LAWS6014A

Legal Practice 1 - Part A

10 Units 6000 Level Course

Not available in 2014

The primary objective of this course is to enable a student to acquire, by way of experiential learning, the specialised technical knowledge and skills required of entry level lawyers. Legal Practice aims to build upon, and enable students to apply, earlier learning in both substantive and procedural law, particularly in the areas of Torts, Contract Law, Criminal Law and Property. The course complements courses studied simultaneously such as Civil Procedure and Professional Conduct.

The course will enable students to develop and practice the specialised technical knowledge and legal and other skills needed for litigation and legal transactions, including effective written and oral communication with clients and parties, court room advocacy, drafting letters and legal documents and settlement of litigious and non-litigious matters.

Objectives On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate specialised technical knowledge of legal practice areas including Consumer Credit, Professional Practice, Environmental Practice and Dispute Resolution.
2. Communicate with real clients, draft letters of advice and legal documents, undertake detailed legal research, effectively participate in negotiation exercises and develop high-level advocacy skills.
3. Identify and critically analyse and reflect on the broader issues in legal practice including the importance of pro bono contributions by the legal profession to the public.
4. Critically reflect on the role of the legal profession in promoting justice and service to the community.
5. Demonstrate judgment, creativity and initiative in applying the law to new and novel factual situations in professional legal practice.
6. Critically reflect on student’s own capabilities and performance and employ the use of feedback in undertaking such reflection.
Content The topics in this course include the following:

1. Introduction to clinical placement and clinical legal education
2. Litigation and legal transactions
3. Communication skills
4. Advocacy
5. Drafting of legal documents
6. Consumer credit law
7. Professional practice
8. Legal research skills and legal reasoning
9. Dispute resolution
10. Environmental law practice
11. Thinking skills and self-management
Replacing Course(s) NA
Transition NA
Industrial Experience 0
Assumed Knowledge LAWS6001, LAWS6002A, LAWS6002B, LAWS6003A, LAWS6003B, LAWS6004A, LAWS6004B, LAWS6005.
Modes of Delivery Internal Mode
Teaching Methods Practicum
Seminar
Assessment Items
Other: (please specify) Please note the assessment items listed for LAWS6014A and LAWS6014B are undertaken over the full academic year. There is a combination of assessement tools used, including problem-based tasks, professional placement, simulated and other practical exercises and portfolio work. In addition, students are required to produce a reflective journal on their placement experience. Students must achieve an ungraded pass in all clinical parts of this course. To achieve an ungraded pass students must successfully complete all assessment tasks including, all simulated and other practical exercises and all clinical placements to a satisfactory standard.
Other: (please specify) Attendance at all classes is compulsory
Contact Hours Practicum: for 7 hour(s) per Fortnight for Full Term
Seminar: for 4 hour(s) per Week for 13 weeks
Practicum: for 8 hour(s) per Week for 13 weeks
Compulsory Components
Requisite by Enrolment This course is only available to students enrolled in the Juris Doctor/Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.