Why Choose the Melbourne Juris Doctor

Taught at a graduate level, the Melbourne JD equips graduates with the analytical skills and intellectual maturity to take a leading role in contemporary legal practice, the business world, government or community organisations.
Graduating with a law degree from world-renowned Melbourne Law School means that wherever your career takes you, your degree will be recognised as exceptional - both nationally and internationally.

JD students will:

  • Join other engaged and enthusiastic students in discussion-based classes and enrich each other’s education.
  • Build skills for employment in the 21st century by collaborating and interacting with other students in group work.
  • Be a part of a tight-knit community of graduates and learn alongside your supportive classmates.
  • Have the opportunity to join societies, edit journals, attend public lectures, and participate in cultural events, moots and art competitions.
  • Build a network for life through connections to your student peers, Law School alumni, mentors and university staff.

Why Melbourne Law School?

Australia's first and leading law school

Melbourne Law School is Australia’s first law school and with experience gained over 150 years continues to be a leader and innovator in teaching the next generation of skilled legal professionals.

Melbourne Law School is ranked No 1 in Australia and No 5 in the world in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings (2013).

The University of Melbourne is ranked:

  • No 1 in Australia, (Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2011)
  • No 3 in the Asia-Pacific(Academic Ranking of World Universities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2011)

More about the University's reputation and rankings

An innovator in teaching law

Melbourne Law School is at the vanguard of legal education. The Law School has led the shift to graduate law in Australia with the Melbourne JD program, which has been developed to teach law at a level that challenges and inspires graduate students. The tightly integrated curriculum enables our students to make advanced conceptual links between complex legal categories, principles and concepts. Our innovation in teaching and research means that we offer our students an outstanding learning environment and a course that equips them with the skills for a successful and rewarding career.

Diverse and expert staff

Melbourne Law School academic staff are leaders in their fields, deploying expertise from legal scholarship and professional engagements to deliver challenging and intellectually stimulating courses. Students will learn from teachers who are at the top of their fields - contributing to community debate, producing an extraordinary range of research, providing advice to the highest level of business and government, and involved in the development and reform of law in Australia and around the world.

Meet our academics

At the forefront of contemporary legal issues

As part of its commitment to innovation, Melbourne Law School carries out a diverse range of important research into contemporary legal issues. Students will be inspired by the topical legal research generated in the School's research centres and institutions. Over the last three years Melbourne Law School has secured almost 30% of all Australian Research Council (ARC) projects funding for law in Australia. In 2010 the ARC awarded the Law School the highest ranking for Excellence for Research for Australia, one of only two law schools in Australia to receive the highest ranking. This vibrant research culture supports and informs the School's teaching activities and each research centre has its own program of public and in-house activities.

More on Centres and Institutes

First-rate facilities in the centre of Melbourne

Study in a state-of-the-art building, with simulated court facilities, purpose-built study spaces in the library and student areas for relaxation. The Melbourne Law School building has been designed specifically for legal education. The Law School offers students the best in modern teaching facilities on the doorstep of the historic University of Melbourne campus. Central to the Melbourne Law School experience is its location on Melbourne's city fringe - enjoy proximity to the central business district, including its courts and legal institutions, as well as the nearby cafes of inner city Carlton.

Details on our facilities

International opportunities

Enjoy international opportunities in a Law School that has a global outlook. Melbourne Law School's international focus means students will not only have opportunities to study overseas, but will be immersed in a curriculum that responds to global legal developments.

Our international partnerships connect us to the leading law schools in the United Kingdom, Asia and North America and include our degree partnerships with Oxford University, New York University and Chinese University of Hong Kong.

See details of the degree partnerships

An exceptional alumni community

Join our global alumni community of over 17,500 professionals contributing to all aspects of the legal profession. Our alumni have taken leadership roles not just in law, but have contributed to national and international affairs in a wide range of endeavours, including diplomacy, law reform, journalism, politics and government. Melbourne Law School builds strong connections with its alumni community, providing access to an extraordinary network of knowledge and experience.

More on how our alumni contribute to student programs

Mentor Program

Run by Melbourne Law School's Career Development Services, the Mentor Program pairs each first year student with a professional working in legal practice or a variety of workplaces beyond the legal profession. Students receive one-on-one guidance from an experienced law graduate working in their area of interest - a great introduction to the practical realities of the workplace and the opportunities it may present.

Further details on the Mentor Program

The JD Student - Attributes and Achievements

At the completion of the Melbourne JD, all students are able to demonstrate competence in a range of core skills essential to many career paths in law.

Further details