Lawyers often get a bad rap. They may be portrayed as greedy and unethical; it's not uncommon for people to complain about their lawyer taking a cut off the top of any settlements they win in court. The English language is rich with words to describe this professional class: shysters, leeches and ambulance chasers are among the most oft-used derogatory terms.
But lawyers (attorneys, counsellors, advocates) render a valuable service. They defend their clients' rights and ensure compliance with the law. They help settle disputes and in some cases, help bring about social change.
Not so long ago, there was a time when the legal profession didn't exist. But as civilisation grew more complex, it became obvious that someone had to keep track of all the decisions and regulations underpinning functional society. Thus, the legal profession came to be.
Today, we have lawyers who specialise in every aspect of the law. Some attorneys specialise in taxation and property while others negotiate international law. Many start their career defending (or prosecuting) offenders in court. Each speciality demands its own course of study, including business law.
Law Degrees Australia: General Information
Of the 39 universities that are members of Universities Australia, only one, Flinders University, does not have a designated School of Law. However, their College of Business, Government and Law offers a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice degree. Every other Australian university offers at least a Bachelor of Law (LLB) or equivalent and 27 have a Master of Law (LLM) study program. Fourteen schools welcome students for Juris Doctor (JD) studies.
Some of these programs are less than 10 years old so it's hard to come by intake and pass statistics for them. Others are a part of venerable institutions like the University of Sydney (est. 1855) and the University of Melbourne (est. 1857). Beyond university studies, aspiring lawyers may earn a Diploma in Law at the Sydney School of Law or the Legal Profession Admission Board. So it's safe to conclude that law students have plenty of access to law education.
Often, people interpret LLB as Bachelor of Legal Letters but that is incorrect. The abbreviation comes from Latin - Legum Baccalaureus. The double L signals Legum's plural form, Latin doubles the word's first letter much as we add an S to most words to signal the plural. Legum Baccalaureus' literal translation is Bachelor of Laws.
Now you know, as you search for law degree offerings, LLB is what you're looking for (and also why it's called that).
The standard university LLB program takes four years to complete but if you're entering the program with some university experience, you may finish in three years. Your LLB program's first year will likely be a foundation course meant to prepare you for more rigorous study later in the program, hence the one-year deduction.
Should you choose to pursue your LLM or JD, count on another three years of study.
If you want a career in law but for whatever reason university is out of your reach, you may sign up for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Law. You won't earn professional qualifications, meaning you won't be able to practise law.
But you can become a paralegal specialising in Business and then sit the Legal Profession Admission Board Diploma in Law exam to become qualified. Your local Technical and Further Education (TAFE) centre may offer such courses but maybe not for all areas of law study.
Bachelor of Business Law Degrees
Now that we know how broad students' options are for access to law education, let's look at what type of Bachelor of Business Law degrees you could get. The most obvious pathway is earning a high enough Australian Tertiary Admissions Rating (ATAR) score to qualify you for a place at the university of your choice.
International students likely won't have an ATAR so their acceptance to a university course of study depends on other qualifications.
As mentioned above, a straight Bachelor of Business Law degree takes four years to earn. In most programs, the first year is a foundation year, a time to get used to university life and affirm that you chose the right major for your future career. This foundation year may be worth up to 100 credit points towards your degree.
Your law education gets underway during your second year. Your core professional law studies make up the lion's share of needed credit points and you'll have electives to choose from, with some subjects offering more credit points than others. Keep in mind that Business Law falls under tort law so your electives selection should be fairly broad.
You may also pursue a double degree in Law and Business. This degree plan entails taking courses in Finance, Economics and Analytics from a business perspective. Each year, your course load will blend business and law education so you won't first study one subject and then, the other.
The double degree program will add one year to your university study time. Plus, you'll have a better understanding of what business law is from a business perspective.
Master of Law Studies
Your LLB is the minimum requirement to practise business law in Australia but nothing says you can't expand your knowledge stores. Many law students apply for entry into their university's graduate program to study their area of law more in-depth. If you aim to work with global firms, graduate-level courses in international law would benefit you. Even if you'd rather represent Australian companies with no international presence, studying graduate-level tax law would give your career a boost.
The VET program mentioned earlier may pave the way to qualification to practise law through Practical Legal Training (PLT). In most territories, you must have some practical experience after taking courses in law through a non-tertiary institution.
Once you meet all the requirements, you may go for your Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. GradDipLegalPrac courses may take up to a year to complete.
Places in PLT courses are hard to find so law students may go from undergraduate (LLB) right into graduate studies (LLM).
Once they apply for the program, they may choose specialised courses such as Master of Human Rights Law or Master of International Law. But most who study business law follow the more common path straight to Juris Doctor.
Juris Doctor Degrees
Twenty-seven Australian universities offer LLM courses but only 15 make JD courses available. The three-year JD program typically serves as the LLB graduate program, drilling down to law specifics like advocacy and analytics. Australian universities are aware of the gap in law education so the JD program is meant to suit that purpose. From the student perspective, JD serves them better because it covers The Priestly 11 - all the prescribed areas of knowledge needed to practise law:
- administrative law
- trusts and equity law
- contract law
- tort law
- federal, state and constitutional law
- company law
- civil law
- ethics and professional responsibility
- criminal law and the law of evidence
- property law
These areas address virtually every area of law but do not specify business law as an area of knowledge. You'll recall reading earlier that business law falls under tort law so earning your JD will still put you on the path to becoming a business lawyer. However, it will not permit you to call yourself Doctor, as a PhD candidate would even though that word is half of your degree title. The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) considers the law Juris Doctor an extended Master's degree in law, not a doctorate degree.
For administrative purposes, a JD is considered a postgraduate degree. That means students will not receive government financial concessions as they would for undergraduate study. Indeed, you might not be able to count on any scholarship money because awards for postgraduates are more meagre than for other levels of study. However, if you're an international student or Torres Strait Islander, you may stand a better chance at landing a full scholarship.
You may also choose to pursue a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree, a research degree equivalent to a PhD in other fields. Only a few universities list a SJD program in their course catalogues; the University of Sydney and the University of Western Australia among them.
But do you need such an advanced degree to practise Business Law? Your LLB will teach you all the skills and give you all the requirements you need to qualify as a business lawyer. You could get to work a mere four years after entering university and start building experience as a working attorney.
Not that anyone is trying to dissuade you from continuing your education. But throughout your career, you will enjoy many professional development opportunities. Some of that will include tutelage from a mentor at the firm you work at.
And you can always go back to school. Once you start earning, it won't be such a strain to pay for your courses. And thanks to the work experience you have, you'll be able to understand your subject matter better.
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