Juris Doctor / Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Seek admission to legal practice after 3 years with practical training built into your Juris Doctor.

Our Juris Doctor with embedded Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (‘JD/GDLP’) is accredited to provide all the academic and practical training required to qualify as a lawyer. We guarantee to arrange your required supervised workplace placement, meaning that after you graduate there will be no further supervision or training required before you can apply to be admitted to start practising law.*

* To be admitted to the legal profession you also need to be “of good fame and character” and a “fit and proper person”.

This program is accredited by the Legal Profession Admission Board as satisfying the academic and practical legal training prerequisite components for admission, as a lawyer, onto the roll the Supreme Court of NSW.

This degree is not only recognised in Australia. With further study it can help qualify you to practise law in a number of other common law countries, including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

We offer competitive tuition fees, and modern learning spaces. Located in Newcastle’s thriving CBD, NUspace is close to Newcastle’s court precinct, making it easy to network with local practitioners and attend court.

You’ll study at Australia’s top clinical law school and gain in-demand professional skills applicable across many professions.

what you will study

In addition to the compulsory courses required by the Legal Profession Admission Board, you can choose directed courses from a range of areas including:

• Family Law
• Health Law
• Indigenous Peoples, Issues and the Law
• International Human Rights Law, and many others.

Find out when applications close for available intakes

Review the information below and submit your application now.

Both students and education agents can submit applications online. This is our preferred way of application. You can save your application after you have started, and come back to it later.

To ensure a smooth application process, please complete the following steps before applying:

Note: Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the University of Newcastle’s English Language Proficiency requirements.

Applicants who do not speak English as a first language must demonstrate that they meet the University's English proficiency requirement. Further information regarding English language proficiency requirements can be found at the English Language Proficiency for Admission Policy.

In the application portal, you can enter the program you wish to study and upload relevant documents needed as part of your application. It is recommended you submit your application a minimum of 12 weeks before your intended semester of trimester start date.

After graduating, you’ll have the skills to work in roles such as:

• In-House Legal Counsel
• Criminal Prosecutor
• Community Legal Centre Lawyer
• Environmental Lawyer
• Barrister (with further study)
• Policy Analyst.

Graduating with the Juris Doctor (JD) / Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (GDLP) gives you the skills and knowledge to practice as a lawyer, and is also the springboard to a range of exciting professional careers. Potential career options include:

• Barrister
• Compliance Officer
• Corporate Lawyer
• Criminal Lawyer
• Environmental Lawyer
• Family Lawyer
• Foreign Affairs and Trade Officer
• Human Rights Lawyer
• Industrial Relations Lawyer
• In House Lawyer
• Judge's Associate
• Law Clerk/Paralegal
• Lawyer
• Legal Aid Lawyer
• Lobbyist
• Mediator
• Parliamentarian/Member of Parliament/Politician
• Technical Advisor
• Personal Injury Lawyer
• Policy and regulatory officer / advisor
• Political Advisor
• Prosecutor
• Resource and Regulatory Compliance Manager
• Scientific Patent Examiner/Technical Advisor
• Trade Union Official
• University Lecturer/Academic

Generalist Options

Graduates are also able to use the highly transferable skills gained in their studies to work outside the field of Law. In some instances, further study and/or work experience may be required.

• Child Protection Officer
• Contracts Administrator
• Contracts Manager
• Court Officer
• Ethicist
• Fisheries Officer
• Immigration Officer
• Industrial Relations Officer
• International Aid/Development Worker
• Journalist
• Knowledge Manager/Knowledge Management Worker
• Native Title Consultant
• Policy Officer/Analyst
• Political Scientist
• Probation/Parole Officer
• Public Relations Officer
• Speechwriter
• Witness Assistance Officer