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Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB(Hons))

    Overview

    The aims of the Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB(Hons)) programme are to provide a good, general, critical legal education; to meet the requirements of the Council of Legal Education, so that holders of the degree are eligible for entry to the New Zealand legal profession; to provide students with skills in legal research, including use of electronic databases and search tools, writing, and advocacy, both formal and informal.

    The Honours degree consists of the requirements for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree plus the writing of a substantial research dissertation and attendance at research seminars. The degree takes no longer to complete than the ordinary LLB. The LLB(Hons) may be taken concurrently with another degree.

    Admission as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand

    1. The examination requirements for admission as a barrister and solictor of the High Court are laid down in regulations made by the Council of Legal Education pursuant to the Law Practitioners Act 1982.

    2. To be eligible for admission as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court, a candidate who completes the requirements for the LLB or LLB(Hons) degree must, in addition:

      (i) pass the Professional Legal Studies Programme; and

      (ii) possess such other attributes and qualifications as are prescribed by the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006.

    Contact

    Faculty of Law

    Email  law@otago.ac.nz

    Website  otago.ac.nz/law

    Subjects

          Requirements

          See all programmes

          Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Laws with Honours (LLB(Hons))

          1. Admission to the Programme

            1. Admission to the Honours programme shall be subject to the approval of the Dean of Law.
            2. An applicant will not be admitted to the Honours programme before having passed at a satisfactory level the four 200-level Law papers.
            3. An applicant who holds the degree of Bachelor of Laws shall not be admitted to the Honours programme.

          2. Structure of the Programme

            1. A candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Laws with Honours shall complete:
              1. the requirements prescribed in regulation 2 of the regulations for the degree of Bachelor of Laws ;
              2. the Preliminary Honours Research Papers (LAWS 380);
              3. the Final Honours Research Paper (LAWS 490).
            2. In order to obtain the degree of Bachelor of Laws with Honours a candidate shall complete its requirements within two years of first enrolling for 300-level or 400-level Law papers if studying for the degree alone, or within three years of first enrolling for 300-level or 400-level Law papers if studying for the degree concurrently with another degree, provided that in special circumstances the Dean of Law may extend these periods.

          3. Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

            Every programme of study for the degree shall satisfy the requirements for prerequisites, corequisites and restrictions set out in the Prescriptions (published in the Guide to Enrolment), provided that the Dean of Law may waive any prerequisite or corequisite generally in a given year for any paper, or in special circumstances waive any prerequisite or corequisite in approving a particular candidate's course of study.

          4. Withdrawal from the Programme

            1. A candidate whose results are not satisfactory may be required, by the Dean of Law, to withdraw from the Honours programme.
            2. When a candidate withdraws from the Honours programme, voluntarily or otherwise, the Dean of Law may recommend that the ordinary degree of Bachelor of Laws be awarded or determine the papers which shall be credited towards that degree.

          5. Level of Award of the Degree

            1. The degree may be awarded with First Class Honours, with Second Class Honours (Division I), or with Second Class Honours (Division II). The class of Honours awarded shall be determined by the Law Examiners on the performance of the candidate in 300- and 400-level Law papers, with particular emphasis on the result obtained for  LAWS 490.
            2. A candidate who fails to obtain Honours may, on the recommendation of the Dean of Law, be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Laws.

          6. Compensation Passes

            The Dean of Law may grant a compensation pass to a full-time student, or a student who is completing the degree, if the Law Examiners so recommend on the basis of the student's work as a whole in the year concerned.

          7. Cross Credits

            A candidate who is enrolled for the degree of Bachelor of Laws with Honours concurrently with another degree, or who has completed one of the two degrees and is proceeding with the other, may cross credit 100- and 200-level papers which are common to both degrees up to a maximum of 180 points.

          8. Variations

            The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.

          This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.

          Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.

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