Q&A WITH A LAWYER
Bond University helps answer the big questions about taking a law degree into your own hands
QWhat study is involved and how much does it cost?
A. To practise law in Australia, a person must complete either a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) or a Juris Doctor (JD) degree at a recognised law school, and then either complete a Professional Legal Training (PLT) course or undertake an internship with a law firm.
The LLB is an eight-semester undergraduate program and the JD is a six-semester postgraduate program. At Bond University, law students can complete three semesters a year, and each semester of fulltime study costs about $16,000.
Griffith University currently rates in the top 100 law schools in the world, according to the latest QS World University Rankings, and offers a four-year Bachelor of Laws, with doubledegree options also available. A full-time study load for one year (two semesters) currently costs $10,266 at Griffith for Australian Commonwealth Supported Students.
A four-year full-time Bachelor of Laws at Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast costs $10,264 for one year for a Commonwealth Supported Student.
QWhat subjects would I need to take and what grades would I need to achieve to prepare?
A. There are no compulsory subjects that a high school student needs to have completed, although a strong performance in English is useful. Good law students appreciate the written word and like to read. An ability to comprehend, research and interpret written material is highly advantageous, as is an ability to speak clearly and concisely. To study law at Griffith University, a high school graduate must receive at least an OP 9 (ATAR 81) with an OP 1-6 entry guarantee. To study at Southern Cross University, students who receive an OP 6 (ATAR 89) can apply.
QWhat academic, personal and social strengths would I need to succeed in this field?
A. Head of the Bond University Law faculty, Nick James, said members of the legal profession are expected to take their duties to their clients very seriously, although Australian legal practitioners are first and foremost officers of the court and their overriding duty is to the law itself. People rely on lawyers to advise them about the law and to help them navigate through what is often a complex and confusing maze of legal processes, and legal decisions can often have consequences that have a profound effect on people’s lives. They need to have a willingness to work hard and a meticulous approach to detail. The greatest lawyers are also committed to legal reform, social justice and the public good.
QWhat is the starting wage (and highest wage) once I graduate?
A. Like all professions, starting salaries vary depending on the type of work being done and the type of organisation that employs the graduate. Not all law students become lawyers; nearly half of law school graduates choose not to practise law, and instead have successful careers in the business, non-profit and government sectors. Graduate Careers Australia indicates that the average starting salary for a law school graduate is about $57,000 a year. There is no upper limit to potential earnings for law school graduates, and their income will depend upon their performance in the workplace and their personal motivation to seek financial reward.
Some law students, for example, graduate into careers in investment banking, and after only a few years are earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
QWhat are the job prospects?
A. Many law school graduates seek to become solicitors or barristers, and competition for positions with the large city firms can be quite fierce. There are, however, many other possible career paths for lawyers, and a legal education can lead to a variety of possible careers. Options for graduates keen to work internationally are increasing.
QWhat are the working hours and shifts in a normal working week?
A. Law school graduates will work all sorts of hours to meet deadlines and the requirements of their employer. Some will be expected to work 9-5 Monday to Friday, and some will be expected to work much longer hours. Many organisations now offer increased flexibility in their employee arrangements.
QWhat’s a day like? Is every day similar or different?
A. Every day is different for a legal professional: different clients to serve, different legal problems to solve, different people to meet, different disputes to resolve. A career as a legal professional is certainly never dull or boring.
QCan you travel?
A. Of course, but it will depend on the organisation and the requirements of the role. Some lawyers will work at a single location, and others will travel between cities and countries on a regular basis.
QWhat are some of the most challenging aspects of this job?
A. There should be no doubt that the legal profession can be one of the most challenging career paths. This is not only in an intellectual sense, because the practice of law is certainly intellectually challenging, but also there is simply a lot of work to do. A lawyer might have to work 18- hour days to complete a due diligence so the latest IPO (Initial Public Offering) of a tech company can go ahead on time, or work all night preparing a brief for a client who may spend the next 20 years in jail if they lose in court the next day. Sometimes a lawyer doesn’t win, and after having put everything into representing their client it takes a high level of resilience and self-discipline to get up to fight the next day.
QWhat are some of the most exciting aspects of this job?
A. It is enormously rewarding to work hard and see a positive result of that hard work. Lawyers get to work on important projects, solve enormously challenging legal and social problems, and meet amazing people. What lawyers do is important: to individuals, to businesses, to governments, and to society as a whole. A career as a lawyer is a great opportunity to make your ambitions come alive!