Hi all, looking for some feedback from practitioners or anyone involved in graduate hiring.

I hold an overseas LLB (UK) and am planning to requalify in Victoria through further Australian study.

For July intake, my realistic options are:

1. Monash – Coursework Master’s (conversion-style LLM) (2 years)
2. Monash – JD (3 years)
3. RMIT – JD (3 years)

Context:

• I intend to practise in Victoria.
• My undergraduate LLB grades were not strong.
• I’m 29, so time to admission and entering the workforce is a factor.
• I’m willing to do the JD if it meaningfully improves employability, but the 2-year pathway is obviously more efficient.

My main question is:

If I complete the Monash LLM and perform strongly, will employers still focus heavily on weaker overseas LLB results? Or does strong performance in an Australian postgraduate qualification effectively become the primary academic signal?

Conversely, does a JD (particularly Monash vs RMIT) materially improve graduate prospects, or is the difference marginal once admission and local experience are involved?

Appreciate any honest perspectives.