Doctor of Laws (LLD)


The Doctor of Laws (LLD) is the highest qualification available by examination at Melbourne Law School. The work submitted for examination must be of such a standard that it makes... "a substantial and original contribution to legal scholarship and is of such standard as to give the candidate authoritative standing in the field of the candidate's study".


Policies and Procedures

Policy and procedures for the degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (by examination) are currently being updated and will be available soon.


Eligibility

A candidate must either be:-

  • a graduate in Law of The University of Melbourne of at least four years' standing; or
  • a graduate of another university who has held a recognised degree for at least four years and received adequate training for legal scholarship.


Application Procedure

A successful request for admission to candidature must first be made before a body of work is submitted for examination.

The formal application for admission to candidature can consist of either:-

  1. a direct application from the potential candidate, or
  2. a process of nomination by three academics.

The application must satisfy the requirements given in the Policy and procedures for the degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) (by examination) and be submitted to:-

The Dean
Faculty of Law
THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE VIC 3010
Australia

Applications will be considered by a committee established by the Dean of the Melbourne Law School. If the committee members assess the application or nomination as appropriate, the examination can be commenced and the candidate enrolled (for the purposes of examination only). The candidate will then be required to supply three copies of the work(s) to be examined.


Examination

The Melbourne Law School will follow the same procedures as those used for the nomination of examiners for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The examiners will be sent the work(s) to be examined together with the statement of the candidate or the proposers expressing why the work warrants the award of the degree. Once the examiners have submitted their reports, the committee established by the Dean will review the reports and decide whether the LLD is to be awarded. The candidate will then be informed of the committee's decision.