AUT's law degree opens the door to a wide range of rewarding careers. AUT law graduates have established successful careers in a range of law firms, immigration consultancies and commercial establishments.
Our interactive lectures and regular case-study workshops develop your ability to interpret, critically analyse, reason and deliver practical solutions to legal problems. You become an articulate communicator, and confident in your understanding of legal principles and their relevance to business and community. You also develop your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, your ability to act ethically, and your sense of community and professional responsibility.
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The AUT Law School considers applications for direct entry to Part II of the LLB degree. Applicants will normally have:
If you’re offered direct entry to Part II from another New Zealand law school, you normally receive cross-credits for the following AUT courses:
You may still need to complete the Personal Property course which is a 15-point Part I requirement. In the AUT law degree, this course constitutes part of the property law requirement for the New Zealand Council of Legal Education. If you’re a direct entry student, you need to complete this course, in addition to the other requirements of the LLB, if you have not satisfied that requirement through a similar course at your previous tertiary education institution.
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This makes up half of your first-year study (60 points). The other 60 points must be taken from another AUT degree, which gives you the opportunity to broaden your study and enables you to enrol in one of the double degrees.
If you complete your Part I courses and obtain at least a B grade average in the compulsory law courses, then you will be offered a place in Part II of the programme. Other students may also be eligible for Part II study.
Students who have obtained a ‘B’ average in their first year law courses at another New Zealand university can apply for direct entry into Part II of the programme.
You choose the rest of your courses from law electives.
You study:
You choose the rest of your courses from law electives.
The outcomes for graduates of the Bachelor of Laws are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
Graduate Profile
AUT law graduates have established successful careers in a range of law firms, immigration consultancies and commercial establishments including Kensington Swan, Bell Gully, Buddle Findlay, Chapman Tripp, Meredith Connell, Langdon and Co Lawyers, Enterprise Law, Simpson Dowsett Mackie, Davies Law, Te Nahu Lovell & Co, Simpson Grierson, Kayes Fletcher Walker, Russell McVeagh and Wynyard Wood.
As a lawyer you might practise in a wide range of legal areas including corporate law, commercial and intellectual property, family law, environmental law, criminal law, taxation and general practice.
Law graduates also move into roles as:
Graduates of AUT’s Bachelor of Laws are eligible to gain admission as barristers and solicitors of the High Court of New Zealand on completion of their Professional Legal Studies course.
If you want to become a barrister and solicitor, you need to be admitted to the bar before you can call yourself a lawyer and practise law in New Zealand.
After successfully completing your Bachelor of Laws, you need to:
There are currently two providers of the Professional Legal Studies Course:
Double degrees double your knowledge and opportunities but don't necessarily take double the time to complete. If you study double degrees, you apply for and enrol separately in each of the two degrees. If you’re considering doing this, please seek course advice to discuss your plans. You may be able to cross-credit relevant courses from one degree to the other, although the number of cross-credits will vary depending on the degree combinations. Double degrees may be completed either one after the other or concurrently.
Study the Bachelor of Laws and:
Other double degree combinations may also be available. Contact your faculty to discuss your options.
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.