We challenge the rules
Griffith University ranks first in Australia for Law*, so when you study law with us, you're studying among the world's best.
Griffith Law School teaches law within its social context and offers a wide range of legal clinics, which give students hands-on experience in a structured environment. We were founded upon and remain committed to social justice and the law as an instrument of change.
*Tied position, 2023 Shanghai Global Rankings of Academic Subjects
Ranked #1 for Law in Australia
We are the top ranked university for Law in Australia in the 2023 Shanghai Global Rankings of Academic Subjects (tied position).
Vision Statement
Our vision at Griffith Law School is to serve social justice through having a transformative, equitable and positive impact in our community. Our community is comprised of our staff, our students, alumni, the legal profession more broadly, and stakeholders impacted by our activities.
Specifically, our strategy and operations are informed by the following goals:
- For our staff: to have a diverse and inclusive workplace; to provide opportunities for genuine connection and collegiality between staff members; to support high quality and impactful research; and to support colleagues to achieve excellence in their teaching activities.
- For our students: to facilitate a strong sense of community and belonging across a diverse cohort; to provide career and networking opportunities to our students, noting that many are ‘first in family’ so that we need to serve as their “legal family” to provide these opportunities; to empower and inspire our students to use their legal knowledge and skills to make a difference in society in ways that promote and support social justice; to provide a high-quality legal education delivered by academics who are approachable and accessible and leaders in their field.
- For our alumni and the legal profession: to celebrate successes and support positive and impactful initiatives by our alumni and the profession; to support new and innovative models of legal practice that maximise the potential for mental health, diversity and inclusion.
- For our stakeholders: to produce impactful research which has a transformative effect on law and legal policy pertaining to the environment, inequality, criminal justice, health and well-being, disability and vulnerability, access to justice, consumer rights, animal rights and human rights.
- Across our community, we strive to contribute to the journey of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and in particular with the Yugarabul, Yuggera, Jagera, Turrbal, and Yugambeh/Kombumerri peoples, on whose ancestral lands we are grounded.
Explore
Partnering with Griffith Law School
We helped pioneer legal clinics in Australia and now offer one of the broadest offerings of industry placements in Australia. If you're interested in offering work integrated learning opportunities for our students please register your interest.
Griffith Legal Placements & Practical Experience
Experience law beyond the classroom
Legal clinics are work placements or internships with our industry partners in community legal centres, law firms and government.
Learning & Teaching Facilities
Perfect balance of legal theory and practice
Discover our moot courts and various learning and teaching facilities.
Research
Find a research supervisor
Griffith's reputation for interdisciplinary research in law is world-class.
Employers & Recruiters
We help businesses of all sizes find highly skilled students and graduates keen to start a remarkable career.
Support the School & Legal Placement Program
Giving to the Griffith Law School opens a world of possibilities for education and research.
Steps to practising law
Interactive tool outlining the steps to practise law
Information on admission and practising law in Queensland, interstate and internationally.
Steps to becoming a registered migration agent
Interactive tool outlining the steps to lawfully providing immigration assistance
Information on the different pathways and steps to becoming a migration agent
Outstanding Alumni
Professor Cephas Lumina
Professor Cephas Lumina is an extraordinary Zambian lawyer and human rights expert who has dedicated his life to using the law as a tool to ensure social and economic justice for all, particularly for those who lack voice. His counsel has been sought at the highest level of global human rights advocacy – the United Nations (UN).
Professor Lumina divides his time between multiple roles as a Visiting Professor of Law at the University of Lusaka, Zambia; Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; and Principal Consultant of HURICON Ltd, a professional human rights and governance consulting services firm.
Cephas won the 2020 Arts, Education and Law Outstanding Alumnus Award
Jayde Geia
Jayde Geia has embarked on an impressive career pioneering a new way of approaching barriers in the legal industry; bridging the gap between consultants, business leaders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for sustainable outcomes.
Jayde is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman, her family are Bwgcolman, Gunggandji and Mualgal. Outside of her corporate role, Jayde volunteers a significant portion of her time to working with young people and creating change through the industry boards she is a part of.
Jayde won the 2020 Arts, Education and Law Outstanding First Peoples Alumnus Award
Dr Jeff Thompson
Dr Jeff Thompson is a New York City law enforcement veteran, former crisis and hostage negotiator, and now a mental health specialist. He combines professional experience and academic rigour to save lives.
While continuing to work as a detective, Dr Thompson is a mental health and wellness researcher, whose ongoing work – individually and in collaboration with peers across the world (including those at Griffith University) – is enhancing knowledge and strategies on issues such as terrorism, hostage negotiation, mental illness, crisis communication and suicide prevention.
Jeff won the 2020 Arts, Education and Law Outstanding International Alumnus Award
Joshua Creamer and Kara Cook Excellence in Law award
Driving the representation of First Nations women at the Queensland Bar.
News and insights
His and hers: Differing views on safety in public places
03 Mar 2025
A new study has highlighted stark differences in the ways men and women perceive safety in public...
Cost of retail crime up 40 per cent over two years
16 Dec 2024
A new retail crime study has revealed escalating challenges for the retail sector, with...
Excelling in Education
27 Feb 2024
Griffith University has again had its commitment to teaching excellence acknowledged, collecting...
Safety and Security for Women in Public Spaces
23 Oct 2023
In an effort to boost feelings of safety and inclusion for women in public spaces, Griffith...
We challenge the rules
Meet Australia’s Young Lawyer of the Year
Griffith alumnus Dean Clifford-Jones has been named the country’s top young legal eagle.
Dean won the Law Council of Australia’s 2020 Australian Young Lawyer of the Year Award. The national award recognises his outstanding contribution to the profession through pro bono work and advocacy.
Abiding by laws, regulations and rules is central to a lawyer's way of thinking. But Griffith thinks differently.
It could be our age: as a young law school, we break with tradition. Or it could be our unique commitment to social justice and global change.
Either way, at Griffith, we understand the power of law and know that sometimes you need to challenge the rules, to break them apart and put them back together.
WE ACHIEVE REMARKABLE THINGS
Lecturer Kate van Doore has changed the lives of vulnerable children globally through advocating for the legal recognition of orphanage trafficking as a form of modern day slavery.
In 2017, her incredible work was celebrated with the prestigious Freedom Award from Anti-Slavery Australia.
WE LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Griffith Law School has retained its progressive approach while accumulating international expertise
Celebrating 25 years of Griffith Law School
The Honourable Margaret McMurdo AC (pictured with Dean and Head of School Prof Pene Mathew) charts our history of teaching and research excellence and its impact on legal education in Australia. Address delivered at the 2017 Griffith Law School Gala.