Are there no jobs for lawyers (1 Viewer)

clementinez

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I'm looking at the degrees offered at universities, and I can't major in international law while doing Commerce. I think this whole double degree thing has me stressing out.
lol you can always drop degrees and transfer if you're not satisfied with your initial choice :)

Commerce and Arts are popular choices for combined law.. commerce might be better if you want a fallback option.

edit: major in international law? I don't think you can major in any law degree regardless what it's combined with. Which uni's are you looking at?
 
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Orwell

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lol you can always drop degrees and transfer if you're not satisfied with your initial choice :)

Commerce and Arts are popular choices for combined law.. commerce might be better if you want a fallback option.

edit: major in international law? I don't think you can major in any law degree regardless what it's combined with. Which uni's are you looking at?
This is just an example,

http://courses.mq.edu.au/undergradu...or-in-international-law-and-global-governance
 

clementinez

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This refers to the major within the Arts degree and looks like a government/IR major with two international law electives which aren't crucial as you'll have international law within the law degree. You can do the politics/IR major at USYD/UNSW (probably UWS but you'd have to check) while UTS only has a communications degree in social and political sciences which is too broad imo.

I think USYD is best for government/IR related subjects.
 

clementinez

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Is this a law degree though? 81 seems really low..
No,, this is Commerce/Arts because you mentioned you can't study International Law while doing commerce. The link you posted was Arts/Law.
If you specifically want Arts/Law then you can only do it at USYD/UNSW (and MQ) if you want the IR majors.
There's also a third option. You could study Commerce/Law anywhere and take a Diploma of Social Science at USYD. It's around $7K (HECS) and allows you to pick one social science major (8 units)/ You could then pick Government and IR. You can take it concurrently meaning you'd have the workload of 30cp per semester instead of 24 but I think it would be manageable if you're dedicated because Law/Commerce has low contact hours.
 

clementinez

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Not exactly sure what no 2 has to do with what you quoted me saying..? You quoted the following statement:
"This seems to be an reoccurring pattern but it's not because law is a miserable field.... you need a law degree strictly to practice as a lawyer. This means applying specific sets of laws to specific cases."

I never said practice and study were the same thing. You can go look back at what I wrote.

As for the depression statistic, yes it's a stressful field but not miserable. It's only miserable if you go in for superficial reasons like money or prestige. If you actually are passionate about law then you won't hate it, a lot of lawyers I know love what they do. They work hard and the hours get long but they feel fulfilled that they can help people exercise their rights. Perhaps this statistic refers mostly to corporate law?
 
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Orwell

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Talking to some mates, they said international law is a good area to specialise in due to it not being flooded. Can I get a second opinion?

Additionally, they gave me the same advice as you did neo o, learn a language and start volunteering and developing an admirable track record.
 

si2136

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Talking to some mates, they said international law is a good area to specialise in due to it not being flooded. Can I get a second opinion?

Additionally, they gave me the same advice as you did neo o, learn a language and start volunteering and developing an admirable track record.
Why do u want to do Law?
 

Orwell

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nothing else really and i got a passion for it.
 

clementinez

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Talking to some mates, they said international law is a good area to specialise in due to it not being flooded. Can I get a second opinion?

Additionally, they gave me the same advice as you did neo o, learn a language and start volunteering and developing an admirable track record.
I can confirm this for Europe because I spent some time there and the opportunities are endless (in case you're interested in going abroad).
 

ameher

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nothing else really and i got a passion for it.
Job Opportunities = Yes, however you have to be willing to suck it up and take a few knocks on your road to getting where you want to be.

Option 1. Is your intention to become a legal practitioner after law school? if its a yes, then you will take any solicitors role whether it be in the suburbs, rural whatever it takes. Its not easy but once you get in, obtain PAE (post admission experience), build your contacts, and if you are with a firm that allows you to grow, it is a genuinely rewarding profession.

Option 2. Do you intend to have financial security, job security and great work hours? = If yes, then compliance, accounting, finance, consulting are the pathways which open up with a law degree.
 

lawfiend

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Talking to some mates, they said international law is a good area to specialise in due to it not being flooded. Can I get a second opinion?

Additionally, they gave me the same advice as you did neo o, learn a language and start volunteering and developing an admirable track record.
To be very honest with you, every facet of law is flooded nowadays. This is because there are only around 66,000 lawyers in Australia and yet law schools are pushing out almost 15,000 law graduates each year. At non-G08s, the minimum to receive an interview at the big law firms is a distinction. Jobs receive hundreds of applications within the first few days they are posted. Even volunteer (read: unpaid) positions are often filled almost instantly.

If you genuinely love the law, then I'd say do it. But do it with your eyes and ears open. There are three things employers look for: (i) good grades, (ii) extra-curricular (competitions and exchange in particular are valued) and (iii) work experience - and you must have all 3 if you want the 'good' jobs whether that be working in-house at companies such as PWC, the 'big 6' law firms, being a policy advisor etc. The good thing is the salary at the top end is still rather high (if you get to the top, its 80k base salary + the firm will cover the expenses of your practical legal training which is another 10k+) but it is a tough degree. If you want the good grades and to have good extra-curriculars/work experience, get ready to work from 9am-11pm pretty much every day for two or three weeks straight with no weekend off every few months or so. If you get a paralegal job (which is what you'd get as a law student if you're lucky)...let's just say the longest shift I've done is from 6:45am to 10pm. That is the reality of law.

Also, I see a lot of people in this thread go 'just start off small' or 'go rural' but there are three downsides to that: (i) the area of law you can practice - rural means conveyancing etc. which isn't the most profitable or interesting (and after the first three years when you get your unrestricted practicing licence its highly unlikely you can move out of your area of specialisation), (ii) the pay (small firms pay as low as 35-40k/year) and (iii) the competition is still high.
 
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Orwell

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Fucking hell.

If I were to do International Law, how would I approach getting a career as a undergrad coming out of Uni? Not like they're going to make me a diplomat straight away, so what other options are there? Additionally, when you say paralegal, do you mean that's I job I should strive for during the completion of my degree or after?

Once again, I don't mind the workload, I'm just worried that I won't have a good-paying job.
 

strawberrye

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Fucking hell.

If I were to do International Law, how would I approach getting a career as a undergrad coming out of Uni? Not like they're going to make me a diplomat straight away, so what other options are there? Additionally, when you say paralegal, do you mean that's I job I should strive for during the completion of my degree or after?

Once again, I don't mind the workload, I'm just worried that I won't have a good-paying job.
Paralegal refers to working usually in paid legal work as a legal assistant to a barrister or solicitor DURING your university degree. When you say a good-paying job, how much are you aiming for/looking for for the workload expected?
 

Orwell

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Just enough to live comfortably in this day and age while being to practice what I love and support for my potential family in the future.
 

Orwell

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Yeah, otherwise I'd be going for a position that pays more than law...I'm saying I really want to do law, for all the right reasons, however, I don't want to be stressed from money woes. It's fairly obvious that money doesn't equal passions but I'm sure everyone wants to live comfortably being able to do what they love...
 

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