Bachelor of Laws

When you embark on a Law degree you will develop analytical, communication and research skills. You will also build your understanding of legal ethics, professional responsibility and the role that law plays in society. Auckland Law School is the top-ranked law school in Aotearoa New Zealand and one of the best law schools in the world (QS World University Rankings in Law, 2020). The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) is a four-year (eight-semester) degree if you are studying full-time. It is studied in four parts (Parts I-IV). Unlike other undergraduate degrees, the LLB does not have a major attached to it. Everyone who earns an LLB degree gains a broad background in the law. Students who wish to become a barrister and solicitor will need to take Law 458 Legal Ethics as one of their electives in Part III or IV. Although an elective course for the LLB, the Council for Legal Education (CLE) requires students intending to be admitted to the bar to take this course. To be admitted to the bar you must complete a three-month Professional Legal Studies course after completing the LLB or LLB(Hons) degree. There are currently two providers of this course: For first year Law, you will apply for LLB Part I and one other bachelors degree programme to satisfy the Law Part I requirement for five non-Law courses. If you gain selection into LLB Part II you can continue studying your second degree as a conjoint with Law. A conjoint degree gives you the opportunity to acquire a wider knowledge base and broaden your career opportunities. You can focus on non-Law subjects of your choice to supplement the area of law you wish to specialise in or apply complementary legal knowledge to another field. There is a wide range of Alternatively, Part II students may wish to continue only with Law courses towards a single LLB degree and not continue with their other bachelors degree programme. If you complete LLB Part I but are not selected for LLB Part II you will probably want to pursue an alternative qualification. As you will have already completed courses for another degree in your first year, you will have laid a good foundation for further study and will in most cases be able to credit your first year Law courses to your alternative degree. You may also continue with your other degree and reapply to start LLB Part II in Semester Two the following year. Admission to LLB Part II is limited and competitive (see the section under the tab below). Not all students who gain entry into Part I will be able to continue to Part II. Eligible students will be invited to transfer to the Bachelor of Laws (Honours) programme at the completion of Part II. Eligibility is considered on academic merit and the results of Law courses completed. This will usually be at the end of the second year of study - or for conjoint students, at the end of the third year of study subject to meeting requirements. Find out more about the

The LLB is made up of 480 points. It is a combination of compulsory law courses, elective law courses, non-Law courses from another degree programme and one General Education course.

LLB Part I
Part I students usually take LAW 121G Law and Society in Semester One. If you gain a B- (C+ for students applying under UTAS) or better in LAW 121G you can progress to LAW 131 (Legal Method) and LAW 141 (Legal Foundations) in Semester Two.

Please note: These grades may change each year.

LAW 121G is offered in both Semester One and Two of each year, whereas LAW 131 and LAW 141 are offered only in Semester Two.

You will be required to choose five non-Law courses totalling 75 points as a foundation for your other bachelors degree. This includes one 15-point General Education Course.

Find out more about individual courses on our course information page.

LLB Part II
LLB Part II consists of five compulsory courses, which can be completed in the second year of study for those full-time students pursuing an LLB as a single degree, or across the second and third year of study for those completing conjoint degrees.

LLB Parts III and IV
In addition to taking compulsory Part III and IV papers, students are allowed to select elective courses. We offer the largest range of law elective courses in New Zealand, with papers relating to Corporate and Commercial Law, Public, Criminal, Family, International and Environmental Law. It is important to plan ahead as not all elective courses are offered in every semester or every year.

LLB conjoint structure
Apart from the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) and Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours), conjoint programmes with Law comprise 405 points of Law courses, 255 points of courses from another degree, and a 15-point General Education course.

The BAdvSci(Hons)/LLB comprises 405 points of Law courses and 375 points of Science courses. The BE(Hons)/LLB comprises 405 points of Law courses and 420 points of Engineering courses.

There are several ways of structuring conjoint degrees. We advise you to consult with both faculties concerned before enrolling for your courses.