Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics

La Trobe's Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics gives you a practical, progressive and multi-disciplinary education with a unique social and ethical perspective on how the law operates. Gain a comprehensive legal skillset, then put it to work in real-world environments through placement opportunities.

Enhance your political expertise by learning how governments manage their economies and achieve important social objectives. Study the interaction between inflation, unemployment, economic growth and foreign debt, along with the effects on social wellbeing. From there, you'll examine competing theories of political economy, including institutional, feminist, post-Keynesian, behavioural and ecological economics.

Learn skills in advocacy, negotiation and dispute resolution and how to apply these in both legal and non-legal settings. You'll also have the opportunity to put your skills to the test in Law School competitions, and even international ones in Vienna, Hong Kong and Washington DC.

Develop sought-after skills in critical thinking, research, communication and teamwork. Pursue placement opportunities and gain firsthand experience in community legal centres, law firms and government agencies. You'll also be able to forge mentor relationships with judges, magistrates and coroners.

Graduate ready to tackle real-world problems, including climate change, the need for sustainable innovation, and the unequal distribution of wealth, opportunity and power.

You'll learn:

Evidence and criminal procedure
Build your understanding of the criminal legal system and learn how to apply the law to factual scenarios.
Contract law and company law
Explore the legal principles governing the creation, interpretation and termination of a contract, and investigate areas of company law such as incorporation, corporate governance and financing methods.
Constitutional law
Discover how government power is distributed, exercised and controlled. Learn about federalism, the €˜external affairs' power, and express and implied constitutional rights.
Dispute resolution
Develop key skills in negotiation and mediation and examine the processes of arbitration, conciliation, mediation and negotiation in private and commercial disputes.
Critical thinking and philosophy
Improve your ability to reason, both critically and empathetically, and develop sought-after human skills.
Political institutions and processes
Build your knowledge of political systems, how countries are governed, and the forces and players that influence policy.