Law

What to expect

Getting a degree in law

What to expect

Can you see yourself strutting around a courtroom? Do you like a good debate? Or do you simply like reading, research and analysis? As a lawyer, you will need all (or certainly most) of these talents and interests in abundance.

Law offers what many see as a secure career; and, whether they admit it or not, many law students also like the status that’s often associated with the profession and the courses (if you’re not already aware, they’re usually very tough to enter). However, if you want to study law, this should not be all you think about.

Law is a terrific field for many other reasons. More than many of the other professions, law offers the opportunity for intellectual absorption, as well as career preparation. This is also a reason that not everyone who studies wants to practise. If you don’t want to be a lawyer there is still no doubt that law offers a good start, opening a wide range of jobs.

Back to top

Getting a degree in law

Visit the University Ratings section for law course ratings.

Courses and specialisations

To practise law, you need to do a Bachelor of Laws, also known as the ‘LLB’. Law is usually offered as part of a double degree that generally takes five or so years. Law can be combined with just about any other degree.

You then have to undertake practical legal training upon completing your degree, either through ‘articles’ or ‘traineeships’ (a kind of apprenticeship), or via a special course, usually of about six months.

Sometimes people choose law because it requires a high entry score, and they have one. Others genuinely have an interest in being a lawyer, but they have no idea that studying it can be arduous and … well, dry. Being a law student requires lots of hours, and lots of reading — not all of it interesting and most of it not optional (there are lots of 'core subjects').

Which course is for you?

Law is law wherever you do it. Most LLB degrees will cover at least 10 core subjects, so the choice between relevant courses is not as vital as in other fields. You will have two things to decide: where you can get in, and what other degree you should combine with your LLB.

Getting in

To put it simply, entry is tough everywhere and especially at the well-known law schools. Demand continues to outstrip supply, and cut-offs continue to soar. There might also be prerequisites. It’s easy to miss out, so be prepared to put in applications for law courses interstate and/or in regional centres. And prepare a back-up plan.

Where to study

Law is available at most universities now. Some even offer their degrees through distance or online education. If you are interested in one of the less common combinations (law/medicine, for example) then you may only have a few institutions to choose from.

What to look for

Even though there is plenty that is the same no matter where you go, there are some important differences between law schools and degrees. For example, some teachers might be better than others, and some schools might be better than others at bringing it to life with problem-based methods and facilities for practical work, like moot courts.

In addition, your law school’s reputation, as well as your marks, and your involvement in societies and extracurricular work will all be important for your career to flourish. Make sure the connections, the extracurricular activities and the infrastructure are right.

Careers for law degree graduates

If you think you do want to practise law, do you know what it is really all about? The good thing about law is that different areas of legal practice offer quite different career experiences. Being a property or corporate lawyer will be very different from, say, working as a government lawyer in the public service departments or as a criminal lawyer.

Not only can you practise in different areas of the law but you can work in different organisations — in the government, in a small local practice or a big city firm. It is important to realise that sometimes your marks will decide for you. The top city law firms are very competitive, as are some of the key government jobs (in the Attorneys Generals’ departments, for example).

If you don’t want to (or just don’t) get a job in law, there are plenty of other career options for law graduates. This is still a very prestigious degree and it will be looked on favourably in all kinds of business and government organisations. Plus, remember that most law courses are now part of a combined degree, so you can enhance your competitiveness in the labour market with a well chosen combination.

Over the years law courses have earned poor ratings from their graduates, according to the national Course Experience Questionnaire survey. Some things have improved, others haven’t. In 2009, graduates gave their courses an above average overall satisfaction rating. They considered the skills they gained were very good, but they gave their teachers below average ratings. Employment rates are quite good with only 13 per cent of graduates having trouble finding work. Starting salaries ($52,177 in 2009) were good compared with other fields. Law graduates are also said to score salary increases more than three times those of other professionals (teachers, for example) in the five years following their graduation. In short, as things now stand, a law degree does your career prospects no harm. But it all depends on what you want — there is no guarantee of a spot at the major city firm of your dreams!

For more information

For more information about law and the legal profession, check out the Law Council of Australia website .

If you are interested in this field you should also consider paralegal studies (almost always easier to get into), the humanities and social sciences , business and management , accounting and economics , even social work .

Back to top