Bachelor of Laws at Victoria University

Overview

Launch an exciting career in law and make a name for yourself in corporate, community or government legal sectors.

If you’d like a dynamic and fulfilling job in law, learn from the best at VU.

Our lecturers and adjunct professors include some of Australia’s most reputable legal professionals, sharing their many years of experience and knowledge. They include:

• the Hon. Justice Chris Maxwell QC
• Professor Robert Richter QC
• criminal law specialist, Robert Stary
• Victorian Chief Magistrate, Ian Gray
• retired High Court Judge, the Hon. Michael Kirby. 

Through this law degree you’ll get a broad perspective on legal practice and gain specialist academic and professional skills including:

• advocacy
• ethical judgement
• communication
• legal research and writing
• interviewing and negotiation
• relevant legal professional computing skills.

Thanks to our partnerships with the courts and community legal services, you’ll also gain practical, real-world experience of the justice system – helping you along the path to a rewarding career in law.

We also offer Honours in Law for our high academic achievers.

Course structure

To attain the Bachelor of Laws students will be required to complete 384 credit points consisting of:

• 96 credit points of First Year Core studies
• 132 credit points of Professional Core studies
• 108 credit points of Law Elective studies
• 48 credit points of Non Law Electives studies

To be awarded a Bachelor of Laws with Honours:
Students who enrolled in the Bachelor of Laws prior to 31 Dec 2014 may apply to undertake the unit Advanced Legal Research Dissertation in their later years in this degree based on the aggregate of points attributed to the top two thirds of units so listed shall then be calculated and a grade point average determined. Students will be further assessed on an outline of a proposed thesis topic and availability of a college based or college affiliated supervisor. Students will be awarded a Bachelor of Laws with Honours (Class H1, H2A, H2B or H3) based on their aggregate of points and overall mark in Advanced Legal Research Dissertation. 

To be awarded a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) (For students enrolled post 1 January 2015):
Students in any Bachelor of Laws course may apply to transfer into any Bachelor of Laws (Honours) course if the selection criteria is met.

Partnerships & placements

Our partnerships with industry mean you’ll learn from experienced professionals in the legal sector – working on cases that have a real impact on people.

You could gain invaluable experience with our Supreme Court and County Court internship programs, as well as legal placement opportunities at:  

• State Trustees Program
• Victoria Police (Prosecutions Division)
• Victoria Legal Aid:
  • Magistrate’s Courts program
  • Family Law Clinic
  • Infringements Clinic
• WEstjustice:
  • Sunshine Youth Clinic
  • Family Law Clinic
  • Refugee Clinic

Careers in law

When you graduate from a Bachelor of Laws at Victoria University, you’ll be in high demand because we’ll make sure you’re job-ready.

You could work as a lawyer or in legal practice in areas including criminal law, family law, commercial law and business. Many of our graduates choose to work in community legal centres providing legal access to disadvantaged groups, and in not-for-profit organisations.

Roles in the legal field include:

• solicitor
• lawyer
• policy adviser
• legal adviser
• human-rights advocate.

Industries in Melbourne with the greatest demand for law graduates are banking and finance, corporate/commercial, litigation, private equity, projects, property, tax and workplace relations (Graduate Careers Australia)(external link).

Salaries

Four months after graduation, the average salary of Bachelor of Law graduates is A$53,000 (GradStats)(external link).

Solicitors earn, on average, A$104,000 (Job Outlook)