Hello,
I am wondering if anyone can provide advice about the value of a doctorate degree in law. In Canada, law teaching positions usually go to PhD (aka LLD, SJD) candidates and grads- the LLM is no longer enough. Is this true for Australia and New Zealand? How long does it usually take to complete a PhD there? Are most grad students funded?
Thanks.

YEAH, the LLM is no longer really enough in Australia.

A PhD is roughly 100,000 words. Depends how long it takes you to type I suppose. Usually a couple of years or so. Most grad students have rich parents. They are not funded.

Melbdude - you are quite judgmental! In fact, the vast majority of PhD students in Australia are funded by Commonwealth scholarships or support themselves with teaching/other work - perhaps you should look around a little more before giving misleading advice.

Is a Phd in law nearly necessary to obtain a teaching job in Australia? I'm curious if any of our Aussie friends could comment on the best path to teaching in Oz. Or is a good LLM more than sufficient?

Hello,
could someone please tell me what is the difference between JD and PhD in law?

Legal education has both its academic and professional aspects. If one takes a look at the profiles of the academic staff of any major law school anywhere in the world, one will see both those with a PhD (Or SJD/LLD, as the case may be) and those with a JD or LLM -- plus professional experiences and/or expertise.

In the U.S. the academic staff members of even distinguished law schools mostly hold a JD plus professional experiences of some kind. A JD is a professional qualification whereas the PhD is, in my understanding, is an academic credential whose rough equivalent in the U.S. is an SJD.

Only an LLM will generally not suffice as a basic requirement for an academic career in Law, unless you have graduated with a distinction; but I suppose if you possess impressive professional credentials, you stand a good chance of being admitted to a law school as its instructor.