Choosing the right path in your legal education is an important decision to make. If you have a degree already, you may be eligible to study for a Juris Doctor degree in order to obtain your legal qualification. That said, you may still want to consider all your options and how a Juris Doctor and Law degree differ. If you want to know more about studying a Juris Doctor, read on!
What’s the difference between studying for a Bachelor of Law and a Juris Doctor?
While both a Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Law degrees offer you a qualification in law and prepare you for a career in it, there are some differences. Firstly, a law degree is usually for someone who knows that they want to study law and who goes straight into a law degree after leaving school.
On the other hand, a Juris Doctor degree is for those who have already done an undergraduate degree in another field and wish to change to a career in law. Both courses cover very similar content depending on where you study. Once you’ve qualified, you’ll also need to apply to enter the legal practice.
A noticeable difference between the two courses is that at a Juris Doctor level, you’re doing a post-graduate course, meaning that your lecturers would expect a higher standard of work from you than they would a first-year law student.
What can you do with a Juris Doctor degree?
Like a law degree, a Juris Doctor degree, combined with your existing undergraduate qualification, can open up many opportunities for you. Here’s an example of a few:
A career in law
A Juris Doctor degree can open the door to a career in law as a lawyer, solicitor, or barrister. Once you’ve graduated, you’ll still need additional training before applying to practice law in your state or territory. You may be able to specialise in a certain area of law with additional training, like:
- Corporate law
- Criminal law
- Family law
- Intellectual property law
- Tax law
- Environmental law
- Labour law
You could work as an in-house legal specialist
Once you’ve graduated and received a license to practice, you could pursue a career as a legal specialist offering legal counsel and representing a corporate business or individual in different industries.
Community Advocate
You could also use your Juris Doctor degree to make a real difference in the community, offering legal services to those who would otherwise not be able to afford it and advocating for social justice issues or playing a role in supporting the community at large.
Is it worth studying for a Juris Doctor degree?
The answer to these questions is relatively subjective. If you have a passion for the law and practising it, then yes, doing a Julis Doctor degree would be worth it as it would help you attain the qualifications needed to practice law. In regards to job satisfaction and the likeliness of getting a job in this law, Graduate Careers Australia recorded that 74% of graduates who studied a JD got a job in law within the first four months of graduating, which is a good percentage and time frame.
That said, studying a JD can be expensive, depending on where you study. If that’s the case, studying for a bachelor of law might be a better choice if it’s more affordable. Both degrees have a similar timeframe, taking between 3 to 4 years to graduate. The requirements to be accepted into a JD program are also higher, meaning that you may not be accepted into the program if your academics don’t meet the standard.
Where can you study for a Juris Doctor degree?
You could study juris doctor in Melbourne or any university that offers it. Most people who study a JD degree do so online because it allows them to continue working as well as the freedom to study in their own time and anywhere in the world.
Final Thoughts
Deciding to study law through a Juris Doctor degree is a good step in the right direction as you move towards a career in law. With a JD qualification, you’ll be equipped to enter a variety of legal avenues in the industry and apply your knowledge in other corporate careers as you climb the corporate ladder.
