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Overview of Legal and Public Affairs
Studying courses in legal and public affairs will lead into careers as a lawyer, public administrator or solicitor. There are many types of specialisations available legal and public affairs you can study, such as contract, property, criminal or constitutional law.
If you are looking for a career in legal and public affairs, you will most likely have to study a formal university qualification of at least four years. |
Studying Legal and Public Affairs
University qualifications and courses in legal and public affairs can be taken as a single degree, like the Bachelor of Laws, or as a combined degree with another discipline, such as Masters of Laws/Science or Bachelor of Laws/Business. These courses are four years long with a full-time load and must be accompanied by Practical Legal Training, which is a practical work experience placement.
There are also short courses, such as the Graduate Certificate in Employment Law or the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, which are aimed at those who might already be working in the industry and want to expand on specific skills or stay current with changes in law or public affairs. These types of courses require an undergraduate degree or significant work experience as a pre-requisite of entry and can be offered by distance education.
To be able to practice as a registered lawyer or public administrator, you will need a registered legal qualification and an accredited course of Practical Legal Training.
Careers in Legal and Public Affairs
Careers in legal and public affairs include the obvious paths of lawyer, solicitor or barrister, or legal policy adviser and paralegal in private practices or regional firms, as well as for governmental or community sectors.
Changes in legal and public affairs careers are very common and it is very important to stay current with changes to government law. As such, constant study and research is very helpful and usually indispensable in the legal and public affairs industry.
Skills needed in Legal and Public Affairs
People interested in studying legal and public affairs courses might be dealing with strong ethical issues and will need to be concerned with equality, fairness and justice.
They will need to be good listeners and empathetic to be able to cope with sometimes difficult situations. Strong communication skills are also important as those in the legal and public affairs industries will be involved in public speaking and need to be able to convey their ideas clearly.
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