Free interactive study platform for the Priestley 11
Every law subject comes down to the same six shapes.
I built The JD Tutor so you can learn the law without wading through dry tomes and century-old judgments. Learn the six shapes that legal rules take, then practise on real exam problems with feedback the moment you submit: free, in your browser.
- 65+Topic guides live
- 650+Practice problems & drills
- 6Core subjects live
- Built by Joseph
- Associate, Supreme Court of Victoria
- First-Class Honours JD, Melbourne
- Taught every core JD subject
This semester
Built out for the semester ahead
Taking Constitutional Law, Criminal Law & Procedure, Equity & Trusts or Corporations Law? All four are live end to end: topic guides, drills and full exam scenarios with Pass and H1 model answers and examiner's comments.
Constitutional Law Just launched
13 guides · 100 drills · 15 exam scenarios + 3 mid-sems
The heads of power, the federal limits and the freedoms, with full exam scenarios and three mid-semester papers.
Start Constitutional →Criminal Law & Procedure
8 guides · 102 drills · 15 exam scenarios
Homicide, theft, complicity and defences, element by element, with the traps examiners set around each.
Start Criminal Law →Equity & Trusts
12 guides · 103 drills · 16 exam scenarios
From equity and conscience through the express trust to Barnes v Addy and tracing, built out end to end.
Start Equity & Trusts →Corporations Law
10 guides · 100 drills · 20 exam scenarios
Directors' duties, insolvent trading and shareholder actions, with ten flowcharts for the decision paths.
Start Corporations →The method
Six shapes, one twist
Almost every legal rule takes one of six shapes. The shape tells you what your paragraph has to do before you know any of the law: a checklist makes you run every item, a keyring makes you try every key, the scales make you weigh the pans.
And the shapes repeat across every subject, so nothing you learn is wasted. The checklist you drill on theft in Criminal Law is the same checklist you meet in insolvent trading in Corporations. Learn the six once and every new rule, in every new subject, arrives half learned: each subject you study makes the next one faster.
Around the shapes sits the four-step routine for a whole answer: spot the issue, state the rule, apply it to the facts, conclude. Every rule in the subject guides carries its shape as a tag, so the recognition builds as you go.
Study that fits your day
Minutes, not hours
You do not need a free evening to make progress. Everything here is sized to the time you actually have, and twenty minutes of testing yourself moves you further than twenty minutes of re-reading notes.
Drills · a few minutes each
One issue, a short fact pattern. Write two sentences or just think it through, then reveal the Pass answer, the H1 answer and the examiner's comment. Ten drills fit inside a coffee.
Guides · one sitting
Each topic guide gives you the idea, the authorities and the trap without the lecture or the fifty pages of reading. Read one on the tram before the seminar, not after it.
Exam scenarios · when you have an hour
Full exam-style hypotheticals with part-by-part model answers and examiner's comments, for when you can sit down and write properly under exam conditions.
The subjects
Core subjects
Every compulsory JD subject across the Priestley 11. Seven are live now with guides and practice banks; the rest are being built out subject by subject.
Live now: guides, drills and exam-style practice
- Principles of Public Law 19 guides · 105 drills + 10 exams · 6 flowcharts
- Remedies 8 guides · 85 drills + 15 exams · 9 flowcharts
- Corporations Law 10 guides · 100 drills + 20 exams · 10 flowcharts
- Constitutional Law 13 guides · 100 drills + 18 exams
- Criminal Law & Procedure 8 guides · 102 drills + 15 exams
- Administrative Law 11 guides · 105 drills + 15 exams
- Equity & Trusts 12 guides · 103 drills + 16 exams
In development: join the newsletter to hear when yours goes live
Legal Theory, Obligations, Contracts, Torts, Property, Evidence & Proof, Disputes and Ethics are being built out next, in the same guides-plus-practice format.
Electives
Elective subjects
Sixteen electives, each with its own page. Cybercrime Law has full module guides; worked problems for the rest are on the way.
Stay in the loop
Get new practice banks and guides: free
Join The JD Tutor Publication: analysis of practice hypotheticals and the traps examiners set, plus a heads-up whenever new subjects, guides and practice problems go live. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is The JD Tutor?
A web-based learning tool for JD and LLB students. It breaks each subject into the key issues examiners test, and walks you through the method for answering them, so you can plan, personalise and optimise your study.
Which subjects does it cover?
The goal is the full Priestley 11: the core of any Australian JD or LLB. Six core subjects are live today with guides and practice banks: Principles of Public Law, Remedies, Corporations Law, Criminal Law & Procedure, Administrative Law and Equity & Trusts. The remaining core subjects and sixteen electives are being built out subject by subject. Join the newsletter to hear when yours goes live.
Will this match my university's subjects?
Mostly. The core law and the method are the same across Australian law schools, but subjects are named and structured differently from one university to the next, and not every topic will be on your syllabus. Treat what's here as the common core, and check your own subject's reading guide to confirm which topics are relevant to you.
How much time does it take?
As little as you have. A drill is a few minutes with instant feedback, a topic guide is one sitting, and the full exam scenarios are there for when you can give it an hour. Short, frequent practice adds up: you do not need to be on top of the lectures and readings before you start.
How do I use it?
Pick a subject, step through the interactive method on its page, and practise applying it to the facts the way an exam demands. Everything runs in your browser, on any device.
Is it free?
Yes. Exploring the subjects and the interactive method is free.
Who built it?
I'm Joseph: a former Melbourne Law School tutor and sessional academic, and most recently an Associate to a Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. I taught every core subject and have spent years learning what works in complex legal study and exam preparation.
Where do you stand on academic integrity?
The JD Tutor helps you understand the law and learn how to tackle problems and exams. It does not write, complete, or sit assessable work for you, and will not help with anything that breaches your university's academic integrity rules. The aim is to make you a stronger, more independent law student. You can read the full terms here.
About
Who's behind this
I'm Joseph. I completed my JD at Melbourne Law School with First-Class Honours, and I've taught most core subjects as a sessional academic at Melbourne Law School, Sydney Law School and Monash University.
Along the way I've worked at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Gilbert + Tobin, and served as an Associate to a Judge at the Supreme Court of Victoria. The JD Tutor is where I put everything I learned about how students actually get better at law.
Contact
Get in touch
Have a question or some feedback? Send a message and I'll get back to you.
Learn the law systematically.
Pick a subject and step through the interactive method that shows you exactly what earns the marks.