Laws (Graduate Entry)
This course information is for local students only
Year
2012
Award
Bachelor of Laws (Graduate Entry)
Length
3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Campuses
Melbourne, Bendigo
Course description
This course provides an accredited professional qualification in law. The curriculum is based on a global and social justice perspective, and emphasises practical skills. It includes all the compulsory subjects required by the Council of Legal Education for admission to legal practice in Victoria, as well as a broad range of electives, many with a practical skills component, such as clinical legal education, communication and advocacy skills, and negotiation.
First-year studies aim to provide a strong theoretical and practical foundation through a combination of skills-based and public- and private-law subjects, including Dispute Resolution, Torts, Criminal Law and Principles of Public Law. Second and third-year subjects, such as Property Law, Equity and Trusts and Remedies, address other areas of private law obligation . Students also examine key aspects of statutory regulation, and take subjects with additional practice-related requirements - such as Civil Procedure and Professional Conduct and Ethics.
Course structure
Students complete 22 law subjects: 15 compulsory subjects and seven electives. Honours is offered to students whose work is of a sufficiently high standard - typically a B+ grrade average or higher - for completion in the final year.
Subject details
Overseas study opportunities
Overseas study opportunities are available.
Please see
www.latrobe.edu.au/international/exchange
for more information
Application
Apply through VTAC for first-semester entry, or to the University for Mid-Year Entry (visit www.latrobe.edu.au/study/apply/midyear).
Students commencing at Bendigo must transfer to Melbourne after completing 8 core subjects.
Fee type
Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
Scholarships
Applicants who are Australian citizens or who hold permanent humanitarian visas are eligible for a range of University-wide scholarships, including Commonwealth Scholarships. For details please see http://www.latrobe.edu.au/scholarships/future-undergraduatesSelection
Selection based on prior studies/experience.
Extra requirements
Non-Year 12 applicants must complete and submit a VTAC Pi form . Some applicants only: applicants who have completed a degree in a language other than English must submit a certified hardcopy of their IELTS (or equivalent) test results to VTAC by 13 December.
Prerequisites
Three-year Australian Bachelor's degree or equivalent. Applicants who have completed an undergraduate degree in a language other than English must submit an IELTS (or equivalent) test result with a minimum overall band score of 6.5 with no individual band score less than 6.0.
Semester starts
Semester 1 and 2 (February and July)
Additional information
High-achieveing students may be able to complete the course in 2.5 years (full-time) by undertaking electives in summer and winter school.
Career opportunities
Graduates are likely to find roles within the legal profession, politics, business or commerce, government service, public administration, education, community legal services and public interest advocacy groups. Although many graduates seek a career as a legal practitioner (as a solicitor or barrister), other opportunities may include roles as a registrar, law clerk or legal assistant, legal executive, judges' associate or law librarian.
A legal education is also a valuable preparation for a variety of careers; legal research techniques, legal reasoning, the evaluation of rules and policies, the presentation of written and oral arguments and sound communication skills are valued in various occupations.
Professional recognition
All La Trobe University Law courses include the subjects required by the Victorian Council of Legal Education to qualify for admission to legal practice. Admission to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria usually requires the completion of a traineeship (formerly referred to as articles of clerkship) or an approved practical legal training course (for example, the Leo Cussen Institute or the College of Law Victoria).