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POSTGRADUATE

POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Find your true calling, specialise in your passion
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Build your career 

Options to complete a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters and advance your career

Advance your expertise

Sharpen your expertise in specific practice areas with practical, real-world focused subjects designed to elevate your proficiency.

Customise your journey

Enjoy the freedom and flexibility to customise your postgraduate program by studying the subjects that appeal to you.

Four intakes per year

Plan your year and the subject you intend to study each intake - Feb, May, Aug, Nov.

A POSTGRADUATE QUALIFICATION GIVES YOU AN EDGE

The College of Law can help you expand on what you already know and acquire new knowledge while providing you with opportunities to hone your skills in a  practice area, so that you stand out from the competition. 

Open up new career pathways by studying a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master of Laws program. One that’s reality-based, balanced and world-renowned, so you can become the best version of yourself for your client, practice and community. 

This is your chance to build career prospects, earn industry recognition, and boost your earning potential. 

Curious about where your skills could take you next? Scroll down to explore the variety of practice areas, detailed course subjects, and potential awards waiting for you. Find your perfect fit and tailor your education to your career ambitions.

Intake 1, Starts 10 February 2025

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Select a practice area to explore relevant courses and subjects

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Business Law and Transactions

Canvass the current issues critical to the day-to-day life of practitioners in this area. Focus on skills necessary for providing legal services, advice, and consultancy on legal issues impacting businesses.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Commercial Litigation

Hone your skills in the complex and challenging world of commercial litigation under the guidance of senior practitioners. Prepare yourself with the tools needed to act in commercial disputes.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Dispute Resolution

Learn how to navigate the resolution of disputes more effectively through mediation and other dispute resolution methods.  Settling disputes can avoid costly litigation and lead to reduced costs and more tailored outcomes for your clients.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Family Dispute Resolution Practice

Assist families in navigating changes to relationships, parenting arrangements and living circumstances by becoming a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner .

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Family Law

Help resolve the legal aspects of family relationship issues including relationship breakdowns, property and parenting arrangements, as well as family violence, abuse and other complex issues affecting children and families

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Government and Public Sector Law

Advance your understanding of government and public sector practices, including contracting, procurement, and policy development, while addressing ethical considerations crucial for serving the public interest.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

In-house Practice

Develop and understand both the power and impact that good governance and compliance can have on an organisation. Learn how to communicate effectively all the way up to the board and its directors.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

International Arbitration

Acquire the skills necessary to help resolve cross-border disputes in an international context. Grow your confidence in drafting arbitration agreements and seeing out the process until a resolution is agreed upon.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Wills and Estates

Provide your clients with expert guidance on will drafting, estate management, litigation strategies, and elder law essentials.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Estate Planning

Equip your clients with comprehensive strategies in estate planning, focusing on financial structuring, tax optimisation, testamentary trusts and succession planning.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

ASEAN+6 Legal Practice

Expand your knowledge of cross-border practice and enhance your career opportunities with our first-of-its-kind subjects. Each is designed to give you in-depth knowledge on how to operate within the ASEAN region.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Property Law

Equip yourself with the ability to analyse and better manage property transactions of all types. This course has a focus on how to address and resolve the more complicated issues likely to be encountered by property law practitioners.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Legal Business Management

Learn the tools and real-world business skills necessary to understand legal operations, legal technology and how to be a more holistic and impactful leader.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Customise your program

Pick the subjects you want based on the practice areas you’d like to focus on. Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Master of Laws without a major.

PROGRAM OPTIONS

Double Major

Double down with a double major (completing eight subjects, four from each major subject area) to master two areas of law and stand out as a uniquely qualified legal expert.

OR START WITH A GRADUATE DIPLOMA

Take control of your career

If you decide later to progress towards a Masters, you’ll receive credit towards that award.

IN-HOUSE PRACTICE SUBJECTS

IHP00 - Capstone Project (In-house Practice)

Intake 2
The Capstone Project is taken as the final subject, as a culmination of the knowledge and skills attained throughout the major. It will allow students to demonstrate their skills in a specialist practice area using real-life scenarios and case studies. Throughout the intake, students will receive individualised feedback from their lecturer and will also have access to a rich array of skills modules that include guides, samples, and practice exercises for honing their legal skills. The highlight of the Capstone Project is the final task, where students will prepare a Final Portfolio that demonstrates their legal writing, research, and oral skills.

TOPICS

THE SUBJECT HAS FOUR COMPONENTS

  1. Four short answer questions 
  2. Two legal writing samples
  3. Oral communication (e.g. client interview) assessment held through online conferencing
  4. Reflective analysis

IHP101 - Foundations of In-House Practice

Intake 1, 3

This subject has been developed around the core issues faced by in-house lawyers and the unique environment in which they must discharge their legal and professional obligations. Serving the interests of just one client brings both opportunities and tensions. With their professional qualifications, training, experience and ethical commitment to serving the public interest in the administration of justice, corporate and government lawyers can offer far more than simply providing legal advice. They can influence good governance and compliance in their organisation, as well as broader risk-management concerns.

They can act as both facilitators for their client’s objectives and as guardians of their client’s long-term interests. In-house lawyers must be able to communicate effectively and deal with all organisational levels up to the board and the directors.

The in-house role also requires a thorough understanding of the risks the client faces in its operations. From a management perspective, in-house lawyers must understand how to provide appropriate service levels, optimise execution and yet manage costs while achieving scale in both of these areas. Professionally, the in-house lawyer must be prepared to withstand challenges to their professional independence and integrity.

TOPICS

  • Working in-house and in the private and public sectors
  • Challenges for in-house lawyers – balancing the roles of facilitator and guardian
  • Communicating effectively in an in-house environment
  • Balancing your role as facilitator against your compliance obligations
  • Understanding professional duties – maintaining confidentiality and privilege
  • Duties and statutory requirements
  • Managing your own risk – limiting your liability if something goes wrong
  • Briefing out – an introduction to engaging external legal providers and managing the relationships and costs

IHP102 - Managing Disputes

Intake 2
This subject deals with issues likely to be faced by an in-house lawyer who has been asked to advise on steps to reduce the cost or inconvenience of disputes, to act in the interests of a company or a government agency in dispute management and in other contexts that require an understanding of dispute resolution processes. This practice-based subject advances on the key knowledge and skill required in an in-house role.

TOPICS

  • Understanding the role of the in-house lawyer
  • Dealing with legal and business risk
  • Managing complaints effectively
  • Dispute management processes
  • Managing electronic communications
  • Freedom of information
  • Legal professional privilege
  • Dealing with external lawyers

IHP111 - Acting as a Company Secretary

Intake 1

The role of the company secretary has evolved since the corporate collapses of the 1990s (notably HIH Insurance Ltd in Australia), the High Court decision in Shafron v ASIC (2012) 247 CLR 465; [2012] HCA 18, and the global financial crisis (GFC) and subsequent collapse of many highly leveraged businesses.

Irrespective of organisation size or type, the board will look to the company secretary not only to perform administrative tasks, but to provide it with timely information about policy, compliance and governance matters.

As a trusted advisor and custodian of corporate knowledge, the company secretary needs to understand their own role as well as the related functions – legal, risk, audit and compliance, and ensure that they do not become an alternate and perhaps conflicting source of advice.

The company secretary is now expected to be a focal point for assurance and better practice on the law and procedures, and also for better practice that underpins board decision making and good corporate governance. Company secretaries need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to discharge their duties effectively.

TOPICS

  • The role of the company secretary
  • Managing the relationship with the board
  • Company secretaries; corporate governance and key responsibilities
  • Managing company information
  • Conducting meetings
  • Acting as a company secretary in public sector organisations
  • Assessing board performance
  • Managing board performance

IHP112 - Managing the Legal Team

Intake 4
Senior management will usually judge the legal team on its contribution to the organisation’s key objectives. To achieve this outcome, the legal team’s technical legal skills must be supported by effective management. This subject deals with the principles of legal practice management in a corporate or government context and covers some of the knowledge and skills required to manage a legal team. This subject provides foundations to develop advanced and integrated understandings about effective management skills for in-house lawyers.

TOPICS

  • Understanding the value of the legal department
  • Structuring the in-house legal department
  • Contributing to strategic planning
  • Communicating effectively for the in-house legal team
  • Managing a crisis
  • Planning and managing a budget
  • Developing effective management systems
  • Managing people - recruiting the legal team and performance management

IHP116 - Multi-Disciplinary Project Management

Intake 3

Project management encompasses a broad range of disciplines and skills. It is a recognised profession and becoming increasingly relevant to in-house counsel as they execute legal matters and provide support for major business projects. Both internal and external clients now expect senior lawyers to be familiar with project management concepts and to be able to apply these to their legal matters and the legal work streams of major projects.

This in turn will reduce the executional risk of strategic business programs which are the mechanism by which major organisations deliver on their strategic objectives; build and deliver new products; and undertake process improvements. 

The primary objective of this subject is to introduce lawyers to the concepts of project management and to provide concepts that can be applied to legal work when appropriate. Students will become familiar with recent trends in legal project management; the various components of the project life cycle; and a lawyer’s role and contribution at the various stages of the life cycle.

TOPICS

  • Introducing project management Initiation - defining the project
  • Planning
  • Analysing and allocating risk
  • Execution: directing and managing, monitoring and controlling
  • Execution: conducting tender processes
  • Post-implementation reviews
  • Legal project management

START DATES

Nov Intake 4 Feb Intake 1 May Intake 2
START DATE 11 Nov 2024 10 Feb 2025 12 May 2025
CENSUS 04 Dec 2024 26 Feb 2025 28 May 2025
END DATE 07 Feb 2025 02 May 2025 02 Aug 2025
Subject Start Date Census End Date Workshop Date
DRP3 - Advocacy 21 Sep 2025 30 Sep 2024 30 Oct 2025
DRP4 - Mediation 05 Oct 2025 01 Jan 0001 13 Nov 2024
EPP2 - Superannuation 01 Jul 2024 10 Jul 2024 09 Aug 2024
FDR1 - Family Law and Mediation 10 Feb 2025 17 Feb 2025 21 Mar 2025

3 - 5 March 2025 NSW & VIC
6 - 8 March 2025 QLD & WA

FDR2 - Children’s Matters, Family Law and Family Dispute Resolution 24 Mar 2025 01 Jan 0001 20 Apr 2025

10 - 12 April 2025 NSW & VIC 
14 - 16 April 2025 QLD & WA

FDR3 - Advanced Family Dispute Resolution 04 Nov 2024 13 Nov 2024 13 Dec 2024

25-27 Nov 2024 NSW & VIC 
28-30 Nov 2024 QLD & WA

26 - 28 May 2025 NSW & VIC
29 - 31 May 2025 QLD & WA

FDR3 - Advanced Family Dispute Resolution 05 May 2025 01 Jan 0001 13 Jun 2025

25-27 Nov 2024 NSW & VIC 
28-30 Nov 2024 QLD & WA

26 - 28 May 2025 NSW & VIC
29 - 31 May 2025 QLD & WA

FDR4 - Case Management in Family Dispute Resolution Capstone 27 Jan 2025 05 Feb 2025 07 Mar 2025

20-22 Feb 2025 NSW & VIC 
17-19 Feb 2025 QLD & WA

10 - 12 July 2025 NSW & VIC
7 - 9 July 2025 QLD & WA 

FDR4 - Case Management in Family Dispute Resolution Capstone 16 Jun 2025 01 Jan 0001 25 Jul 2025

20-22 Feb 2025 NSW & VIC 
17-19 Feb 2025 QLD & WA

10 - 12 July 2025 NSW & VIC
7 - 9 July 2025 QLD & WA 

FDR5 - Virtual Simulated Practice 07 Apr 2025 01 Jan 0001 30 May 2025

Day 1 – 24 April 2025
Days 2 to 4:  29 April - 1 May 2025

LB3 - Business Strategy: Planning for Success 05 May 2025 01 Jan 0001 13 Jun 2025
Subject Start Date Census End Date Workshop Date
FDR1 - Family Law and Mediation 10 Feb 2025 17 Feb 2025 21 Mar 2025

3 - 5 March 2025 NSW & VIC
6 - 8 March 2025 QLD & WA

FDR2 - Children’s Matters, Family Law and Family Dispute Resolution 24 Mar 2025 31 Mar 2025 02 May 2025

10 - 12 April 2025 NSW & VIC 
14 - 16 April 2025 QLD & WA

FDR3 - Advanced Family Dispute Resolution 04 Nov 2024 13 Nov 2024 13 Dec 2024

25-27 Nov 2024 NSW & VIC 
28-30 Nov 2024 QLD & WA

26 - 28 May 2025 NSW & VIC
29 - 31 May 2025 QLD & WA

FDR3 - Advanced Family Dispute Resolution 05 May 2025 12 May 2025 13 Jun 2025

25-27 Nov 2024 NSW & VIC 
28-30 Nov 2024 QLD & WA

26 - 28 May 2025 NSW & VIC
29 - 31 May 2025 QLD & WA

FDR4 - Case Management in Family Dispute Resolution Capstone 27 Jan 2025 05 Feb 2025 07 Mar 2025

20-22 Feb 2025 NSW & VIC 
17-19 Feb 2025 QLD & WA

10 - 12 July 2025 NSW & VIC
7 - 9 July 2025 QLD & WA 

FDR4 - Case Management in Family Dispute Resolution Capstone 16 Jun 2025 24 Jul 2025 25 Jul 2025

20-22 Feb 2025 NSW & VIC 
17-19 Feb 2025 QLD & WA

10 - 12 July 2025 NSW & VIC
7 - 9 July 2025 QLD & WA 

FDR5 - Virtual Simulated Practice 09 Sep 2024 19 Sep 2024 01 Nov 2024

Day 1 – 24 April 2025
Days 2 to 4:  29 April - 1 May 2025

FDR5 - Virtual Simulated Practice 07 Apr 2025 16 Apr 2025 30 May 2025

Day 1 – 24 April 2025
Days 2 to 4:  29 April - 1 May 2025

TEACHING STAFF

Alexandra Theydon

Head of Transaction Risk
DXC Technology

David Cosgrave

Part-time Member, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Non-executive Director
Darling Downs & West Moreton Primary Health Network

Tony de Govrik

In-house Legal Advisor
A C de Govrik & Associates

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My degree was extremely beneficial. If I had my time over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Dominique Mayo, LLM Graduate - Commercial Litigation

I would describe the College of Law as inspiring, innovative, and collegiate. 

Krystal Bellamy, LLM Graduate - Wills and Estates

DISCOVER MORE

Scholarships

If you’re experiencing financial hardship and unable to afford postgraduate study, see if you are eligible for the The Kay Smith Scholarship. This scholarship honours one of the longest serving and most respected people of The College of Law. It is designed to support the education aspirations of outstanding law graduates and young lawyers.

Guide download

Inside the course guide, you will find information on: how this practical program will equip you with the skills and tools you will need, who the course is for, course format, topics and assessment structure, course presenters, workshop dates, prices and how to enrol.

Student success stories

Read how Craig’s postgraduate study accelerated his career by a decade and enabled him to become a specialist and eventually started his own firm.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This depends on your workload and your personal situation. If you complete one subject every intake, you could complete your Masters in two years. However, you have five years to complete the course from your intake commencement date.

You can do any of the following without financial penalty any time before the published census date for each intake:

  • Withdraw completely
  • Change the subject or course you are enrolled in
  • Defer it to a subsequent intake (must be within the next 12 months)

As you have five years to complete your Masters, you don’t need to complete a subject every intake. However, if you do not study for two consecutive intakes – then you can apply for a Leave of Absence.

You can only request a leave of absence twice over the course of your studies.

We recommend that you set aside 10-12 hours a week on study per subject, one unit per semester.

Completing two subjects in the same intake may require up to 25 hours of study and readings each week.

There are four intakes a year, February, May, August and November.

You may be entitled to claim your full 10 units per subject for your CPD requirements.

However, you may still need to complete some mandatory CPD units. Please check with your local law society for the requirements in your state or territory.

WA based students may claim up to six units per subject (six CPD units for an intensive subject that has a compulsory workshop requirement or four CPD units for any other subject).

College will lodge the CPD points with the Legal Practice Board on successful completion of the subject(s).

The College’s Credit for Prior Learning Policy encourages practitioners who have completed previous postgraduate and other recognised study to apply for credit towards either the LLM (Applied Law) or the Master of Applied Law (Family Law).

A maximum of three subject credits may be granted towards the Masters awards.

  • If you have undertaken a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with The College of Law within the last ten years, you may apply to receive up to two elective subjects of unspecified credit
  • If you have undertaken a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with another provider within the last ten years, you may apply to receive one elective subject of unspecified credit
  • If you have undertaken other postgraduate study, such as an LLM or Graduate Diploma of Law, whether you have completed the award or not, you may be eligible to receive credit for that study
  • Accredited Specialists may qualify for exemption of the foundations subject and Capstone Project for their area of major
  • Applicants who have completed a Legal Practice Management Course within the last 5 years at The College of Law in may receive one subject specified credit

Yes. Many Master of Laws (Applied Law) students choose electives from our Legal Business Management course. Please contact us to learn how.

No. To become a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, you will need to:

Many students choose to pursue an LLM with a double major in Family Law and FDRP.

 

For 2024, each subject in our postgraduate programmes costs $3,950, with no GST applicable. Please note that our fees are subject to annual review and may change during your enrolment.

Full payment is required at the time of enrolment each semester, and we accept various payment methods including cheque, Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), and credit card.

Additionally, if you are an Australian citizen, a New Zealand citizen, or hold a permanent humanitarian visa, you may be eligible to defer your payment through the Australian Government's StudyAssist FEE-HELP scheme.

Yes, if you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you may be eligible to receive FEE-HELP. For more information, visit the Australian Government Study Assist website or download the Study Assist FEE-HELP information sheet.

Please note that StudyAssist FEE-HELP is not available for single subject enrolment.

Yes, you can, but Study Assist FEE-help will not apply.

Yes. If you are from a non-English speaking country or your previous studies were in a language other than English, you will need to demonstrate your English skills in accordance with the IELTS standard before starting the program. The requisite IELTS standard is at level 8 (writing), 7 (listening), 7.5 (speaking), 7 (reading), and 7.5 overall.

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