Law degree

[Dejan]

What are the differences in between in the universities that offer law(Melbourne Uni, Vic Uni, UNI, Deakin, Rmit etc.)?
And what is an disadvantage of studying a double degree at Vic uni? Since I am considering studying there as I didn't work hard enough to get in monash What's so bad about it studying there? and not being good in English does that put you at a disadvantage in during well in uni?

[ninwa]

Pretty much every uni in Australia offers law degrees. This means a LOT of law graduates - far too many for the job positions available. This means the industry is highly competitive.

The legal industry is in many ways still an "old boys club" - in other words, they're a bunch of snobs, and a lot of them would prefer to hire graduates from the Group of Eight universities.

Monash is obviously the best choice, followed by the UoM JD. Deakin is slowly establishing a reputation as a law school which, while maybe not top-tier, is still relatively good (and especially if you are interested in the commercial law side of things). The other unis - they're not terrible but you would struggle more to find employment afterwards.

What kinds of career paths are you looking at?

If you're not good at English (and by this I mean reading comprehension and written expression skills mostly) then I would strongly advise against doing law because you WILL struggle, and if you're planning on going to VU you're going to need an absolutely stellar academic record.

[Dejan]

Okay, what is the atar to get into Monash?, Well I am looking into becoming a barrister and I am pretty capable of doing those skills

[pi]

Okay, what is the atar to get into Monash?, Well I am looking into becoming a barrister and I am pretty capable of doing those skills

Law by itself is 98.05.

Others you may have interest in (all at Monash):
Arts/Law - 98.15
Biomedical Science/Law - 98.00
Commerce/Law - 98.00
Engineering/Law - 97.65
Science/Law - 98.05

[Dejan]

Hmm, it's abit too high for my standards and no way I would be even close to getting that ATAR, I guess I'll try aim for Deakin or RMIT

[Dejan]

What does the University Of Melbourne Juris Doctor course involve, so what do you study out of it and what career pathways can a Juris Doctor get you?

[Soul_Khan]

If you don't get into undergraduate law at Monash perhaps you might want to do an arts degree and transfer afterwards?

[pi]

What does the University Of Melbourne Juris Doctor course involve, so what do you study out of it and what career pathways can a Juris Doctor get you?

The criteria are: Academic results from previous tertiary studies, Law School Admission Test (LSAT) Score and Essay, and a personal statement (up to 850 words).

I'm far from an expert here, but the JD is just like a law degree but I believe it's more reputable. I'll let some law students take over from here

[Dejan]

What does the University Of Melbourne Juris Doctor course involve, so what do you study out of it and what career pathways can a Juris Doctor get you?

Yes that is exactly what I am going to do!

[sluu001]

My advice to aspiring law students is to try a few law subjects first as electives before jumping head long into the program. Even for the people genuinely interested in the dicipline - it can be the most boring, dry, tedious and soul sucking experience of your life. A lot of kids who come straight out of highschool get caught up in the romantisism of the degree and forget about the practicality of the degree - you need to remember that there is an over supply of lawyers already so you will need to graduate in the top 3rd of your class in a course that contains arguably some of the most tedious exams ever (a couple of law subjects I did had 100% weightage on the exam) - just to make the initial cut off for interviews in the upper tier law firms.

Therefore, I would always recommend students do a double degree instead of straight law (so they have a fall back option) or go down the melbourne model route and do a bachelors before comleting a JD. This way you can get a taste of what a law degree entails before deciding if it is what you really want.

[gs]

Nothing wrong with VU.

Been there for not even a year and have made a few contacts. It is what you make of it.