Law (1 Viewer)

[Lainee]

Law courses are essentially the same in different unis aren't they? Even though the teaching program changes around, and subjects are named differently, and some look as though they have heaps of subjects and some very little because they squish alot of stuff under one subject (I think)... you get a law degree in the end, so is that all that matters?

And why do unis have different study programs? Is there a better way of learning the same thing? Or by shifting things around does it give you more bang for your buck?

Opinions on the actual content of the law degree. Which program is superior?

 

[santaslayer]

1) The course itself is probably essentially the same across universities. You still get a LLB degree at the end of the five or so years. The variables within different LLB degrees include teching qualitiy/style, its focus and most arguably, reputation. These variables are usually up to the individual to decide and are quite subjective in nature. Other decisions on which LLB course to undertake also include proximity, level of comfyness with the institution and amount of friends attending the same institution.

2) The set course patterns for LLB degrees are usually fairly similar, starting off with a foundation subject coupled with a legal research and writing course. This is followed up with more specific topics such as Torts, Contracts, Criminal, Evidence law etc. All Law courses within Australia are qualified and you are essentially able to practice law upon full completeion of the degree. The largest difference in course patterns I can think of is the one offered by Newy uni, they do Criminal/Tort Law straight away.

 

[Navjeet]

Originally posted by santaslayer
The largest difference in course patterns I can think of is the one offered by Newy uni, they do Criminal/Tort Law straight away.

we do torts in first semester at UWS...i think it keeps the course a bit interesting, because the history/philosophy side of law studied in the introduction to law unit is soooooo dry.

Originally posted by Lainee
Law courses are essentially the same in different unis aren't they? Even though the teaching program changes around, and subjects are named differently, and some look as though they have heaps of subjects and some very little because they squish alot of stuff under one subject (I think)... you get a law degree in the end, so is that all that matters?

I'd say that the law courses at different unis are essentially the same. At the end of the day, you wind up with a Law degree, and if that's what you want, then excellent. I suppose it depends how you intend to untilise that degree which will have a bearing upon which institution you want to study it at. Idealistically, when you apply for a job, it doesnt matter which uni you did your degree at. In many professions, most notably in Law, 'old school ties' are often an important way of getting your foot in the door. I think that if a law firm was looking to employ someone, and their final two candidates had the exact same degree, skills and work experience, but one studied at UWS and one studied at USYD, more likely that not, they're gonna pick the USYD candidate.

If you dont plan to practice law, but want the LLB to complement your other degree, then you need to look at which uni has the best reputation for whichever degree you're planning on combining it with.

As for the different study programs, it's like saying "there's more than one way to skin a cat" (never did get that saying anyway, lol). Some people learn better through a theory approach, whilst some learn better through a more practical, hand-on approach. I guess it just depends on the individual student once again, as to which method is better.

I dont think my ramblings were of any help. sorry.

 

[santaslayer]

OMFG Navjeet I thought you did UNSW LLB!

 

[Navjeet]

lol, i wish! what made u think that?

edit: oh wait, it's because I always post my law questions in the UNSW law section, right? lol. that's cause the UWS forums are so shitty (much like our uni actually)...hardly anyone uses them, so we don't even have it divided up into faculties. hehehe. Ummm, I post in the UNSW law faculty forum because lots of people actually use it and I really really wanna go to UNSW, but that soooo isnt gonna happen, so I just have to satisfy myself by using their forums instead

 

[santaslayer]

ahahaahaaaha...:rofl:...
Don't worry, I post everywhere as well. :uhhuh: :uhhuh:

 

[Ribbon]

The way anu structures its law degree is to have a boring subject with an interesting one until you get to your electives eg.

foundations & torts
lawyers, justice and ethics & contracts
criminal & australian public law
international law & legal theory

I can't imagine how anyone could do a degree with say, foundations and lawyers, justice and ethics together in the first semester because the whole of our foundations course we were researching torts problems ect. for practice...

 

[Navjeet]

hmmm, some unis do it (combine boring subjects) to help weed out the people who are not suited to law. like the students who are only doing it because they got the marks or whatever.

 

[santaslayer]

I couldn't see any combo's going on at UoW. They were all really boring because they were all foundation courses.

 

[mack]

It is all subjective as to which degree is better. Remember UAI cut offs are all supply and demand, so its not like USYD is 4.6 points better than Macquarie or something. And like others said, at the end of the day(provided you pass the bar exam) your a lawyer no matter what uni you went to. There are also tons of other variables too-if a UOW criminal law graduate had wonderful public speaking skills, empoyment records and references, and a USYD grad had none and couldnt speak in front of an audience to save his life, well its obvious an employer will not base their decision on university degree alone.

 

[MoonlightSonata]

I imagine the courses aren't too different in structure and content. Its more reputation and to a lesser extent teaching.

If, initially

(a) you want to be a lawyer
(b) you want to work for a big firm

then its better to go for a major uni. Some employers from really large firms will only ever look at USyd and UNSW students, and some only USyd students. A solicitor I know only ever takes on USyd Honours students, so yeah :|

I should say though that of course there are other factors. Employers check your uni results, and if you've done extremely well in a UTS law degree then that may be better than average results in a USyd degree, for example

 

[Raiks]

Originally posted by santaslayer
I couldn't see any combo's going on at UoW. They were all really boring because they were all foundation courses.

Santa, it's because law sucks

 

[Lainee]

After graduation, do employers ever ask for your UAI or just uni results? Like, in a CV would you be expected to put down your UAI, or would employers specifically ask for it?

I'm wondering, because I might have to resort to a full-fee place - which itself may put me at a disadvantage because most of the canditure would be admittedly smarter than me. =/ But assuming that I don't get set back by that and work my arse off at uni, would employers care that I got into the course in the first place with marks slightly lower than other people?

 

[mack]

Im not sure if they even have to know....Its not like they scribble "HAD TO PAY TO GET THIS DEGREE" in big black letters on your degree..

 

[Blackalicious]

The UAI is only significant for 4 months of your life, inorder to get into your uni course. Employers couldnt care less what UAI you have or how you got into your course. They only care how well you performed in that course. along with work experience and blah blah blah...

 

[doe]

after your first job they dont really care about your uni results either.

 

[Lainee]

So noone would know/care if I had to pay to get into the course? Exxceelleennt.

 

[Lexicographer]

The UAI - Universities Admission Index - is ONLY for tertiary admission purposes. Nobody else uses it for anything, ever. Employers of year 12 graduates don't even bother with it, since your subject marks are more important.

HECS vs Fee paying: neither matters, since it's exactly the same degree paid for differently. In fact, your parents can't even know - let alone an employer - unless you tell them (or are not 18 and need them to sign).

 

[mack]

UAI is useless after youve entered into your course. An employer caring about you transferring into a course would be like board of studies scaling you down because you went to a selective school in yr 9, having not made it in doing the yr 6 selective test.