Melbourne Juris Doctor v. Canada

goodbhaviour

Hey 7Sagers!

I just got my acceptance letters from both University of Melbourne (JD) and University of Sydney in Australia! These are the only two applications I have submitted so far, as North American ones do not open until August-November. I am planning to apply to North American ones as well once they open, but I was just wondering what your thoughts are on some of the pros and cons when deciding between a JD in Australia and one in Canada.

I am originally from Europe, so the "remote" location is not an issue for me and furthermore I am not sure whether I'd want to come back to Canada to practice once I'm done (I'm somewhat of a go-everywhere and explore everything type of person) but I am wondering if any of you have heard of grad-employment rates and whether they are better in Canada v. Australia, or other things such as harshness of grading scales, etc. Just anything that would help me with my choice really...

Thank you in advance everyone

Alex

Congrats for getting into the best Australian law schools!

Unfortunately, I think it is going to come down to where you want to practice. Canada has a more .... je ne sais pas .... active legal market. I don't know anything about the harshness of grading, but I do know it will be very hard to move to Canada/States/Eurpope with an Australian law degree. I think the Canadian law degree will be more portable if you think you would like to practice somewhere else post-grad.

goodbhaviour

@"Alex Divine" Thank you! I guess that involves me deciding the rest of my life hey... sweet :P I haven't made my mind up if I want Canada/Australia but I suppose after I get feedback from North American law schools I can weight the pros and cons of each.

Alex

@dyyaneva said:
@"Alex Divine" Thank you! I guess that involves me deciding the rest of my life hey... sweet :P I haven't made my mind up if I want Canada/Australia but I suppose after I get feedback from North American law schools I can weight the pros and cons of each.

No Problem! And haha! Yup, choosing a law school is like deciding the rest of your life in a way, at least insofar as location. I think waiting to get all the feedback and then assessing seems to be the most prudent course of action. Either way, I'm sure you will end up at a great school!

Good luck

dennisgerrard

No idea about Canada law school and job market. But Melbourne JD is attractive to Asia pacific law firms(for example, Hong Kong). I would say you need think about where you practice law and life style of the city. @dyyaneva

Disha Mehta

Hey @goodbhaviour congrats on getting into two great law schools! Could you tell me what is the average LSAT score required for the three LSAT schools in Australia? Also, what is the criteria for University of Sydney?

hillaryrichard217

Hi goodbhaviour!

Congrats on your acceptances! I don't have any insights for you, but I am interested in this topic myself. Although I am originally from the US, I would be studying in Canada and hope to eventually practice in Australia. I am unsure if the Canadian JD will lend itself to work in AUS, but I am hoping to clarify this before beginning law school. Both locations are due to family constraints, so I don't have much flexibility. I will follow this thread in case other issues come to light!

Thanks.

goodbhaviour

@hillaryrichard217 said:
Hi goodbhaviour!

Congrats on your acceptances! I don't have any insights for you, but I am interested in this topic myself. Although I am originally from the US, I would be studying in Canada and hope to eventually practice in Australia. I am unsure if the Canadian JD will lend itself to work in AUS, but I am hoping to clarify this before beginning law school. Both locations are due to family constraints, so I don't have much flexibility. I will follow this thread in case other issues come to light!

Thanks.

Hi Hillary,

I have heard it is good to go to school wherever you want to practice, so if it is Australia you want to end up in, I would say choose Australia as a school and vice versa. I think getting a JD from either is great, and you most likely have to write some equivalency exams in the country you would be practicing in.