Program Overview

In this double degree you’ll learn the principles and legal frameworks of innovation and commercialisation and gain the first qualification needed to practise as a lawyer in Australia. Knowledge of the legal frameworks of innovation is particularly relevant to entrepreneurs aiming to establish a start-up or commercialise a new product or service.

You’ll study the core skills required for legal practice, including the importance of the rule of law and the responsibilities and ethics of legal practice, and build a strong commercial awareness.

The Innovation component of this double degree embeds our GRIT mindset: Global, Responsible, Innovative, Technology-Savvy. You'll learn innovation strategies and how to innovate to help solve complex social and industry challenges. These skills are increasingly relevant to the emerging areas of law – involving digital finance, environment, intellectual property and technology, for example – that require creative solutions to complex legal and multidisciplinary problems.

You'll learn business management and innovation fundamentals, and complete a set of transformational experiences – including a sustainable business innovation project, an interactive study tour or an international experience – where you can apply your knowledge and demonstrate your skills as a future-focused problem solver. The course also includes other transformative experiences such as study tours, hackathons and internships.

You’ll study the first three years of your course at Curtin Perth. Your fourth year, plus one trimester, is at Curtin Law School in Perth city.

What you'll learn

• Apply knowledge of the Australian legal system, statutory rules and case law principles in both the fundamental areas of legal knowledge and a range of elective fields to the resolution of legal problems
• Critically and creatively analyse legal problems to articulate the issues involved and apply legal reasoning to make a considered choice between competing solutions
• Identify, access, assess and synthesise relevant information from primary legal sources such as cases and legislation and secondary sources such as journal articles and commentaries (including electronic versions of these sources) and gather relevant oral and documentary evidence
• Communicate the outcomes of legal research and analysis effectively, appropriately and persuasively to colleagues, to clients and to other professionals and the broader community
• Use appropriate electronic legal databases for research purposes and be able to communicate effectively in electronic forms
• Maintain intellectual curiosity as to justice and its practical application in the legal system, be able to identify areas where their legal knowledge and skills require further development, and to critically reflect on their own performance as legal professionals, making use of feedback as appropriate
• Articulate the similarities and differences between local and other jurisdictions, including interstate and overseas ones, and be aware of the principles of public and private international law
• Articulate distinct concepts of law, justice and human rights, with an awareness of different legal traditions and cultures, particularly indigenous cultures; identify how and where indigenous persons and other identifiable social groups are differentially impacted by the legal system.
• Work independently, as well as collaboratively, with a developing sense of the ethical issues that arise in legal practice and how these may be resolved