Bachelor of Laws

Many of our everyday actions are decided by the legal system. The law gives us a structure that helps society operate smoothly. But society shapes the law and that is how Waikato Bachelor of Laws (LLB) is different. At the School of Law, we provide a legal education that is relevant to today’s world.

LLB Benefits

Direct entry, no intermediate year.
Taught by some of New Zealand’s leading policy and legal advisers to government, business and non-governmental organisations.
Strong student support structure.
Summer clerk employment programme.
Work experience at Hamilton District Community Law Centre.

Study law at Waikato and you will have a more informed view of the legal system. We teach the law but encourage you to look deeper to find out why laws are made, who made them, how they work and how to change them.

We teach all the compulsory core papers required by the New Zealand Council of Legal Education, the statutory body that oversees legal education in New Zealand and moderates the quality of core law papers.

Waikato focuses on professionalism and the development of our students’ practical skills in mooting, negotiation, client interviewing and alternative dispute resolution. We involve lawyers and judges in our student assessments. That sort of contact with the profession will stand you in good stead when you come to apply for a job as a summer clerk or for full-time work.

Majors

A second major can also be selected from the majors offered by other Faculty and Schools of Studies. Please consult with your School of Studies to see how this can fit into your programme.

LLB Career Opportunities

Law graduates are employed as solicitors or barristers in legal firms, and solicitors, policy analysts, advisers and researchers in:

Accountancy Firms
Environmental and Resource Management e.g. local government, regional authorities and consultancy firms
Government Departments
International Organisations e.g. the United Nations
Iwi Trust Boards and Iwi / Tribal Organisations
Law CommissionThird-SectorOrganisations e.g. Amnesty International, Greenpeace
Union/Employer Organisations

Optional Papers

In your degree you can study a broad range of optional papers, including:

Advocacy
Competition Law
Corporate Securities and Finance
Employment Law
Environmental Law
Family Law
Human Rights
Immigration and Refugee Law
Intellectual Property
International Trade
Law and Information Technology
Māori Land Law
Mediation
Natural Resources Law
Public International Law
The Treaty of Waitangi in Contemporary Aotearoa/ New Zealand

Practical Experience

The School of Law is actively involved in the national summer clerking programme, where students gain paid work experience in law firms, government departments and other organisations. Students also have the opportunity to gain practical experience, as voluntary case workers, at the Hamilton District Community Law Centre. Following training and under the supervision of qualified staff, law students interview clients and undertake legal research to assist clients in resolving “real life” problems.

Honours Programme

An Honours programme provides academically gifted students with the opportunity and challenge to pursue advanced legal research. The selection for Honours takes place at the end of second-year law.

Entry Requirements

If you have New Zealand University Entrance, you are eligible to apply for this degree. All applications will be considered by the School of Law Admissions Committee on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as academic results, any work experience, school and community involvement, and other achievements will be taken into account. Relevant information, with supporting evidence, should be included with the applicant’s written statement.

All law students who successfully complete their first-year papers gain automatic entry into second-year law.

Scholarships

School of Law Entrance Scholarship, The Sir Edmund Hillary Scholarship.

For more information, visit www.waikato.ac.nz/scholarships

Secondary Schools' Mooting Competition

Mooting provides secondary students with the opportunity to argue a legal problem in a court setting.

For more info, visit www.waikato.ac.nz/law/

Law Student for a Day Programme

Experience first-hand a typical day of a law student studying at The University of Waikato. You will attend lectures and tutorials with our students, and work in the Law Library and computing lab. Tours of the campus and student accommodation are also available.