LAWS6029Social Justice/Public Interest Clinic

Course handbook

Description

The primary objective of this course is to enable a student to acquire, by way of experiential learning and otherwise, the specialised technical knowledge and professional legal skills in social justice lawyering and public interest lawyering. The course will enable students to develop and practice the specialised technical and legal skills needed for social justice and public interest legal cases including effective written and oral communication with clients, parties and organisations, public interest advocacy, detailed legal research and drafting law reform submissions and research projects. This course draws upon academic and clinical knowledge, skills, experience and application to render a practical and effective contribution to public interest advocacy and justice. Students are engaged in the supervised preparation and carriage of particular public interest cases or projects and interactive seminars covering the variety of potential public interest advocacy avenues available through law, whether class actions, pro bono lawyering, refugee advocacy, international law, submission writing, law reform, innocence projects, judicial and parliamentary inquiries, alliance building, representation of protestors, using the media or accessing government information. From engagement in public interest advocacy students will learn about the law's techniques, methods and limits in doing justice.

Availability

Not currently offered.

This Course was last offered in Semester 1 - 2020.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate specialised knowledge and skills necessary to be effective public interest lawyers.

2. Contribute to supporting social justice through advice and assistance to marginalised clients and not for profit organisations and charities.

3. Integrate the theory and practice of social justice and public interest lawyering through the use of complex research, technical writing and advocacy skills.

4. Critically reflect on the concepts of access to justice, public interest lawyering and professional responsibility including the complex ethical and professional conduct principles that apply.

5. Identify and analyse barriers that disadvantaged persons face when accessing justice and the legal system.

6. Identify and critically analyse the issues in legal practice.

7. Demonstrate high level personal autonomy, expert judgment and accountability in dealing with specialised social justice and public interest issues, principles and concepts.

Content

Topics in this course include:

1. Introduction to clinical placement and clinical legal education;
2. Class actions, pro bono lawyering, refugee advocacy, international law, submission writing, law reform, innocence projects, judicial and parliamentary inquiries, alliance building, representation of protestors, using the media or accessing government information.
3. Advanced communication skills
4. Public interest advocacy
5. Advanced legal drafting and submissions
6. Advanced legal research skills and legal reasoning

The course will consist of supervised participation and carriage of current public interest cases or projects, the presentation of a seminar and the submission of a research essay which can be used in the public interest case or for a law reform submission.

Requisite

This course is only available to students enrolled in one of the programs:

[12333] Master of Laws

[12334] Juris Doctor/Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (JD)

[12340] Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[12341] Bachelor of Social Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[12342] Bachelor of Communication/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[12343] Bachelor of Aboriginal Professional Practice/Bachelor of Laws(Honours)

[12346] Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[12347] Bachelor of Laws (Honours)/Diploma of Legal Practice

[12348] Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40036] Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40037] Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40129] Bachelor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40130] Bachelor of Development Studies/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40150] Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40188] Bachelor of Global Indigenous Studies/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40189] Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40272] Bachelor of Criminology/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40279] Bachelor of Coastal and Marine Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40280] Bachelor of Biomedicine/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[40290] Bachelor of Psychological Science/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[50005] Bachelor of Media and Communication/Bachelor of Laws (Honours)

[50016] Juris Doctor

Assumed knowledge

LAWS6000 Legal System and Method I, and LAWS6001 Legal System and Method II

LAWS6002A Torts Part A, or LAWS6120 Torts I

LAWS6002B Torts Part B, or LAWS6121 Torts II

LAWS6003A & LAWS6003B Criminal Law & Procedure Part A & B, or LAWS6130 Criminal Law & Procedure

LAWS6004A Contracts Part A, or LAWS6140 Contracts I

LAWS6004B Contracts Part B, or LAWS6141 Contracts II

LAWS6005 Property

Assessment items

Participation: Seminar participation

Online Learning Activity: Blog

Presentation: Seminar presentation

Written Assignment: Research assignment/case submission

Course outline

Course outline not yet available.