Why the Monash JD?: Hear from our graduates

Dr Erwin Loh
2004
Medical administration, Peter McCallum Cancer Centre

“Prior to commencing the postgraduate law course I was a medical practitioner for eight years. I decided on a postgraduate law degree from Monash because it was flexible, it catered to working professionals and was very convenient. It was a challenging course taught by practicing lawyers, making it highly relevant to practice. Upon graduation I was able to secure employment with a major national law firm. I now work in medical management at a major public hospital. I believe that my postgraduate law degree from Monash has helped me achieve my goals and has equipped me to be a better medico legal practitioner and hospital administrator.”

Kate Edwards
Final year JD student

“I enrolled in the JD with the intention of using the degree to enter government policy work – perhaps working for the government solicitor’s office. After completing an arts degree where lectures were enormous, I liked the idea of small class sizes. The JD’s small class style environment has provided a valuable environment for networking and many fellow classmates have become good friends. The accelerated nature of the course was also really attractive. Whilst studying for my law degree I have been working in commercial property development where my legal knowledge of contracts has been extremely useful.”

Sabine Phillips
2003
Senior Associate, Russell Kennedy Lawyers

“The emphasis was on learning the principles and developing those principles further as a student. In a course where the majority of students are mature-age with previous professional careers and qualifications, it is a most satisfying method of learning. I came to the course as a registered nurse in Division 1, with a Bachelor of Applied Science and a Master of Business. I had spent the previous 25 years in acute public hospitals and the aged care sector and now work as a Senior Associate for Russell Kennedy in their Health and Aged Care team. Many lecturers had the additional advantage of being current legal practitioners, which not only provided an opportunity to learn from current practitioners but also the scope to network and utilise their skills and expertise in an employment sense. I have been practicing for two years in an area in which I had extensive experience as a nurse and as a manager. Being able to combine that with law has fulfilled a long-held ambition.”

Richard Greenfield
2003
Barrister

Barrister Richard Greenfield originally completed a first class honours degree in science with a mathematics major and then went on to become an actuary. He had always been interested in law and was accepted into the LLB course in the mid 1980s, but he found the lectures impossible to attend whole working so chose not to enrol. As the years went on, Richard’s interest persisted, so when he retired and saw an advertisement for this course, he decided to apply. Richard says it took him a long time to adjust to the way the law is taught and how you have to think as a lawyer. “The course required a lot of work but it was both interesting and satisfying.”