Why is there a stigma around Australian law schools?
Why is there a stigma around Australian law schools?
If you’re thinking about studying law, you know getting into a Canadian law school can be extremely competitive. Perhaps you’ve considered studying law in another Commonwealth country like Australia, but all you’ve heard are the “downsides” associated with being a Canadian with an Australian law degree.
We recently held a webinar with with 2 Australian law school students and 1 graduate, and we asked them, “What do you think about the stigma Australian law schools get here in Canada?” Here’s what they had to say.
How Do You Handle the Stigma Around Australian Law Schools?
Kiran is a current Bond University Juris Doctor student, and a Bond University student ambassador. Her friends and family were initially concerned about her getting a job in Canada when she told them she planned to study law in Australia, but she knows she has options.
Because Kiran used to work as a legal assistant, she understands the importance of networking and connecting with other students and with law firms during her studies.
“I appreciate the amount of emails I get about career events and networking,” she says, speaking about how Bond Law helps to prepare its students.
At Bond Law School, there’s the option of doing your Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice after graduation. She’s considering that because she’d love to work in Australia, skip the articling in Canada, and still do her NCA exams while she’s in Australia.
She thinks people make the idea of getting a job in Canada and studying in Australia seem scarier than what it actually is: “I think there are a lot of options, and for the questions I had, I found the answers.”
Talk to current students or grads, she says, and don’t focus on online comments. Get info and weigh all opinions from those who have done it.
Rabea is also a current Bond Law School student, and a member of the Bond Canadian Law Students’ Association (CSLA). She has family and friends who have graduated from Bond Law and integrated just fine into the Canadian law society.
“The alumni network of Bond law graduates is quite large,” she explains, and if you search the biggest law firms in Canada, “you’ll see there are lot of Bond alumni.”
Ray, a Bond Law graduate, has his own firm in Canada. He agrees that the stigma around studying law in Australia is “substantial,” especially during his time in law school in 2017–2018. Now, he says, there are many alumni from Bond are working at top-tier firms in Canada.
He also notes that the graduates working in Canada are generally very open to other grads from Bond looking for articling positions, and they help each other out. It’s all about networking.
Ray also feels there are a lot of options for financing for new law students, as banks now offer more loans to students planning to study professional degrees like law.
And regarding what happens after law school? Like Kiran mentioned, he agrees there’s a ton of information about NCAs and the licensing process of using your Australian law degree in Canada. The exams are now online, so you can take the exams from Australia.
Would you like to watch the full webinar? Please reach out to law@oztrekk.com and we’ll hook you up!
About Bond Law School
Featuring experienced professors, small classes, an international perspective and extensive legal skills program, Bond’s law programs provide an enriching learning experience that both challenges you academically and prepares you practically for a legal career in Canada.
Complete Canadian law classes
To prepare students for the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) exams, Bond offers four Canadian law courses as electives:
- Foundations of Canadian Law
- Canadian Criminal Law
- Canadian Constitutional Law
- Canadian Administrative Law
You can also undertake a complimentary online course on Canadian Professional Responsibility.
Learn from Canadian law professors
Bond employs experienced legal practitioners to teach the Canadian law classes at Bond, and often hosts distinguished Canadian legal professors and academics to guest lecture and co-teach in Bond’s Canadian course offerings.
Develop practical legal skills
A practical skills and professionalism program is embedded in Bond’s law programs, focusing on developing essential legal skills including oral communication and presentation, legal writing and drafting, negotiation, and legal skills and analysis.
Access state-of-the-art facilities
Bond law students learn in world-class legal training facilities including purpose-built legal skills rooms and a full-scale court equipped with video conferencing facilities and video streaming that replicates the technology used in the High Court of Australia.
About the Bond University Juris Doctor (JD)
Bond University’s Juris Doctor is a graduate-level, extensive legal skills program with small class sizes and exceptional teaching—and it’s what differentiates Bond from any other institution.
The Bond JD is an accelerated program, which means it can be completed in just 2 years of full-time study. The program is offered over 3 semesters each year: September, January, and May, which means you can graduate with a law degree ahead of the rest.
The Juris Doctor will prepare you for a career as a legal professional, both within Australia and in Canada. The Bond Faculty of Law offers 4 Canadian law subjects:
- Foundations of Canadian Law
- Canadian Criminal Law
- Canadian Constitutional Law
- Canadian Administrative Law
In addition, students can undertake a complimentary online course offered each semester on Canadian Professional Responsibility, taught by a Canadian law academic, which aims to assist Canadian students with their preparation for the NCA exams.
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