Work on real client cases
#1 Melbourne university for law course satisfaction
Top 3 law school in Melbourne
Why choose laws at Deakin
Join a high-achieving community at one of the top 3 law schools in the state of Victoria. Designed and taught by leading academics and practising lawyers, Deakin's Bachelor of Laws delivers comprehensive legal training that builds strong academic foundations in law, alongside vital skills in communication, problem solving and analytical thinking.
Apply your learning in professional or international settings with multiple opportunities for work-integrated learning. Explore career directions and legal interests through an extensive list of law electives, spanning commercial law, animal law, human rights, technology, privacy and data law. Complete up to 150 hours of supervised casework at the Deakin Law Clinic, resolving legal matters for real clients. You will graduate ready to pursue dynamic careers across law, business, government, public policy and more.
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Top-ranked law school
Study at a law school ranked in the top 3 in the state of Victoria with #1 course satisfaction, preparing you for a confident legal career.
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Global exposure
Join our mooting program or take an international study tour to experience international commercial arbitration and how the law operates in different jurisdictions.
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Real client experience
Work on real cases at the Deakin Law Clinic and build practical skills under qualified solicitors.
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Industry-led learning
Learn from practising lawyers and gain experience through internships and placements in real legal settings.
Connected to industry
Deakin’s strong industry connections help shape your learning. Build practical experience in real workplace contexts through work-integrated learning, mentoring and networking opportunities. Industry advisory boards also help shape our degrees, which means what you study is current, relevant and aligned to what your future employers need.
Deakin puts employability first
Career outcomes
Develop the legal knowledge, analytical thinking and practical skills for careers across law, business or government. Complete practical legal training for law practice or pursue a wide range of professional pathways.
Lawyer
Advise clients on legal rights, prepare legal documents, negotiate settlements and represent clients in court. Research legislation and provide practical solutions across a range of legal matters.
- $105k
Typical Australian annual salary
- 20%
Projected job growth in 5 years
- 3.6/5
Job satisfaction
Family lawyer
Advise clients on divorce, parenting, property settlements and family disputes. Represent clients in negotiations and court while protecting their legal rights and achieving fair outcomes.
- $125k
Typical Australian annual salary
- 20%
Projected job growth in 5 years
- 4.3/5
Job satisfaction
Other jobs
- Barrister
- Corporate lawyer
- Company administrator
- Business manager
- Public administrator
- Law reform officer
“I had many opportunities throughout my time at Deakin. My mooting experiences, Law Society, I went to Germany to study legal technology and AI, and to Indonesia to study law, culture and religion. Everything combined has helped me become the best version of myself to put into the job field.”
SwathikaBachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws
Stories that start here
Download a course guide
Study at Deakin and be rewarded with new skills that will give you an edge in the job market
FAQs
To practise law in Australia, you need to complete an accredited law degree, like the Bachelor of Laws at Deakin, which is designed to satisfy the academic requirements set by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB). You will then complete Practical Legal Training (PLT), apply for admission to the legal profession and obtain your practising certificate. If you plan to practise in your home country, admission requirements vary by jurisdiction, check with your local legal admissions authority to confirm what applies to you.
Becoming a practising lawyer in Australia requires completing an accredited law degree (four years undergraduate or two to three years postgraduate), followed by practical legal training (typically six months), and admission to the Supreme Court of your state. Deakin's Bachelor of Laws and Juris Doctor are both designed to satisfy the academic requirements for admission to legal practice.
Law equips you with analytical rigour, persuasive communication and an understanding of justice systems that is valued globally. Deakin's Bachelor of Laws combines strong legal training with industry placements, mooting competitions and access to global experience opportunities. Whether you plan to practise law or apply legal skills in business, policy or government, a Deakin law degree prepares you for a career with real impact.
Yes. Deakin law offers clinical legal education and internship opportunities, including work with Deakin's Community Legal Clinic and industry placement units. You'll gain practical exposure to legal practice settings, building professional skills and networks before graduation. Find out more about law internships at Deakin.
Your elective choices should reflect your career goals. Corporate law electives suit students targeting commercial practice or business roles. Criminal law and human rights units suit those drawn to public interest law. International law electives are valuable for students interested in diplomacy, trade or global organisations. Deakin's law school advisers can help you map electives to your ambitions, contact us for a course planning session.
*Deakin references data from a range of government, higher education and reputable media sources. Learn more about our achievements on our University rankings page, or explore our sources page for supporting references.
What will I study in the Bachelor of Laws?
Progress from core legal foundations to advanced elective units, developing the legal knowledge, analytical thinking and advocacy skills required for professional legal practice. Explore how law shapes society while building essential research, reasoning, communication and practical legal skills.
Foundations of legal thinking
Learn how legal systems operate
Understand how legislation and the courts shape the law and influence decision-making across society.
Develop legal research and communication
Practise interpreting legal sources, analysing arguments and presenting ideas clearly in professional legal contexts.
Begin exploring legal problem solving
Examine how lawyers approach disputes and evaluate competing perspectives using structured legal reasoning.
Build core legal knowledge
Study key areas of private and public law
Explore foundational legal principles that govern societal obligations, rights and responsibilities.
Strengthen legal analysis and reasoning
Develop your ability to interpret legislation, evaluate evidence and apply legal principles to complex scenarios.
Broaden your learning through electives
Take both law and non-law electives to explore your interests and build complementary knowledge.
Deepen professional legal capability
Explore advanced areas of law
Examine specialised legal topics and the broader legal frameworks that shape organisations, governments and communities.
Work-integrated learning option
Complete a practical, clinical or experience-based law unit, applying your skills in authentic professional settings.
Tailor your learning with law electives
Choose from a range of specialised law topics to deepen your expertise and explore areas of professional interest.
Integrate knowledge and practice
Refine advanced legal reasoning
Tackle complex legal problems requiring independent research, persuasive argument and critical analysis.
Complete specialised law electives
Select advanced law topics aligned with your interests while preparing for professional legal pathways.
Apply law in practical contexts
Choose additional experience-based learning opportunities that simulate or involve real legal work and professional environments.
Course structure
To complete the Bachelor of Laws, you must pass 32 credit points.
Most units are equal to one credit point. As a full-time student you will study four credit points per trimester and usually undertake two trimesters per year.
Are you a current student? For course information that applies to the year you started your degree, visit the handbook.
All students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements
Units
*Previously coded MLL110
Note: MLP code denotes Priestley units, which teach the academic areas of knowledge prescribed for admission to legal practice.
To be completed in the first trimester of study:-
Students must complete one of the following experiential/practice units as one of their Law Elective units:
Not all elective units will be offered every year. Units not offered in 2027 may be offered in 2028 or 2029. From time to time the Law School may develop
new units to strengthen the law elective list.
Elective units offered in 2027
Elective units not offered in 2027
*MLI code denotes optional intensive version of the unit
# Previously coded MLL417, MLL211
^MLT324 does not count as one of the WIL/Practical course elective units (listed above) required for the Bachelor of Laws.
Professional recognition
Deakin's Bachelor of Laws is designed to satisfy the academic qualifications necessary for admission to the legal profession. In Victoria these have been set by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB). In addition to satisfying the academic qualifications, a person seeking admission to the legal profession in Victoria is required to have satisfactorily completed certain practical legal training requirements and must be considered a fit and proper person to be admitted to the legal profession.
Requirements for admission in jurisdictions outside Australia vary. Please check the relevant jurisdiction’s legal admissions authority to confirm the required academic qualifications criteria, including any restrictions on online study or distance education.
What to expect while studying
A range of commercial and public law electives
A distinctive feature of the Deakin law degree is the large number of commercial law and public law elective units offered in the course. You can choose to add a commercial focus to your degree by selecting from a wide range of electives. Deakin Law School also offers a number of public law electives, drawing upon the significant expertise of staff in the areas of international law, criminal law, constitutional law, human rights law and health law.
Clinical legal education
Legal internship
In conjunction with community legal centres and other legal organisations, Deakin Law School offers a clinical skills unit. This involves students working in private law firms, companies employing in-house legal counsel, public legal centres or statutory bodies under the supervision of legal practitioners. You’ll assist the practitioners to take instructions from, advise and represent clients. Clinical training of this nature is designed to teach you skills such as interviewing, counselling, negotiation, communication and advocacy. Deakin's Legal Internship enables you to gain an appreciation of legal practice and extend your critical thinking skills by working in a legal environment. Quotas apply and enrolment is via application.
Please visit the Legal Internship website, for more information.
Deakin Law Clinic
Deakin Law Clinic functions as a teaching law firm, where students can build their legal skills under the supervision of experienced lawyers. Based in two locations, Melbourne CBD and Geelong, It offers free legal assistance in the following areas:
civil law
criminal law
employment law
family law
generalist law
policy advocacy.
A Deakin Law Clinic can be taken as a law elective in year 3 or year 4 of your law degree. Learn more about Deakin Law Clinic
NIKERI Institute
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can enrol in Deakin’s Bachelor of Laws through the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute. NIKERI offers culturally respectful, flexible, and accredited programs that combine week-long on-campus intensives with supported online learning. Your studies will be grounded in shared cultural values and designed to balance learning with your community commitments. Learn more at deakin.edu.au/nikeri.
Study abroad opportunities
Our global study itinerary includes the prestigious Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong and Vienna, international study tours and options to study one or more elective units at an overseas institution.
These options provide you with the opportunity to experience first-hand foreign legal systems and learn how law is applied within these jurisdictions as well as across borders, again giving you an edge upon graduation.
At present, to qualify for admission as a barrister and solicitor in Victoria, university graduates are required to complete either a supervised legal traineeship (previously known as articles of clerkship) for one year or an approved practical legal training (PLT) course. Institutes that offer Practical Legal Training in Victoria include:
- The College of Law Victoria: Victorian Professional Program
- Leo Cussen Centre for Law
- Australian College of Applied Professions with the Law Institute of Victoria
The Deakin law degree is designed to satisfy the university component of the requirements to become a barrister and solicitor in Victoria set by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board. Study may be undertaken on either a full-time or part-time basis.
You may be able to study available units in the optional third trimester to fast-track your degree, however your course duration may be extended if there are delays in meeting course requirements, such as completing a placement.
Units which contain work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, working with children check or other check. These requirements will be detailed in unit guides upon enrolment.
You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include lectures, seminars, online interactions, or professional experiences for Work Integrated Learning (WIL) units. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Units in this course may have participation requirements that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning or collaborative research training arrangements.
This course provides students the opportunity to complete one or more work integrated learning units.
Explore Business and Law WIL opportunities.
International Students:
This course includes Work Integrated Learning (WIL) formally registered as part of the course on the CRICOS register. The total work integrated learning hours will differ depending on the WIL unit you choose. For more information about WIL hours, please check the unit information in the handbook or the unit guide.
For information about how WIL units may impact student visa holder work rights, please visit Home Affairs. See 8105 Work limitation.
Deakin offers many courses which can be studied by distance education overseas.
However, international students living in Australia on a student visa, in each compulsory trimester (that is, Trimesters 1 and 2), must enrol in at least one unit that is offered as a Campus located unit and can, in addition enrol in units offered online. International students may undertake a maximum of up to one third (or equivalent) of their study as online study. Please note enrolment in one face to face unit in compulsory study periods is only allowed if the student is completing their final unit of study and will not exceed maximum one third (or equivalent) online requirement.
At Deakin, we're committed to ensuring an inclusive environment that supports all students to belong, thrive and succeed. We work closely with students, where needed, to identify potential barriers to participation and where possible, provide tailored support so students can engage with learning and assessment activities.
If you are neurodivergent, have a disability, health condition or mental health condition that may impact your study or participation in university life, and want to know how Deakin could support you, contact our Domestic students (opens in a new window) or International students (opens in a new window) or Disability Resource Centre (opens email client) teams for a collaborative and confidential discussion. This discussion is to support you to make plans for your studies and future career and will not have any bearing on your application to the course.
When can I start?
When you study depends on your course, location and available intakes. Check the table to see when you can start and how study is offered throughout the year.
Your course learning outcomes describe the knowledge, skills and capabilities you’ll develop and be able to demonstrate by the time you graduate. Built into your course through your units and assessments, they provide a clear picture of what you’ll be equipped to know, understand and do – preparing you to apply your learning with confidence beyond university.
| Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|
| Demonstrate an understanding of the Australian legal system and the fundamental areas of knowledge required for legal practice as situated within international contexts and the broader contexts within which legal issues arise |
| Communicate legal knowledge effectively to legal and non-legal audiences, both verbally and in writing |
| Use a range of digitally-based technologies to locate, evaluate and disseminate information |
| Exercise critical thinking, judgment and intellectual independence to evaluate, consolidate and synthesise knowledge relevant to legal doctrine and legal practice |
| Apply legal reasoning and critical analysis to generate and articulate accurate and relevant responses to legal issues |
| Exercise responsibility and accountability for own learning, and possess abilities to reflect on own capabilities, performance and feedback to support personal and professional development |
| Collaborate effectively in a team environment demonstrating constructive engagement and contribution to the team and the ability to draw on strengths of others |
| Reflect on the ethical and professional behaviours and responsibilities of legal professionals and demonstrate an understanding of the impact that different social, ethical, global or environmental perspectives have on exercising legal practice in the community |
- Award granted
- Bachelor of Laws
- Year
2027 course information
- VTAC code
- 1400414063 - Waterfront (Geelong), International full-fee paying place
1400514063 - Burwood (Melbourne), International full-fee paying place - Deakin code
- M312
- CRICOS code?Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students
- 026686F Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition
The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7
Fees
Estimated tuition fee
$47,000
for 1 yr full-time AUD
The estimated tuition fee above is based on a typical first-year full-time enrolment of 8 credit points and is provided as a guide only. Your tuition fees are determined by your course and unit enrolment. Your tuition fees will vary depending on your study load, the course duration, and any approved recognition of prior learning.
Scholarships
Deakin scholarships recognise your hard work and achievements. Our support can ease the financial pressure of studying in Australia so you stay focused on your success. Numbers are limited, so apply early for the best chance.
Apply now
Apply directly to Deakin
Applications can be made directly to the University through StudyLink Connect - Deakin University's International Student Application Service.
We recommend engaging with a Deakin Authorised Agent who can assist you with the process and submit the application.
Apply through VTAC
If you are an international student completing an Australian Year 12 in Australia or overseas, you must submit an application through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). In addition, you may also apply directly to Deakin through StudyLink Connect - Deakin University's international student application service.
Recognition of prior learning
We value your previous study and experience. Recognition of prior learning enables you to get credit for what you've already achieved. When you apply, we'll consider your previous study and experience for recognition of prior learning.
Note:
(a) For accreditation purposes, the University normally only considers RPL for core Deakin Bachelor of Laws units, or core Juris Doctor units, on the basis of previous law study that has taken place within five years of the anticipated commencement
[Note 1] of the degree at Deakin. Please note that RPL requests for any law unit core to the degree undertaken more than 5 years ago is assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Deakin Law School.
(b) RPL for any non-core (elective) units will be determined via normal RPL policy rules; however, if the unit would be more than 5 years old at the student's anticipated course commencement date, then the decision needs to be made within the Law School (in order to ensure the currency of the learning that is being recognised).
[Note 1] Note that the date taken is commencement of studies at Deakin, not the date of the RPL Application.
You can also refer to the recognition of prior learning (RPL) system which outlines the credit that may be granted towards a Deakin University degree and how to apply for credit.