Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about studying Law at SCU

 

paper cut outs of symbol for question mark

Law at SCU: Frequently Asked Questions

For all your enrolment questions visit our Current Students section.

Under the Southern Cross University Model you study two units per term, and each term lasts six weeks. At the end of each term you take a break for two weeks, then commence the next term. There are six terms per year. The Southern Cross Model is also sometimes known as "6x6" because there are six terms of six weeks each.

Yes, you can. Studying online is a good option if you need to reduce travel time, or fit in with family/work commitments, or if you simply prefer to study from home.

Our online courses use leading technologies that are highly interactive in real time. Our study materials are written to encourage your engagement, and to allow you to practice the law you are learning by completing authentic activities and contributing to problem-based discussions. These activities and discussions are reviewed each week in tutorials.

If you're unable to attend online workshops and tutorials in person, you can watch or download the recordings later. If you wish you can also attend on-campus tutorials at the Gold Coast campus for all core units.

SCU offers a wide range of law and law-related courses. For more information follow the links below:

Yes, all exams in the Law Discipline at Southern Cross University are conducted online. You won't need to attend an exam centre in person at any time during your degree.

All law courses except for the Diploma of Legal Studies can be started in March, July or October.  The Diploma of Legal Studies can be started in March.

Students in the Diploma of Conveyancing, Associate Degree of Law, or Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies courses, will NOT be required to attend any classes in person.  You can choose to attend on-campus tutorials on the Gold Coast if you wish. 

Bachelor of Laws (LLB) students will be required to attend one compulsory two-day residential workshop when studying LAWS3003 Professional Conduct. This is a core unit which all law students need to complete. None of our other core LLB units require you to attend any classes in person.  Two of our elective units within the LLB degree also require compulsory attendance at on-campus workshops. These are LEGL2011 Mediation and Dispute Resolution, and LEGL2012 Mediation Practice and Procedure. None of our other elective LLB units require you to attend classes in person. 

Yes. As an on-campus student at Southern Cross University you can enrol in online units provided they fit your degree structure. This applies to all our law-related courses.

If you've completed relevant subjects at another university in the past 10 years, you may qualify to receive advanced standing for them. This could enable you to complete your degree or diploma sooner. 

Note that only law units taught at an accredited law school can be credited towards our Bachelor of Laws.

In our other law-related courses (Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies, Associate Diploma of Law and Diploma of Conveyancing), non-law units may qualify to receive advanced standing as electives.

If you are applying directly to Southern Cross University, there is a question regarding recognition of prior learning in your online application for admission. Please indicate that you wish to be considered for recognition of prior learning by selecting Yes from the drop-down box. 

If you are applying through tertiary admissions centres (UAC/QTAC), follow these steps:

Step 1: Once you receive your offer from Southern Cross University, use your Student ID to log in to the My Enrolment portal.

Step 2: Select the Forms tile.

Step 3: Complete and submit the Recognition of Prior Learning - Request Form.

Yes. Applications for recognition of prior learning (advanced standing) must be submitted no later than four weeks before the term commences for the unit you’re applying for. 

To apply follow these steps:

Step 1: Use your Student ID to log in to My Enrolment

Step 2: Select the 'Forms' tile and find the Recognition of Prior Learning request form

Step 3: Complete all relevant sections

Step 4: Upload your supporting documents (e.g., transcripts, certificates)

Step 5: Submit the form.

No. Southern Cross University does not grant advanced standing towards law and law-related courses based on work or industry experience, industry training, in-service courses or seminars. All University units are required by law to be taught at a specific Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level.  The level depends on the degree or diploma involved. More information on AQF levels is available on the TEQSA website.

Prior experience working in the legal profession or a related occupation (e.g., public service, legal secretary, conveyancer, electorate staffer etc) is taken into account in assessing your eligibility to be admitted into a Southern Cross University Law course. It can also give you a significant head start in understanding the study materials covered.

No, you don't need to complete either of these degrees first. If you are hoping to transfer from one of them into the LLB, you need to have completed at least three units in that degree course before your grades will count toward the entry threshold for the LLB.

When assessing eligibility to transfer from one of these courses into the LLB, the Admissions team will rank your current study based on your Grade Point Average (GPA) over the ADL or BLJS units that you have completed. Admissions will also consider other information you provide, such as previous study/work history.

No, you don't need to complete that course first. If you are hoping to transfer from the ADL into the BLJS you need to have completed at least three units of your ADL. The Admissions team will then rank your current study based on your Grade Point Average (GPA) over your completed ADL units. Admissions will also consider other information you provide, such as previous study/work history.

Yes, our year-long Diploma of Conveyancing (Law and Practice) is an approved educational qualification under the Conveyancers Licensing (Qualifications) Order 2006 (NSW). This means that it meets the qualification and experience criterion to be a licensed conveyancer in NSW. Note that the diploma alone does not grant you a license: you must also complete mandatory work experience requirements and apply for registration through NSW Fair Trading.

In Queensland only qualified solicitors can perform conveyancing work. Our Diploma of Conveyancing does not qualify you to act as a conveyancer in that state.

Yes, both our Associate Diploma of Law and Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies have a conveyancing major. Both courses are accredited with NSW Fair Trading, which issues conveyancing licences. This means that both degrees meet the qualification and experience criterion to be a licensed conveyancer in NSW.

Note that your degree alone does not grant you a license: you must also complete mandatory work experience requirements and apply for registration through NSW Fair Trading.

Yes. If you are a student in the Bachelor of Laws, LAWS3002 Law Placement is available as an elective. The unit involves completing a 15-day placement in a legal office environment under the supervision of a qualified legal practitioner.

It is recommended that you complete eight units of your LLB first, before you undertake this placement. 

If you are enrolled in our Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies or Associate Degree of Law courses, LEGL2019 Paralegal Placement is available as an elective in both of these. The unit requires students to complete a 10-day supervised placement within a legal practice environment.

It is recommended that you complete eight units of your BLJS or ADL first, before you undertake this placement. 

Law students can also volunteer to help out at the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS), at a Community Legal Centre, at Legal Aid, or as a judge's or magistrate's associate.

Yes, the Bachelor of Laws is fully accredited by the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board (LPAB). This allows our law graduates to apply for admission to legal practice in every State and Territory in Australia. 

As a professionally accredited program, we are obliged to ensure our students graduate with specific knowledge, skills and aptitudes, as prescribed by the rules relating to admission to legal practice.

In New South Wales, the eleven prescribed areas of knowledge in a law degree are set out in Schedule 1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Admission Rules 2015 (NSW).

In Queensland, they are set out in the Admission Guidelines Number 1 (Areas of Knowledge) jointly issued by the Chief Justice of Queensland and the Legal Practitioners Admissions Board (LPAB) under Rule 6(3)(b) of the Supreme Court (Admission) Rules 2004 (Qld).

These subjects are traditionally called the 'Priestley Eleven'. They were set down in 1992 by the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC) in the Priestley Report, chaired by retired judge Justice Lancelot John Priestley.

These units must be completed by all Australian LLB graduates to meet the educational requirements for admission to legal practice.

Prescribed areas of knowledge in a law degree:

  • Administrative Law
  • Civil Procedure
  • Company/Corporations Law
  • Contracts
  • Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Equity and Trusts
  • Ethics and Professional Responsibility
  • Evidence
  • Constitutional law
  • Property
  • Torts

To practise law, you must first qualify for admission. After you graduate with an accredited Bachelor of Laws degree, you must also complete an accredited Practical Legal Training (PLT) course, which helps you to prepare for legal practice. PLT courses usually take between 15 and 30 weeks, depending on whether you enrol full-time or part-time.

There are a number of PLT courses offered in Australia. You should check which ones are accredited with the Legal Professional Admissions Board of your State or Territory.

After successfully completing a PLT course, you need to lodge an application for admission in the State or Territory that will be your principal place of practice. Each State and Territory has a different application process, so check the requirements. Below are links to the relevant admission bodies

You will need:

  • your official transcript (student academic record);
  • a letter from the Chair of Law Discipline confirming you have completed the prescribed areas of knowledge; and
  • a conduct report from the Faculty's Academic Integrity Officer.

You should apply for these documents early, as they may take time to prepare. Official academic transcripts can be obtained by emailing law.enquiry@scu.edu.au or via My eQuals.

Yes. If you're an overseas legal practitioner, there are two steps in applying for admission to legal practice in Australia:

  1. before commencing study, contact the admissions board of the State or Territory you intend principally to practise in, and
  2. complete whatever units that board may prescribe to ensure you will have covered all of the core academic areas of knowledge.

Southern Cross University's Discipline of Law is accredited for admission to the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The units you choose to study with us meet accreditation requirements not only in NSW, but in all other Australian States and Territories.

Yes. Southern Cross University has exchange agreements with universities all over the world. These offer law students a wonderful opportunity to travel and experience different cultures. Contact the Global Experience Team for more information.

Yes. The Honours course is an additional year of study which students undertake after completing their Bachelor of Laws degree. Students are required to complete a literature review and a research proposal as well as a thesis of between 10,000-12,000 words. To be eligible for LLB Honours at Southern Cross University, students need to have achieved a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 5.5 in their undergraduate law degree.

Yes, subject to entry requirements. Southern Cross University offers the following:

Southern Cross University’s First Year Advisers program offers continual individualised support to all students during their first eight units of study.

The Law Discipline’s Resident Law Tutor can assist with your study of the law, as can the Law Discipline’s Peer Assisted Learning Support Scheme (PALS) tutors, all of whom are high-achieving former student

The University's Student Learning Zone supports students' development of self-management, language, learning and critical thinking skills as well as the development of academic literacy, numeracy and integrity.

The Student Advocacy Service provides free and confidential advocacy (to all Southern Cross University students, across all campuses) about the University's rules and procedures. These include:

  • Special consideration requests
  • Grades disputes
  • Appeal processes, submissions and representation
  • Lodging a grievance or complaint
  • Student misconduct (academic and non-academic)
  • University rules and regulations
  • Enrolment issues
  • Centrelink problems
  • Residential tenancy advice and referral
  • Discrimination and harassment
  • Work and Development Orders (unpaid fines)

In addition, each unit of study has a Unit Assessor responsible for administration, answering questions, and providing academic support to students. The name and contact details of Unit Assessors are shown on the MySCU Blackboard learning site for each unit, under CONTACTS.

If the Unit Assessor is not available, or your query involves more than one unit of study, you should contact your Course Coordinator, Dr John Orr, or your Deputy Course Coordinator Dr Jonathan Harlen.

Contact the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts

Executive Dean of Faculty Associate Dean (Education) Associate Dean
(International & Engagement)		 Associate Dean
(Research)		 Professional Experience Coordinator
Professor Mike Ewing Ms Helen Walsh Professor Darshana Sedera Associate Professor Pascal Scherrer Mrs Joanne Cooper
T: +61 7 5589 3207
E: michael.ewing@scu.edu.au		 T:  +61 2 6620 3848
E: helen.walsh@scu.edu.au		 T:  +61 7 5589 3036
E: darshana.sedera@scu.edu.au		 T:  +61 2 6620 3024
E: pascal.scherrer@scu.edu.au

T:  +61 2 6620 3154
E: fbla.wil@scu.edu.au