"The Law and Society major offers an insight into what law is all about. The units are engaging and interesting where tutors and lecturers give their first-hand experiences into their previous careers and the law profession.

I chose the Law and Society major as my first preference because I have always been interested in the justice system and from watching crime shows a lot as a child.

After completing my undergraduate degree, I hope to study the postgraduate Juris Doctor to attain the qualifications I need to become a lawyer."

--Marwat, Bachelor of Arts student

• Boosts analytical, critical, problem solving skills and project management.
• Regarded highly by future employers in wide range of sectors: business, law, government, semi-government.
• Leads to higher earnings and better career advances.
• Increases admission chances of highly-sought graduate degrees domestically and internationally, including the Juris Doctor and the Master of Business Administration (MBA).

• Studying Law and Society enables you to understand how legal systems interact with the most topical global and local challenges in technology, politics and everyday life, meaning graduates are readily employable in a range of careers.

• If you're considering studying the Juris Doctor, studying Law and Society is excellent preparation. Many teachers in this major also teach in the JD and our masters courses and bring that expertise to their Law and Society teaching. Studying Law and Society may also help you decide whether to undertake the JD.

• You will develop essential skills for real-world impact with projects that challenge you to think deeply about law, justice and equality.

• You can study abroad on exchange as part of your studies.

Employers seek graduates with a breadth of knowledge from multiple complementary areas. Have you considered taking a second major to increase your skills and experience?

Law and Society pairs well with these other majors:

• Philosophy: learn the foundations of critical thinking and making cogent arguments
• Political Science and International Relations: understand governments, political systems and public policy

1. Analytical skills: interrogate laws and legal systems through case studies, social research and theory, learning to weigh evidence, challenge assumptions and draw informed conclusions.

2. Societal insight: develop a strong critical foundation in law and a broader perspective on how it shapes – and is shaped by – all aspects of society.

3. Communication: learn to persuasively communicate complex concepts with clarity and precision for different audiences – whether in policy, advocacy, academia, or the wider community.

Aidan Ricciardo is the Director of the Law and Society Major and a Senior Lecturer at the UWA Law School, where he also teaches in the postgraduate Juris Doctor degree.  Aidan is a nationally-awarded law teacher and a legal researcher whose academic expertise covers health and medical law, evidence law,  learning and teaching in law, and diversity in law. Aidan's teaching is informed by research into topics like voluntary assisted dying, medical negligence, gender affirmation, and evidence law in practice (an area in which he has been engaged by government to develop and evaluate law reform). In addition to his legal research, Aidan has a strong research focus on the scholarship of learning and teaching in law, meaning his teaching practices are informed by contemporary best practices and grounded in evidence-based approaches.

The UWA Law School is ranked in the top 150 law schools in the world for Law and Legal Studies (QS 2025). You will join and contribute to 90 years of excellence: we are the first law school established in WA and the fifth oldest in Australia.

Our graduates include a Prime Minister, a Governor of Western Australia, State Ministers, Justices of the Supreme Court of WA, a Young Australian of the Year, Rhodes Scholars, and more.

While we have a long and proud history, we're also a closely-knit, creative and progressive Law School, fostering critical thought, ethical scholarship and practice, a deep connection to our Indigenous past and present, and supportive student culture based upon wellbeing and inclusion.