CAN YOU STUDY A MASTER OF LAWS WHILE WORKING FULL-TIME?
WHAT WORKING LAWYERS SHOULD KNOW BEFORE STARTING A MASTER OF LAWS (LLM)
The real question for most lawyers isn’t whether a Master of Laws (LLM) has value. It’s whether it can realistically fit around practice.
Between client deadlines, court appearances and personal commitments, lawyers already juggle more than enough.
So how do you make it work?
We spoke to three College of Law graduates to find out how they balanced further study with full-time practice – and what they wish they’d known before they started.
Key takeaways:
- You don’t need to commit to a full Master of Laws upfront. You can start with a single subject or a Graduate Certificate.
- With multiple intakes each year, you can pause or adjust your pace when work gets heavy.
- Further study is most valuable when it applies directly to live matters, client advice and the complex work you’re handling day-to-day.
- Lots of lawyers successfully balance a Master of Laws with full-time work by starting with one subject per intake.
BUT FIRST, IS A MASTER OF LAWS THE RIGHT MOVE FOR YOU?
Not every lawyer starts a Master of Laws for the same reason. For Cody McFarlane, the decision was easy – and came early. He knew he wanted to go into family law and was eager to build his expertise as quickly as possible:
“I wanted to learn everything I could about family law. I knew I would be practising in this area for years to come and wanted to make sure I could serve my clients to the best of my ability.”
But for Special Counsel Max Williams, the decision came later, when he realised there were gaps in his knowledge that experience alone couldn't fill:
“I made Wills and Estates my niche and I loved it. I'd found an area I was passionate about. But I had gaps in my knowledge, and there was no one at the firm to mentor me. I needed help.”
Despite their different journeys, both realised a Master of Laws was the answer.
Whether you're looking to build expertise faster or strengthen your foundations in a particular area, the decision ultimately comes down to whether further study will help you do your job better. To determine this, start by asking yourself:
- Am I noticing gaps in my knowledge that I’d like to address?
- Am I taking on more complex matters that require deeper judgement?
- Am I looking to build legal expertise I can’t gain in my current role?
- Am I moving into a new or more focused area of practice?
If the answer to any of these is ‘yes’, then postgraduate study is worth exploring.
Accept there’s no ‘perfect time’ for further study
Many lawyers spend years waiting for the right time to start studying again. But legal practice rarely slows down for long.
Though waiting until work quietens down may feel sensible, it often just delays the decision. There will always be another matter, another deadline or another reason to push study back another year.
Family lawyer Lauren Battersby encourages lawyers not to overthink the timing.
“To any lawyer considering a Master's, I'd say do it within one to three years following your admission. It accelerated my learning and gave me a solid foundation for practice.”
But you don't need to have the entire journey mapped out before you begin. If starting is the biggest hurdle, why not start small?
Make it manageable by breaking it down
It’s a common misconception that you need to commit to a full Master of Laws upfront. But you can actually start with a single subject.
Lauren took this approach.
“I did my Master's one subject at a time,” she explains. “Thankfully, it was delivered online – and I had incredibly supportive employers who gave me flexibility, especially during assessment time.”
Focusing on just one subject made the workload manageable and allowed her to build momentum without feeling overwhelmed.
This method is a smart way to test the waters. If you start small, you can see how study complements your practice before committing further. Then, if things get busy, you can always take a break and pick things up again later.
Alternatively, you could try a Graduate Certificate in Applied Law. A two-subject certificate that counts towards a full masters, this option offers a recognised qualification that opens the door to further study later. With multiple intakes a year, you can start whenever it’s right for you and have your certificate within six months.
The important thing is to find a pace you can sustain.
Find a study rhythm that works
No lawyer’s diary stays clear for long.
Rather than waiting for spare time to appear, our graduates succeeded by blocking out recurring weekly study time. If you want more detail on practical routines, see our guide on how busy lawyers make time for the LLM.
Finding the rhythm that works for you will depend on your workload, assessment deadlines and personal commitments. But ultimately, it’s all about consistency; staying on top of the material rather than falling behind and trying to catch up later. A few disciplined study sessions each week is much more effective than cramming everything in before assessment periods.
The students who stay engaged tend to be the ones who get the most from the experience.
YOU'LL REAP THE REWARDS SOONER THAN YOU THINK
One of the biggest advantages of studying while working is that you can apply what you're learning straight away. And at the College, you’ll be learning directly from lawyers working in the field – just like you.
For Max, this added an extra level of credibility to his studies.
“At the College, I was learning from colleagues – experienced lawyers who were actively practising. It didn't feel like a degree. It felt more like a mentorship.”
For Lauren, the benefits showed up in her day-to-day work immediately.
“I was developing the essential technical skills for being a family lawyer and deepening my understanding of the practice area. I would learn a practical strategy in class and apply it the very next day at work.”
The same was true for Cody.
“The course improved my legal practice from day one,” he explains. “It aligned with the work I was doing on real-life files.”
While every lawyer's experience is different, graduates often describe similar outcomes:
- More structured and confident client advice
- Stronger issue spotting on complex matters
- Greater confidence managing difficult files
- Deeper expertise in their chosen practice area
And you won’t need to wait until graduation day to feel the difference.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT PLACE TO START
As our graduate stories show, there are plenty of ways to make further study work for you.
Almost at capacity? Start with a single subject and take it from there. You’ll get a practical, low-risk way to understand the workload and tweak your routine.
Looking for a more structured starting point? The Graduate Certificate in Applied Law offers two subjects and a recognised postgrad qualification at the end of them.
Whichever path you choose, make sure you pick subjects that support the work you’re doing now. The closer your learning is to your day-to-day work, the quicker you’ll see the impact. If you’re still comparing your options, our guide on how to choose a Master of Laws in Australia can help you assess the right fit.
READY FOR FURTHER STUDY?
Speak to a Student Engagement Advisor about the pathway, intake and study load that's right for you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A Master of Laws (LLM) is worth it if it improves the work you’re already doing.
Whether that means sharpening your legal analysis, giving more confident advice, handling more complex matters or building expertise in a new area of law, the value comes when you’re able to apply what you learn in practice. Many lawyers start seeing those benefits long before graduation.
Yes. A common approach is to start with one subject so you can build study into your routine without taking on too much. And because we offer multiple intakes a year, you can skip an intake if work gets busy – then pick things back up again later.
For most lawyers, one subject per intake is a sensible starting point. It gives you a realistic way to test the workload and understand how study fits alongside practice. Then you can decide whether to continue, pause or increase your study load later.
That depends on how many subjects you do per intake and whether you study continuously. Typically, it takes about two years part time, but many students adjust their pace to fit around work and personal commitments. If you want to understand your completion options, see our guide on how to fast-track your LLM.
No. Many students start with a single subject or a Graduate Certificate in Applied Law before deciding whether to continue onto the full Master of Laws.
Learn more about how a Graduate Certificate could be an idea first step
A Graduate Certificate in Applied Law consists of two subjects and can be completed in a shorter timeframe (typically 6-months). It also counts towards a Master of Laws if you decide to continue studying.
A Master of Laws is a full master's degree made up of eight subjects.
Some practitioners start with a Graduate Certificate to test the workload and build confidence before deciding to progress to the full degree.
WANT TO SEE IF IT'S THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU?
Explore how Postgraduate study works, what you’ll study, and how it can fit around your schedule.
