Overview

Raise the bar with a career in law

If you’ve aspired to a career in legal practice, then UC's Bachelor of Laws will help get you there in no time. Our highly practical approach is a marked strength, and continues to set our law degree apart from the rest.

With small class sizes, a purpose-built eMoot Court and highly qualified and experienced staff, you’ll be encouraged to develop your advocacy abilities and legal skills while understanding their connection to legal history and law in context.

You can tailor your individual study program by selecting a variety of electives across many areas of law, and even choose to accelerate your studies with winter term subjects. The course will ground your education in the latest legal innovations, develop your communication and interpersonal skills and allow you to become an agile, ethical and effective legal professional.

Graduate Entry

Experience counts at UC.

If you’ve already completed an Australian Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, you’ll be able to complete our Bachelor of Laws in 3 years instead of 4. Credit is simply applied towards your open electives, which means you can complete your studies sooner.

Study a Bachelor of Laws at UC and you will:

• Undertake in-depth study of key areas of law that give you the required academic knowledge for admission to Australian legal practice
• Choose from an array of specialist electives that include environmental law, government law, gender, commercial law, technology, legal innovation and more
• Participate in a program of study with a proven track record of excellence in graduate employment outcomes and work-integrated learning
• Have the option of completing Honours in your final year of study. This allows you to graduate with a deeper understanding of the various technical and theoretical aspects of the law and can help prepare you for a variety of roles within and outside the justice sector

Work Integrated Learning

The course encourages you to apply your talents in the real world, with opportunities to complete a law internship and international study through links with law firms, governments, non-governmental agencies and overseas universities.

You will have the opportunity to choose one law elective which includes a practical Work Integrated Learning (WIL) based component. Past student internship examples have included:

• Small, medium and large law firms
• Community legal centres
• Government departments (both ACT and federal)
• Courts
• Community organisations such as Victim Support ACT
• Overseas placements in the US at The Carter Center and the Office of the State Public Defender (California).

You’ll also have access to WIL opportunities at the University’s Legal Advice Clinic for Small Business, where students assist legal professionals in providing free legal and financial services to small businesses, local residents and students.

Career opportunities

• Solicitor*
• Barrister*
• Associate*
• Judge*
• Judge’s associate
• Magistrate*
• Registrar
• Policy adviser
• Legal researcher
• Community lawyer*
• Justice policy officer
• Parliamentary counsel
• Legislative drafter
• Law reform officer
• Finance sector
• Governance
• Management
• Licensing
• Building and Construction
• Business

*Subject to satisfactory completion of an undergraduate law degree and successful completion of a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, which qualifies you for admission to practice as a lawyer.

Course-specific information

The Bachelor of Laws is structured around the professional requirements for admission to legal practice.

UC’s Bachelor of Laws has professional accreditation with the Supreme Courts of both the ACT and New South Wales and through mutual recognition the degree may serve as the basis for admission in all Australian jurisdictions.

Through a program offered in conjunction with the College of Law, in your final year you may begin your Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, which qualifies you for admission to practise as a solicitor or barrister. Alternatively, you may choose to undertake the Bachelor of Laws as a combined degree to widen your future career options.

The Bachelor of Laws allows high-achieving students to complete Honours in their final year of study. In place of two electives, eligible students can enrol into an 'Honours Law' unit, which means completing your Honours won't require an additional year of study.

Professional accreditation

The UC Bachelor of Laws is recognised by the Legal Practitioners Admission Board of the Australian Capital Territory as providing the academic requirements for admission. Through mutual recognition, UC's Bachelor of Laws may serve as the basis for admission in all Australian jurisdictions. To be admitted to legal practice, in addition to completing UC's Bachelor of Laws, students must complete a practical legal training (PLT) course and satisfy character requirements. The PLT course is also referred to as the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, and is conveniently offered by external providers in the ACT.