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Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
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Apply for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB First Year) through the Dunedin campus in 2023
Information for new applicants
Admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
The aims of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme are to provide a good, general, critical legal education; to meet the requirements of the Council of Legal Education, so that holders of the degree are eligible for entry to the New Zealand legal profession; to provide students with skills in legal research, including use of electronic databases and search tools, writing, and advocacy, both formal and informal.
Places for international students in this programme are limited.
Email law@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/law
The examination requirements for admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court are laid down in regulations made by the Council of Legal Education pursuant to the Law Practitioners Act 1982.
To be eligible for admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court, a candidate who completes the requirements for the LLB or LLB(Hons) degree must, in addition:
pass the Professional Legal Studies Programme; and
possess such other attributes and qualifications as are prescribed by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006.
LAWS 101 The Legal System
108 points from any degree *
LAWS 201 Criminal Law
LAWS 202 Law of Contract
LAWS 203 Property Law
LAWS 204 Public Law
LAWS 298 Legal Writing
3rd and 4th years
LAWS 301 Law of Torts
LAWS 302 Jurisprudence
210 further LAWS points (30 points of which may be from any other subject at 200-level or higher)
LAWS 398 Legal Research Skills
LAWS 498 Research and Writing
LAWS 499 Advocacy Skills
* LAWS 101 and at least 72 non-LAWS points are normally taken in the first year; any further papers to make a total of 108 non-LAWS points must be taken in the third or fourth year.
Admission to the Programme
Admission to the second year Law course shall be determined by the Law Admissions Committee, which shall be a committee of the Divisional Board of the Humanities Division, though its membership need not be confined to members of the Divisional Board.
The second year Law course consists of the five 200-level Law papers (LAWS 201, LAWS 202, LAWS 203, LAWS 204, and LAWS 298). Candidates will normally be required to take all of those papers in the same year.
Admission to the second year Law course is limited to 200 candidates who are eligible by virtue of citizenship of, or permanent residence in, New Zealand.
The due date for applications for enrolment in the second year Law course is 1 October of the year preceding admission.
To be considered for admission to the second year Law course, a candidate must have passed the 100-level Law paper (LAWS 101) and further papers worth at least 72 points prescribed for any other degree.
The Law Admissions Committee shall select candidates for admission according to the following categories:
standard entry
alternative entry.
Candidates considered for standard entry shall be selected on the basis of their academic record, with particular emphasis placed on the marks obtained in the 100-level Law paper (LAWS 101). However, the Committee may admit a candidate whose academic record would not otherwise qualify him or her for admission if it is satisfied that the candidate's academic results do not reflect his or her true ability.
Candidates for alternative entry
shall be considered by virtue of their Māori descent;
must have achieved a minimum academic standard to be determined by the Law Admissions Committee from year to year;
may be required to supply supporting documentation and to attend for interview.
Notwithstanding (c) above, the Law Admissions Committee shall have discretion to offer additional places in the second year Law course to foreign students for whom acceptable arrangements for the payment of tuition fees shall have been made. Such applicants must have achieved a level of attainment to be determined by the Law Admissions Committee from time to time.
Notwithstanding any of the above provisions, the Law Admissions Committee shall have discretion to admit any applicant who, being eligible under paragraph (c) above, but not having satisfied these regulations in a particular respect, warrants admission to the second year Law course for exceptional reasons.
Structure of the Programme
Every degree programme shall
normally be pursued over four years of full-time study, or an equivalent period of part-time study;
consist of papers worth not less than 534 points;
include 36 points for the 100-level Law paper (LAWS 101);
include 180 points for the four 200-level Law papers (LAWS 201, LAWS 202, LAWS 203, LAWS 204) and the papers LAWS 301 and LAWS 302;
include further LAWS papers worth at least 210 points, provided that a student may substitute for up to 30 of those points one or more papers at 200-level or higher worth at least 30 points prescribed for any other degree or diploma;
include 108 points for papers in other programmes.
To qualify for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Laws, a candidate must also complete, to the satisfaction of the Dean of Law:
Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions
Every programme of study for the degree shall satisfy the requirements for prerequisites, corequisites and restrictions set out in the Prescriptions (published in the Guide to Enrolment), provided that the Dean of Law may waive any prerequisite or corequisite generally in a given year for any paper, or in special circumstances waive any prerequisite or corequisite in approving a particular candidate's course of study.
Compensation Passes
The Dean of Law may grant a compensation pass to a full-time student, or a student who is completing the degree, if the Law Examiners so recommend on the basis of the student's work as a whole in the year concerned.
Cross Credits
A candidate who is enrolled for the degree of Bachelor of Laws concurrently with another degree, or who has completed one of the two degrees and is proceeding with the other, may cross credit 100- and 200-level papers which are common to both degrees up to a maximum of 180 points.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.
Note: Not all 300-level and 400-level Law papers will be available in any one year.