Career opportunities
Are you down for human rights, fact-seeking and supportive teaching? With world-class teachers, up-to-date courses and invaluable real-world training, it's not surprising that so many Otago law graduates have gone on to successful, interesting and varied careers.
They are trusted advisers, skilled advocates and leaders in business and government. They work in law firms throughout Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas. They can also be found in not-for-profit organisations like the United Nations, the International Labour Organisation and Amnesty International. Government departments, local bodies, iwi authorities and businesses also require lawyers for specialist legal advice.
Law students who complete double degrees find this often opens up even more career opportunities in areas like the media, public relations, entertainment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and trade, and IT consultancies.
Your Law journey starts here
Discover why the University of Otago’s Faculty of Law stands out, with world-class teaching, a tight-knit community, and the skills needed for a successful legal career in Aotearoa and beyond.
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Jacobi Kohu-Morris:
Kia ora, I’m Jacobi, a final-year student at the University of Otago Faculty of Law. In my experience, the faculty is like being part of a second family. The collegiality here is like a mirror of the Otago experience; you’re living and studying in Dunedin and feeling part of a community. One of the things I’ve found is that the faculty really cares about your success and helps you every step of the way to reach your potential. The lecturers are great people—they’re interested in their areas of research but also in how we’re doing as students. For those reasons, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.
Professor Jacinta Ruru:
Ko Jacinta Ruru ahau, I'm a professor of Law here at the Faculty of Law. I love teaching Laws 101. In Laws 101, you will learn a range of fundamentals about our legal system. You will learn what law is, who makes the law, and how law affects every single one of us. You’ll learn where our law comes from, from the United Kingdom and here in Te Ao Māori. You’ll learn about the different types of law, our legislation, our cases, and the fundamentals of legal method. In Laws 101, we give you the skills necessary to progress to upper levels of law, but it is also a self-contained paper that everyone at the university could and should enrol in.
Dr Stephen Young:
Hi, my name is Stephen Young, and I’m a law lecturer at the University of Otago Law Faculty. The study of law looks at the various ways we regulate our interactions with each other. Every aspect of New Zealand society—from heading to the dairy to buy a pie, to how the government deals with the COVID-19 pandemic—is permeated with law. Understanding how law works, where it comes from, and how it should develop is at the heart of legal studies.
Professor Jessica Palmer:
Kia ora koutou katoa, ko Jessica Parma ahau. I'm the Dean of the Law Faculty here at the University of Otago. In these uncertain times, one of the best decisions you could make is to study law—and to do it here in Otago. Law is a discipline that can make a real difference in the lives of everyday people, and a law degree can take you to all sorts of different careers and places in the world. Choose Law at Otago because we are one of the best-performing law schools in Aotearoa. We are dedicated teachers engaged in world-class legal research, and we want to show you why we find the law so fascinating. We are very proud of our law school community here at Otago, and we would love to have you join us. Check out our website, give us a call, come and visit us, and come and be part of Otago.
Law at Otago
The Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and the Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB(Hons)) degrees are both four-year professional programmes.
LAWS 101 The Legal System is the first-year paper for the law degree. It can also count toward another degree. In addition to LAWS 101, you will need to take four to six non-Law 100-level papers.
Entry into second-year Law is limited to approximately 250 places and selection is based predominantly on the mark you achieve in LAWS 101.
The second-year course consists of papers in Criminal Law, Law of Contract, Property Law and Public Law, and a programme of research and writing. These papers are fundamental to understanding law and provide a foundation for advanced papers in subsequent years.
During your third and fourth years of study, you will complete two compulsory papers – LAWS 301 Law of Torts and LAWS 302 Jurisprudence. These are generally taken during your third year. If you wish to practice as a barrister or solicitor, the LAWS 463 Legal Ethics paper is compulsory.
You may be invited into Honours as a result of exceptional performance in your second-year Law papers. The LLB(Hons) involves additional supervised research and the completion of a dissertation.
LAWS 101 The Legal System
LAWS 101 is an open-entry full-year course consisting of three lectures and one tutorial a week. You will learn how to read, interpret and apply Case Law and Statutory Law, how to reason and justify arguments, and how to write clearly, effectively and persuasively.
You'll also work in small tutorial groups and focus on developing the basic skills of analysing a legal problem.
Double degree options
Many Law students at Otago complete double degrees, using Otago's flexible cross-credit system, which can lead to even greater job opportunities. You can combine your LLB with study for a degree in Commerce, Arts, Science, Health Science and other degrees. If you intend to do a double-degree programme, you should include some papers from the second degree in your first year. By cross-crediting papers between the two courses, two degrees can usually be completed in five years of study.
Professional options
Law at Otago is a professional degree. If you wish to practice law following your LLB degree, you must also complete a professional legal studies course. This ensures that lawyers entering all areas of practice have the skills required to represent clients competently and ethically.
Student exchange
The University of Otago has exchange agreements with more than 90 institutions worldwide. If your marks average B or better, you may qualify to attend one of these institutions for one semester or a year. You pay only your New Zealand fees and complete your qualification within the same time frame as if you'd never been away.
Law students are able to take Law papers at the Law Faculty of specifically approved overseas universities.
Recommended background
There are no specific subjects that you need to study at school for entry into first-year Law. In general, we advise you to take subjects that you do well in, and you enjoy.
Good language (English) and analysis (Maths) skills are useful. You could develop your language and analysis skills by taking part in activities such as drama and debating.
Choose a study option
Whether you're embarking on your academic journey with our comprehensive undergraduate programmes or aiming to reach new heights through our advanced postgraduate offerings, Otago is here to support your aspirations.
Undergraduate qualifications
For new and current students studying towards a Bachelor's or other first degree. Explore undergraduate qualifications at Otago, designed to build a strong foundation in your chosen field, preparing you for a successful career or further study.
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Further study opportunities
Whether you are looking to bridge your undergraduate studies to advanced knowledge or aiming to specialise in a specific field, Otago offers a range of graduate and postgraduate options to suit your aspirations.
I interned at the Ministry of Justice at the end of my fourth year. The internship provided me with practical experience and the opportunity to receive quality mentoring. It also opened up a new career pathway I hadn't considered before.
Nera Tautau
Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Politics)
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Programme details
Compare programmes for this subject as a major and minor (where available).
Papers
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More information
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
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