Hi all
I just graduated from the law school in civil law jurisdiction (Georgia - not US obviously :) ). I am considering to undertake aither LLM or JD in Australia, particularly University of Sydney or UNSW.
I would prefer JD since as far as I understood it is not available for foreign LLM graduates to practice law, while JD gives such an opportunity.
I have several concerns.
1. If I enroll in JD, is it probable that I will have paralegal job opprtunity considering that
a. I have paralegal work experience of 4 years in my country
b. Except excelent english I fluently speak Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
c. I have significant International experience, Semesters abroad for Postgraduate Courses, several moot courts so on.
- How do you think what are other values for paralegal that can be appreciated by an employer?
- Also, speaking roughly, what the average sallary of paralegal do you think is in Sydney?


Thank you in advance very much
Any minor hint will be highly appreciated ;)
:))

Please if anybady has any expertise it would be great :))

Hello Data Xa,

I am a law graduate in Melbourne about to be admitted as a solicitor. I worked as a paralegal for a year in 2009. When I finished my LLB I registered with a number of employment agencies and applied for paralegal positions. I found a fulltime position within about six weeks. It is difficult to estimate the likelihood that you will be able to secure a paralegal position, but the job market in Australia is quite strong. Australia has not felt the effects of the GFC. You may need to start by doing do process-driven paralegal work through an agency such as subjective coding on a discovery task, but this can lead to more varied work. With you language skills you could also look for work with firms specialising in migration law. Migration law is a major area of practice in Australia. However be mindful that a student visa usually restricts the number of hours you can work. Be aware too that Sydney is Australia's most expensive city, and has the least healthy economy at present. You may find it easier to settle into Brisbane or Perth, the cities at the centre of Australia's minerals boom. Further, if you wish to qualify as a lawyer in Australia, you may not need to do a JD. You may be able to qualify by doing a certain number of LLB subjects. When I studied law at Deakin University in Melbourne from 2006 to 2008 there were quite a number lawyers who had migrated from overseas who had to study 6 or so units to qualify. However most were from common law countries (South Africa, Sri Lanka). With a degree from a civil law jurisdiction you may need to complete more subjects.

Hello LawGradMelbourne,
I am a law degree in Rome university, in Italy but not admitted as a lawyer yet in my country.
I have already been in Australia for one year about 1 year ago and now I would like very much to come back and find a job in my field, I do not want to lose all my studies.
So I thought about becoming a lawyer in Australia or maybe doing a LLM in an Australian university.
I've just read that with a degree from a civil law jurisdiction I should complete more subject to be admitted to the practise.
In your opinion which is the better and eaysier way to be qualified in Australia and have the chance to find a good job?

Thank you so much!