6 reasons why doing a Juris Doctor is still a good idea

Looking to upskill and climb the corporate ladder? Or maybe you want to change careers in 2024? Either way, a Juris Doctor can be a very handy piece of paper. With a focus on regulatory frameworks, critical thinking and commercial law, these post-graduate degrees are becoming more popular with mid-career professionals looking to make the jump to C-Suite.  

So, is a Juris Doctor the right move for you? To help you make up your mind, we’ve pulled together six reasons why the Juris Doctor degree is still as relevant as ever.   

Employability 

Employability and career advancement is the number one reason to consider a Juris Doctor. And that’s not just for legal careers. A JD can open up new opportunities and pathways in any field where legal knowledge is valuable: commerce, compliance, government and the non-profit sector, even entrepreneurship and starting your own business. Juris Doctor graduates have a thorough understanding of regulatory frameworks, which gives them a leg up on their C-Suite competition. Statistics also show that 79.1% of people with postgraduate degrees are in full-time employment at the completion of their course (compared to 61.6% of those with a Bachelor degree).  

Improving legal access 

Want to make our legal system more equitable? More effective? More accessible to everyone? You’re going to need certain skills. A Juris Doctor can help you pivot into a legal career, helping those with historically poor access to justice: the marginalised, the disadvantaged, as well as recent migrants and Indigenous Australians. This is a great move for commerce professionals looking to pivot into a more human-focused career pathway. A Juris Doctor with RMIT Online gives you the scope to pick your own electives too, so you can tailor your degree towards the areas that interest you most. Perhaps advocacy, human rights law, and family law.  

Flexible study 

RMIT Online offers a three-year, 100% Juris Doctor qualification, with flexible study that works around your existing career. For busy professionals looking to upskill, this is often much more appealing than the typical in-person JD degree. With RMIT Online, you’re also opening the door to industry connections and opportunities, including the chance to moot at the Old Magistrate’s Court, and gain professional exposure in multidisciplinary legal services, through RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice.  

Technical expertise  

For those looking to climb the corporate ladder, the choice generally comes down to two post-graduate qualifications: a Juris Doctor or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. There’s no right or wrong choice here. Juris Doctor programs tend to skew more towards society’s structural legal frameworks, while an MBA gives you a more well-rounded, business-orientated degree. The technical skills you pick up in a Juris Doctor are relevant for almost any C-Suite executive: contracts, regulatory compliance, workplace health and safety, and employment law. By the completion of the degree, you’ll also have the necessary academic credentials to practice as a licenced solicitor.    

Enterprise skills 

Don’t underestimate enterprise skills when it comes to a Juris Doctor, either. One of the virtues of a legal education is teaching you not just how to argue, but how to think. Problem-solving, legal creativity, advanced research skills, critical thinking, negotiation, and interpretation of complex information – these are the skills you’ll master through a Juris Doctor degree, and they’re valuable no matter what industry you’re in. Whether you work in academia, government policy, judicial work or journalism, there’s no sector that can’t be improved with sharp legal reasoning.  

Emerging technology 

If you work in the legal field, you’ll appreciate the looming existential threat of things like big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and even social media. The law is changing – fast – in fact, fake ‘AI law’ is one of the biggest issues plaguing the industry, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. With so much change on the horizon, the well-rounded education of a Juris Doctor can help you stay on top of the latest trends. RMIT Online’s Juris Doctor program is designed in partnership with industry and includes in-depth learning on emerging legal technologies. 

If you're interested in learning more about our Juris Doctor program, please visit this page.