in calculating how much a law degree costs is trying to predict how much the tuition fees will increase by each year. Instead of being helpful and giving an estimated cost of a law degree for prospective students (for example, by averaging out how much each student spent over the previous few years or something), universities only provide the cost of each law subject for that year. Of course, the fees will rise slightly each year so so you need to figure out how many subjects will be undertaken per year and increase each subject cost accordingly.
For the purposes of this post, I’ve increased the cost per law subject by inflation. This is probably a pretty conservative estimation.
Limitations, and what the table doesn’t tell you
There are a few limitations that I should point out.
First, I have no idea how much fees will increase by. Perhaps with so much competition these days the fees will decrease? Here’s hoping. But seriously, there’s not much to hope for on this front so I’ve increased fees by the predicted inflation rate of 2.5 percent per year. It could be more, especially now that the government has announced funding cuts to universities.
The “1st year cost” is the cost for a first year student in 2017. It varies a lot between the different universities because it is based the university’s suggested work load for first year. This is usually what the universities refer to as the “indicative cost” per year of the law degree. I think it’s generally unhelpful because first year students usually undertake fewer subjects. See the “estimated average cost per year” for the average yearly cost across the duration of the degree.
Sorry, I haven’t collected the data on double degrees. Just trying to figure all of this out for straight law degrees was painful enough without having to consider the extra variability that a double degree introduces. It’s another limitation, but I think this post still gives everyone enough to start with.
As for what the table doesn’t tell you (and what you should research yourself if you’re interested), is the number of subjects in later years, how many subjects are undertaken in part time courses, what universities have online law degrees (see this post here for online law degrees), and what other kinds of fees you will be paying throughout your degree.
Are law degrees worth the money?
What do you think? Is it worth it for people to invest in a law degree these days? Is the difference in price between a private law degree provider (TOP Education Institute) and any of the G08 universities justifiable? Do the different universities price their degrees on the quality of education, employment outcomes, perceived prestige or something else? How much are you paying?
Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!
Jamie says
Thank you so much for maintaining this amazing website. I am a full time worker looking into studying a law degree online due to work commitment. In you opinion, do you think people look less favourably when a person completing a law degree entirely online? Any feedback would be appreciated!
Will says
Hi Jamie
No worries! If you’re applying for the big law firms then I’m pretty sure an on-campus law degree would win the day over an online law degree. However, if you have connections and aren’t looking at the big corporate firms then you will have a much better chance. If you are just looking to study law online to upskill for your current job then I doubt it would be looked on less favourably – you cover the exact same content (well, I’m sure there are some people out there that will still look down on online degrees, despite how many people study online these days). A lot of people say that online degrees wouldn’t be as rigorous, but I don’t see much actual evidence for that, and I certainly don’t have any first hand experience. Maybe ask around for anyone with experience – whirlpool forums might be a good place to start?
I wrote this post a while ago about online law degrees which goes into everything in a little more detail.
Good luck!
Will
Jonathan Schneider says
The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board diploma is actually one of the most prestigious of the degrees on this page and has a High Court Judge amongst its Alumni.
The LPAB is essentially a scholarship for anyone who wants it but survival in the course is togh and based on Merit. Less than half survive the first semesters.
I don’t imagine you get any commissions for introducing students though more to the point….
Will says
Hmm, if this is directed at me then let’s just agree to disagree on the LPAB (given it’s objectively not true – in my humble opinion of course 😉 ).
And lol re me getting any commissions from this page…
Rene says
Which I part is not true?
Will says
Saying that the LPAB is “one of the most prestigious of the degrees on this page”. I’d say it’s not only not one of the most prestigious degrees on this page, but that it’s simply not prestigious at all. (Ugh, double negatives…)
This came up in response to a comment that I took to be around the perception of online v on-campus degrees, so keep that in mind. If all someone is looking for is prestige then they would just go to a G08 uni.
Jessica says
Hi Will,
Do you happen to have a list of the cheapest law degrees that offer online learning?
Kind Regards,
Jessica
Will says
Hi Jessica
I’m pretty sure that online law degrees will be charged at the same rate as on campus degrees! I know you have left some comments, but for everyone else, the list of online law degrees is over here.
Cheers
Will
Kim says
Great site! So glad I found this. I work in local government in a regional area and have to interpret legislation for myself and colleagues on a daily basis, so I want to study law online. I don’t really at this stage intend to practice as a lawyer or seek employment with a private practice legal firm (not ruling it out though). Instead my aim right now is to confidently provide an ‘in house’ legal role for my employer. I have a degree already so was considering a Bachelor of Laws/ graduate entry, or JD. Cost is a consideration as my employer is possibly paying for some of my study (lucky me!). Does the LPAB Diploma provide the same training and qualification as a BLaws or JD?
Thanks!
Kim
Will says
Hi Kim
The LPAB will provide you with the same qualifications at the end of the day (ie an accredited legal education), but the course delivery is significantly different to what a university provides, which might make a difference for you (especially if your employer is paying)!
Students in the LPAB basically get a set of course materials to read through in their own time – it’s a very student directed learning experience. At university (on campus or online), there are lecturers and usually more scope to ask questions (either in lectures during the semester or in tutorials).
So it really comes down to how you want to learn. If you are really only wanting to interpret legislation (rather than learning about, say, contracts, employment law, trusts and equity), then perhaps just picking up a book from your state’s law society might help? Or perhaps an individual subject on interpreting legislation? I think in my degree we had two lectures on it in the whole course – barely anything!
I don’t have any direct experience with LPAB so you might want to give them a call and confirm the above.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Will
Gary says
The LPAB course is about half the LLB, courses. The savings could be a good deposit on an LLM.
Jamie says
Great post. Would love a cost list of Bachelor degrees. Those JD prices are the only reason I pursued a grad entry Bachelor of Laws.
Will says
Hi! The cost of all bachelors degrees will be about the same. For a four year course, it’s in the table under “average csp bachelor of laws degree” – a bit over $10k a year, upfront costs paid by the government, and then and paid back to the government by you when you get a job. 😉
Vu says
Thank you for your amazing work! Would you be kind to provide further information on the pathway to become solicitors for international student? I am struggling to find accredited courses with affordable price. Thank you so much!
Will says
Hi Vu
If you’re an international student then you will be paying full fees (so remove the CSP places from the above table). I didn’t look at the international student prices for the above law degrees when I was collecting all of the information, but you can probably add on 20-30% (at a conservative guess) to all of the above prices. I think “affordable law degree” is pretty much an oxymoron these days. Good luck!
Will
Ifrah says
Hi Will,
I am a recent Law graduate from the UK.
I am planning to convert my degree through an Australian university in order to complete the modules as stated by the legal qualification board.
I wanted to inquire, after finishing those modules, and I become eligible to apply for a PLT.
Would you by any chance be able to say which universities charge low fees for doing the PLT, as an international student ? As well as, if I can do it online part time ?
Thank you,
Ifrah
Sam Gupta says
Hi Will
Thanks a lot for doing the hard work and putting this information for us.
I have completed my MBA in 2015 and wants to do my Law degree.
Murdoch University use to provide JD but not anymore.
I am thinking of giving LSAT test , do you think it’s worth.
I am interested in doing JD and don’t mind doing in evening classes. I am looking to do this so I can get a job in the industry. What you suggest.
Is CSP pathway is good. Is it same as domestic fees.
I already have Existing HECS loan for my master ( nothing for Bachelor) so I don’t want further excessive debts. What you suggest is the best option for me , I am in WA.
I have done some units like dispute Management & Resolution, Business law, effective negotiation , will I be able to get credit for that unit.
Is The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board diploma is acceptable to get admitted in Western Australia.
I read about some consideration for ethnicity how does it work.
I am sorry to ask you so many questions but your help / view on this will be highly appreciated.
Thanks
Sam
Gary says
The LPAB is the cheapest. I think each state has the LPAB of nsw so check with the admitting body of that state
Shez95 says
Hi Will,
I can give some figures and examples as I have employed, coached, mentored and supervised Law students. I transferred into (from an early stage of LLB) and successfully undertook the then USyd Law Extension Committee and Joint Examinations Board Dip Law studies (SAB/BAB) in the mid to late 80s as the attendance etc were more malleable for my working and domestic situation, then. I returned to complete the College of Law 6 months Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies (now the PLT), some years later, when I decided to leave In House Corporate work and go out into private practice.
Whilst people, even then, used to look down their noses at the SAB qualifications , you only had to remind them that there was a current sitting High Court Justice who got his qualifications through the SAB plus we showed our true worth on the courtroom floor and especially in appeal cases. Additionally following process in Real Property, Conveyancing and Administrative Law work was easier as our exams where all closed book and like ‘pulling the proverbial hen’s teeth’.
I practised for quite some years before retiring ‘semi-early’ to pursue other things and have mentored and assisted some students. I have figures at my fingertips where a student attended a private College for the first year of tertiary studies and undertook 9 mixed Arts/Business/Law subjects – costing $23,970 with the additional loan fee of $647 per subject – on FEE HELP; then 2 years at Uni to obtain a BA with a Law faculty major (8 Law subjects included at approx. $1330, 4 x Business subjects at $1315 4 x politics/Arts subjects at $788each ) – CSP so total of $17,485. Completed undergrad in just under 3 years and graduated in early 2015. Commenced JD at UTS – no CSP – and FEE HELP limit exceeded at $125,000 with loan fees – there is still another at least 12 months with 10 subjects still left to get that JD and before the PLT.
In discussions with other students the same subjects appear to be where the students are being failed even with change of coordinators – the mentality is still the same as the Universities will not call one of its own to account for the high fail rate instead blaming students!
My advice then is if you can get a CSP place in a graduate law course offer say from UOW or ACU – or MQU sometimes offers a LLB as a tag on – then take it up as the full fee paying places are not worth the paper if you have to repeat 2 or 3 subjects and you find that it is the same subjects that students are failing. Once you have graduated accept whatever legal work is available even if it means starting as a junior/grad in an In House compliance or government legal policy or strategy position. The smaller firms may pay less but the experience can be generalist and is wide-ranging – so great for you as you climb the ladder to where you eventually want to go and this vision changes over the years, in practice, particularly as general counsel.
I hope this helps some of you out there. I almost forgot my recent Masters took me just under 12 months and cost me $30,000 from one of the reputable unis, too. My undergrad and other postgrads were undertaken before fees were introduced but I was also supported by my corporate employer through my studies – something which FBT took care of and so are few and far between, now. One thing though – do not rely on recruiters, do the hard yards and start your networking and marketing of yourself from Law school.
I trust this helps some of you as the Uni staff (mentorships etc), I have had to deal with since 2012, did nothing to instill confidence in me that current Law students or any Uni student was getting the level of mentoring and guidance required. From my actual experience, in my interactions and own recent studies, almost all Law School subjects are also taught (pitched) at the theoretical level rather than at the level where the students could actually hone skills required to practice – so maybe you will all become Legal studies teachers or academics !
Shez95 says
Just saw Sam Gupta’s questions above and my suggestions is that you contact the WA Law Society and they will be able to advise you as to whether the LPAB course is acceptable for admission as a practitioner in WA – I would think that you may need to do some more WA-centric subjects given the differences in laws of our states. I have an interstate friend who had completed her MBA some years ago and is also considering Law studies and I have given her the advice I have included in the tail-end of the novel I have written, above 🙂
rirififiloulou says
Hi,
I m French and I m interested by doing a Juris Doctor. Do you think I have much more career opportunities by choosing an expansive and famous law school (Melbourne university for ex) instead of choosing a cheaper and less well known uni?
Thank you!
Cathyn says
I come from a nursing back ground and did my masters in business. I have just commenced my masters in business law. The university would not give me any credit status. Once I finish my masters degree, I still cannot practice law. How do I get to practice law?
Adam says
You need to complete the Priestley 11. These are eleven law subjects as a minimum required to be successfully completed for candidate status for admission into practice as a legal practitioner in Australia. Contact law universities.
Stevie says
Thanks for this amazing info!
My question is – should I pay full fee for the Monash JD or accept a CSP place at La Trobe or VU? Some people seem to say it’s crazy to pay full fee, and others say it’s crazy to bother doing a JD anywhere else than Melb or Monash (in Vic).
Rebecca says
The Legal Profession Admission Board course is the traditional law course and it is also the cheapest. It is very demanding & requires a lot of personal dedication unlike some university courses which I’ve noted provide a few more resources and concessions to their law students. The only difference is that you graduate with a Diploma in Law rather than an LLB.
http://www.lpab.justice.nsw.gov.au/Pages/diploma-law-course/diploma-law-course.aspx
Habib says
Hi Will,
i am currently doing my penultimate year in law at Victoria Uni. Does HECS still help with the payments if i have a full time job or will they ask me to pay?
thank you very much
Will says
Your question isn’t very clear, but if I understand you correctly, eligibility for HECS doesn’t depend on employment so you won’t be asked to pay course fees by Vic Uni just because you get a full time job while you’re studying.
Cheers
Will
Rivver says
Hi,
I know this post is relatively old but ill give it a shot.
I am really interested in doing a law degree using HECS -HELP. Im interested in the Bachelor of laws (Honours) combined at University of Newcastle. I cant seem to find how much it will cost. Does anyone know?
I have a little concern as I have already incurred costs on my HECS in a previous degree. My understanding is you can only receive up to $104,000 in HECS. In my calculations, I have roughly $70,000 left on my HECS account.
Do you know what institutions that are providing Bachelor of Laws degrees?
Thanks.
Isha says
Hello Will,
Hope you are doing well.
I am a lawyer from India and I am looking to become a Solicitor in Australia (NSW). I recently got my qualifications assessed by the Legal Profession Admission Board and they suggested I complete four subjects in addition to PLT. I have been told that PLT is only undertaken after completing the recommended subjects by LPAB. Will you be able to guide me on the best options I have?
Will says
Hi Isha
As I understand it, if that’s what LPAB says then that’s what you are going to have to do. Your options are to either undertake those legal subjects with LPAB (if they offer them) or with another university (but I would check with LPAB before you enrol to make sure that the university subjects satisfy the requirements). The difference is that LPAB is self-directed learning – the universities will provide more assistance, but with a much larger cost.
You can find the universities in NSW here: http://youveenteredlawland.com/list-of-australian-law-schools/. The list is probably a little out of date, but it should be a good starting point.
Good luck
Will
Ali says
Hi, could you help me to choose my university? I have some doubts about which one would the best one for me between UNSW, UTS, and Macquarie.
I got an offer from all of them for the Juris Doctor course. As I already have an overseas LLB, they granted me some credit points too. ( due to LPAB assessment. )