Studying law

Recognised law degrees (approved academic qualifications)

There is the option of completing a single Bachelor of Law (LLB) degree or Juris Doctor (JD), but most students combine a law degree with another degree to enhance their employment prospects upon graduation.

Completion of a single degree takes approximately 3 years and a double degree usually takes about 5 years. However, there is no requirement to complete a double degree to gain admission as a lawyer. In Queensland there are ten law schools offering approved academic qualifications.

Queensland Law Schools

• Australian Catholic University (ACU) Thomas More Law School
• University of Queensland (UQ) School of Law
• Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Faculty of Law
• Griffith University (Griffith) Law School
• James Cook University (JCU) School of Law
• Bond University (Bond) Faculty of Law
• University of Southern Queensland (USQ) School of Law
• Central Queensland University School of Business and Law
• University of the Sunshine Coast Law School
• Southern Cross University (SCU - Gold Coast Campus) is a corresponding academic qualification as courses are approved for admission in New South Wales (section 30(2) of the Legal Profession Act 2007)

Practical training (approved practical legal training requirements)

Graduates wishing to be admitted must also undertake additional legal training by completing a practical legal training (PLT) course or serving as a supervised trainee.

Practical legal training courses cover training in skills, practice areas and values such as ethics, legal writing and drafting, interview skills and other common practice-related competencies.

Traineeships are a form of on-the-job training which offers the opportunity to gain practical knowledge in a practice environment while earning a wage.

In Queensland, there are four PLT providers offering approved PLT courses, or approved programmed training which is an additional requirement of a traineeship. In certain circumstances, trainees may need to complete supplementary training as part of their traineeship which can also be completed with any of the four PLT providers.

Queensland Practical Legal Training Providers

• Queensland University of Technology
• Bond University
• Leo Cussen Centre for Law
• The College of Law (Qld)

A law student may commence PLT early to be completed concurrently with their final subjects of their law degree/double degree or juris doctor if they have no more than two subjects to complete, neither of which are a Priestly 11 subject.

Learn more about traineeships.