The introduction of the postgraduate Juris Doctor (‘JD’) at UWA in 2013 has given rise to many questions from pre-law students about the nature of the JD, entry requirements, the nature of assured JD places, as well as how the JD will differ from the LLB. As a result, the Blackstone undergraduate sub-committee has put together a ‘JD FAQ’ targeted at pre-law students. This short FAQ provides detailed information about the JD, including guidance on what it means to maintain a minimum GPA if a student has an assured JD place.

UWA Law School is moving to the Juris Doctor to be more consistent with practices both overseas and in other Australian universities. For example, the Juris Doctor is now offered at 12 Australian universities, such as ANU and Melbourne University, and it is also the standard law degree in Canada, the United States, and Hong Kong. This means that the Juris Doctor degree will allow you to immerse yourself in international law practice much faster than if you were studying the LLB.

As mentioned previously, The Juris Doctor is the standard requirement for admission into legal practice in several overseas countries, and it is being increasingly used in Australia, Hong Kong and other Asian-Pacific countries. Here at UWA, it is undertaken as a postgraduate degree, sometimes referred to as a ‘professional’ degree. This means that you undertake the Juris Doctor after having completed a more general undergraduate degree (such as a Bachelor of Arts, Science, Commerce or Design degree). Unfortunately the degree does not entitle you to use the title of “Doctor,” as this requires a further level of study.

The Juris Doctor requires no pre-requisite subjects, which means it can be studied following the completion of any undergraduate degree, with any subject major. The goal of the syllabus is to get you to a position where you are suitably qualified to practise law. The layout of the degree aims to give you an in-depth insight into the fundamental concepts of the law, before allowing you to expand and follow your particular interests. As such, the syllabus follows the structure shown here.

The LLB is the Bachelor of Laws degree that UWA used to offer to those interested in pursuing legal study (offered until 2011). Both the Juris Doctor and the old LLB are intended to be the basis for legal practice, however under the Juris Doctor there are some key advantages. These include:

• Compulsory units will have 25% more class time under the JD
• A greater emphasis on legal skills; such as drafting and research
• The Juris Doctor will have an overall course director and individual year group coordinators to improve communication between yourself and the law faculty.
• Greater scope for integration into international programs is possible.

In terms of fees and expenses, there is little difference between UWA professional level degrees (such as the JD) and its undergraduate programs. This means that the Juris Doctor is supported by the Commonwealth Government through HECS/HELP, with similar qualifying requirements to those that you’re used to as an undergraduate student.

Furthermore, The Juris Doctor requires the completion of only 24 units (which is 3 years full-time). This is a lot shorter then the old LLB (it required 32 law-specific units), which means that to get a Law degree, you’ll be spending less money under the JD than you would have under the LLB. However, as has been mentioned previously, you’ll need to have completed a general undergraduate degree before starting your JD.

There is no evidence to suggest that employers prefer the LLB over the Juris Doctor. In fact it is more likely that the Juris Doctor is the preferred degree of employment, as:

• Firms wish for greater emphasis on legal skills
• There is ongoing communication between the Law school and the profession
• UWA Law School has 80 years of outstanding law graduates

There are no prerequisite units for the Juris Doctor. However, you may like to consider taking one or more of the undergraduate law major units for interest or to see if you actually enjoy the law. Alternatively, undergraduate students are able to take up one of two new Law majors – Law and Society (Arts) and Business Law (Business/Commerce).

You will be at no disadvantage if you have not taken a undergraduate law major, as all topics necessary for the Juris Doctor will be taught during the degree.

The 5.5 GPA requirement for an Assured Pathway student is assessed on the GPA at the conclusion of the student’s undergraduate degree. Whilst you do receive an ongoing GPA at the end of each study semester, this GPA does not affect your place as an Assured Pathway Student in the Juris Doctor.
The reality is that if you have achieved the marks to be offered an Assured Pathway place, it is unlikely that you will fall short of this requirement after your 3 years of undergraduate study.

Unfortunately, if your GPA does fall below 5.5 and you are not able to bring it back up to the required level, then you would not have the sufficient grade to take up your Assured Entry position in the Juris Doctor.

The total number of places in the Juris Doctor program each year is approximately 350, including 100-120 Assured Pathway places.

As already mentioned, In order for you to lose your Assured Pathway place, you must have a final GPA of less than 5.5. Given the limited places in the program and the competitive nature of the JD, it would likely be difficult for you to earn a general pathway entry into the Juris Doctor if you did not meet the requirements to maintain your assured entry pathway.

Ultimately, if you have achieved less than a 5.5 GPA, you would not be considered to be qualified for general entry, as this is the University’s minimum requirement for general entry applicants.

For more information on the Juris Doctor at UWA, please visit the Law School website: http://www.law.uwa.edu.au/courses/juris-doctor-jd.