L6005 Juris Doctor

The course is designed to equip you with basic legal knowledge and skills that are required for admission to legal practice, with the opportunity to develop specialised knowledge in areas of law of your choice. The basic knowledge is imparted through three broad themes: legal methodology and legal practice, public law and private law. The specialised knowledge and advanced skills are imparted in later year elective units.

Part A. Legal methodology and legal practice

This theme includes the nature of law, and particularly statute law enacted by parliaments and common law developed by courts. It also includes the key concepts, principles and methods of research and reasoning that enable lawyers to identify and interpret law and apply it to relevant facts in order to provide legal advice. It covers the law of procedure and evidence that governs judicial proceedings, alternative methods of resolving legal disputes, and the code of ethics that regulates the professional conduct of legal practitioners.

Part B. Public law

Public law includes constitutional law, administrative law and criminal law. It concerns the powers and procedures of the legislative, executive and judicial organs of government, and how they are regulated and controlled by 'the rule of law'. It also concerns the legal relationship between government and individuals, including the protection of individual rights.

Part C. Private law

Private law deals with legal relationships between legal persons, including corporations as well as individuals. It includes the study of property rights, contractual rights and obligations, wrongs (called 'torts') such as trespass and the negligent infliction of injury, and the law of equity and trusts.

Part D. Extending specialised knowledge and advanced skills

In these studies you will add to your expertise by choosing from a broad range of elective law units. Elective law units enable you to develop specialised knowledge and advanced skills in areas of law that suit your own interests, skills and career goals.

Course progression map

The course progression map provides guidance on unit enrolment for each semester of study.

The course comprises 144 points structured into four parts: Part A. Legal methodology and legal practice (24 points), Part B. Public law (30 points), Part C. Private law (42 points) and Part D. Extending expertise: Specialist law electives (48 points).

Units are 6 points unless otherwise stated.

Part A. Legal methodology and legal practice (24 points)

You must complete:

• LAW5000 Australian legal reasoning and methods
• LAW5013 Principles of litigation and dispute resolution
• LAW5015 Ethics in legal practice
• LAW5012 Principles of evidence

Part B. Public law (30 points)

You must complete:

• LAW5005 Principles of contract law B
• LAW5004 Principles of public law and statutory interpretation
• LAW5007 Principles of constitutional law
• LAW5014 Principles of administrative law
• LAW5001 Principles of criminal law and procedure

Part C. Private law (42 points)

You must complete:

• LAW5003 Principles of torts
• LAW5002 Principles of contract Law A
• LAW5006 Principles of property law
• LAW5008 Principles of equity
• LAW5011 Principles of company law
• LAW5018 Advanced property law
• LAW5010 Principles of trusts

Part D. Extending expertise: Specialist law electives (48 points)

You must complete 48 points of elective units which must include one professional elective chosen from the list below.

To take the total credit points to 144 you may select the remaining credit points from level 5 postgraduate law electives offered by the Faculty of Law. 

Law elective units begin with the prefix LAW and suitable units can be identified using the browse units tool in the current edition of the Handbook.

You must complete 72 credit points of units from Parts A, B or C before undertaking law elective units.

Professional electives

You must complete at least 6 credit points from the following list of units:

• LAW4803 Clinical placement
• LAW4811 In-house clinical placement: Law reform and systemic change
• LAW4813 In-house clinical placement: Client legal assistance
• LAW4814 Extended clinical placement
• LAW4815 International clinical placement
• LAW5050 Professional practice (JD) (12 points)
• LAW5052 Professional project
• LAW5055 Vis arbitration moot (12 points)
• LAW5056 Jessup moot competition
• LAW5058 Mooting and advocacy competition
• LAW5059 Extension mooting and advocacy competition
• LAW5082 Masters research
• LAW5083 Extended research (12 points)*
• LAW5355 Advocacy

Note: A number of these units are only available via application to eligible students. Please refer to the Handbook for units for further information.

*LAW5083 requires that you have completed at least four elective units and obtained final results of 70% or higher above in each of the four units.