Study with the La Trobe Law School
The La Trobe Law School is a leader in progressive education in Law and Criminology, producing graduates who are committed to collegiality, academic excellence and access to justice.
Our Law and Criminology programs offer students the right mix of theory and practice.
Students are trained by academics who are experts in the field. And, they become career ready through a range of bespoke clinical placement experiences that introduce them to the legal and criminal justice workplaces.
The result: In 2020, 89.3% of our undergraduate students gave us a positive ranking for skills development, the highest ranking in Victoria.
Find out how our student experience offers the right combination of mentoring and support.
Courses
Student experience
The La Trobe Law School prides itself on producing highly skilled, flexible, career ready graduates – who are ready to make a difference in whatever field they pursue.
But learning is a partnership. Our diverse and engaged student body play a key role in the Law School’s culture and outcomes.
Our programs offer students a wide range of electives, allowing them to tailor their studies to their career aspirations.
Clinical placements, including at the multi-disciplinary La Trobe Law School Clinic, introduce them to the workplace. And, our student associations host regular networking and career events, connecting future graduates with future employers.
Together, we achieve great outcomes. Our students become barristers, solicitors and in-house counsel, or work in corrections and victim support services.
Find out how we set our students up for success.
At La Trobe University, we have a longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion and justice; our students are amongst the most diverse of all Australian universities, and we are committed to providing a learning environment and workplace where all students and staff feel valued, respected and supported to achieve their full potential.
We care about building a connected community that actively champions diversity and inclusion to help people thrive. We achieve this by supporting our people, valuing diverse thinking as a key driver of innovation, and holding ourselves to account in delivering a culture where equity is a way of life.
La Trobe is committed to promoting equal opportunities and support for all students and staff, with a focus on six key pillars: cultural, disability, gender equality, Indigenous, LGBTIQA and life stages.
Find out more about our services and events.
We want our students to have an excellent experience with us and hope they return as they progress through their professional careers.
We meet regularly with our student associations in Law and Criminology, and other student representatives, to ensure that we are responsive, problem solve and work together to enhance the student experience.
Because we have small class sizes, our students have ready access to staff and great opportunities to co-partner in learning.
Our students can also engage socially through the Law Students’ Association and the Criminology Students’ Society. Both associations host networking career events, giving students opportunities to connect with future employers.
We also believe that positive wellbeing is necessary to success. La Trobe offers extensive support services to optimise the student experience.
Find out more about how we support our students to excel at La Trobe.
Our students undertake placements in a range of interesting settings, ensuring they have the practical skills and experience they need to thrive in the workplace.
Placements are designed to support students to develop job ready skills, build confidence and explore potential careers. Our students gain experience in interviewing and working with clients, drafting documents, research and analysis, case management and reflective practice.
Annually, 200 of our students complete a placement at the La Trobe Law Clinic. We also offer placements with the courts, law firms, corporations, community legal centres and other community organisations, as well as in policing and corrections. Students can also self-source a placement locally, interstate or overseas.
Many of our placements involve students working directly with clients at the La Trobe Law Clinic or our community clinics. In these settings, students work under professional supervision to deliver much needed services to the community.
Our placement opportunities recognise that Law and Criminology graduates work in a wide range of careers and legal settings. Our programs ensure that they make a seamless transition from university to employment.
Find out more about our placement partners.
The La Trobe Law School offers school-level, domestic and international mooting and competitions.
The Law Students’ Society (LSA) offers eight annual internal competitions, including moots as well as client interview, negotiation and witness examination competitions. The finals are held at the Federal Court, presided over by alumni judges. The LSA competitions program prepares students for inter-varsity competitions, where law schools across Australia compete.
To support the international mooting program, the La Trobe Law School offers an industry-leading advocacy subject, an elective that trains students in oral and written legal advocacy, and from which our highly successful international mooting teams are drawn. In addition, moots and other practical skills, such a negotiations and client interviews, are includes in core and elective subjects.
The La Trobe Law School has an outstanding record in competitive mooting at both national and international levels. Our teams consistently reach the finals of international mooting competitions, and School advocates have won many best oralist awards over the years.
La Trobe Law teams regularly participate in the Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moots in Hong Kong and Vienna, the Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot, and the Nuremberg Moot Court.
Being part of La Trobe Law’s mooting program helps students to develop their written and oral advocacy skills and learn the value of teamwork. It also provides opportunities to network with lawyers, judges and academics from around the world.
Find out more about mooting.
La Trobe partners with universities around the world, enabling students to add an international perspective to their studies.
Our students explore Law and Criminology in the global context through our course curriculum, as well as international study options such as study tours that can be taken for credit.
They can undertake short overseas placements during their degree, adding to their learning and personal development.
Many also take up the opportunity to go on exchange, enabling them to explore the laws and justice systems of other countries.
Find out more about our exchange programs.