To work with the law is to aspire for a society that lives by rules that move humanity forward, that create fairness and justice for all. It is the job of lawyers to uphold the values and standards of our culture and society.
Lawyers work diligently around often complex rules to get the best possible outcome for their client. This could be in the form of a contract or through a trial in a court of law.
Studying law can give you the qualifications for a career as a lawyer or a paralegal.
Those who work in law should have the ability to analyse and evaluate quickly and effectively. Do you have a critical mind that weighs up pros and cons on autopilot? Are you passionate about justice, and do you believe the law can bring about a better world? Then you could be an excellent lawyer.
Your study pathway will depend on whether you wish to work as a paralegal or a lawyer.
Those who wish to work as lawyers must complete a Bachelor of Law (LLB) undergraduate degree, which usually takes around four years to complete studying full-time.
Those who wish to work as a solicitor without an LLB can study a Juris Doctor (JD) degree. A JD is the postgraduate equivalent of the LLB. Graduates must be admitted to the state bar before they can legally work as lawyers.
Those who wish to work as a paralegal can complete degrees in legal practice that give them the skills they need to work in this field of the law. Usually paralegal courses take around two years to complete while studying full-time. People with bachelor of law degrees may also work as paralegals, albeit likely for a lesser salary than they would make as lawyers.
Both paralegals and lawyers have the option to study postgraduate courses and expand their knowledge. It’s possible to specialise in any branch of the law that interests you. Given that many areas of the law are very complex, it pays to cultivate expertise with postgraduate studies.
Lawyers, attorneys and solicitors provide legal advice and guidance to their clients. They must study and argue the rules of the law with the aim of the best possible outcome for their client (read more).
Bailiffs act as legal officers that represent the government (read more).
Paralegals are trained in the law but are not registered to practice in a court. They will work with lawyers to build cases, contracts, and many other tasks that lawyers undertake (read more).
A lawyer that works in this field specialises in arguing the rights of corporations (read more).
Environmental law may be practiced by government agencies and non-government agencies alike. Both aim to protect natural resources and lessen the environmental impacts of development (read more).
This type of lawyer helps navigate the legalities and loopholes of tax law. Tax law is a notoriously complex (and correspondingly well-paid) field. Those employed as tax lawyers will almost always have an LLM in tax law (read more).
