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Career outcomes
Overview
Careers
The Melbourne JD leads to admission to the legal profession in all Australian jurisdictions and can be used as a basis for seeking admission in many overseas jurisdictions.
To practice as a lawyer in Victoria you will also need to complete Practical Legal Training (PLT) or supervised legal training, be admitted by the Supreme Court of Victoria and obtain a practising certificate. The Melbourne Law School offers JD students the opportunity to get a head start on satisfying the PLT requirements through legal internships and our clinic program. More information about Australian and international admission requirements can be found here.
The Melbourne JD is well-regarded by a wide-range of employers and can be used to pursue a variety of careers in different sectors.
The Melbourne JD graduates have strong employment outcomes with a 97% full-time employment rate*.
*Melbourne Law School class of 2019 graduate survey (conducted 18 months after completion of the degree, with a 90 per cent response rate)
Melbourne Law School graduates work as:
- Judges, judges’ associates and others in the judicial sector
- Barristers and public prosecutors
- Lawyers in law firms
- In-house and corporate lawyers
- Lawyers in the community sector (i.e., community legal centres)
- Lawyers in not-for-profit organisations (i.e., human rights NGOs)
- Government lawyers
- Policy analysts and advisers in government
- Management consultants
- Merchant bankers
- Entrepreneurs
- Parliamentarians
Careers support
As a JD student, you’ll have access to specialised career services, such as a mentoring program, workshops and mock interviews with dedicated advisors, to help you achieve your professional goals.
Career pathways
Hear from our JD graduates on how the Melbourne JD program has enabled them to land their dream job and make a difference in society.
Maggie Blanden
Palawa woman Maggie Blanden’s passion for equality in justice led her to her current degree at Melbourne Law School (MLS) as a Juris Doctor (JD) student and remains the driving force behind her decision to become one of the growing number of Indigenous voices in the legal system. “Our people deserve the best representation they can get,” she said. “We need diversity in the legal system to ensure that all voices are heard and empowered. This is what has motivated me to undertake my law studies.”
Maggie is already effecting change, having landed a coveted position at the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub (ILJH) as a Research Assistant. For Maggie, the experience has been life changing and has helped cement the direction she wants her future to take. “I hope to work in the area of Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, as well as criminal justice for our people. I am aiming to work on important areas, including Treaty and criminal justice reform, which has been fostered by my work with the ILJH,” she said.
Graduate pathways
Once you've completed your undergraduate degree, you can go on to gain employment or begin a graduate degree and work towards a professional qualification such as law, engineering or medicine. Or you could join our graduate research community and contribute to our world-changing research.
Your graduate degree will be internationally recognised, and set you apart from those who study a traditional Australian single or double degree.
Explore the graduate pathways available once you complete your undergraduate degree here.