Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2012

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

This unit is one of a series of work integrated learning units designed to provide you with the experience of using and developing your legal knowledge and skills in a real world context. The other units in this series include LWB413 (Queensland Parliamentary Internship), LWB418 Competition Moots, LWB419 Competition Moots, LWB420 (Internship), LWB422 Virtual Placement and LWB456 (Legal Clinic-Organised Program). These units will provide you with an authentic learning experience through a diverse range of real world legal environments. Through this experience you should be better placed for a smooth transition to the workplace.

The distinguishing features of this unit are:

• You will complete an on-site legal placement either in a legal office under the supervision of a lawyer qualified to practice law in the jurisdiction in which the placement takes place. The requirement for the supervisor to hold a practising certificate may be waived at the discretion of the unit coordinator (eg where the placement is in a government legal office). The placement must be for a minimum of 60 hours.


• You must arrange your own placement in a legal office. Placements must be approved by the unit coordinator by the end of week 3 of semester. A confirmation of placement form is available to be downloaded from the unit Blackboard site.


• Your placement may be in any one of the diverse range of law graduate employment destinations such as a firm of solicitors, barrister's chambers, corporate legal office, government legal office or community legal centre.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a real world, work integrated learning experience through your supervised placement in one of a diverse range of legal workplace environments. Through this experience you should develop an understanding of:

• the dynamic relationship between academic knowledge and skills and their practical application in a legal workplace;


• the importance of being able to work independently, learn from experience and engage in reflective practice; and


• professional and ethical responsibilities in the context of completing your placement.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Reflect on and learn from experience individually and in collaboration with students and work colleagues.
2. Appraise social, professional and ethical issues which arise in a legal workplace.
3. Solve real world problems by applying and extending existing legal knowledge and skills within a legal workplace.
4. Create connections between diverse areas of legal knowledge and understand the practical application of knowledge and skills in a dynamic legal workplace;
5. Understand human behaviour and the importance of developing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships and effective communication within a legal workplace;
6. Take responsibility for your own work place skill development, professional learning and career management.

Content

The substantive law content of the unit will depend on your placement and the tasks allocated by the supervising lawyer.

The unit consists of the following components:

• Preparation for the placement;


• Attendance and working in the placement with at least 60 hours being spent working in the office of the assigned placement;


• Participation in an online discussion form; and


• Reflection upon your learning during and after the placement.

Placements must satisfy the following requirements to be eligible for the purposes of the unit:

The placement must take place between weeks four to twelve of semester and be at least 60 hours in duration;

The placement must be in a legal office (such as a firm of solicitors, barrister's chambers, corporate legal office, government legal office or community legal centre);

The student must be performing legal work;

The student must be supervised by a lawyer qualified to practice law in the jurisdiction in which the placement takes place; and

The supervising lawyer should not ordinarily be a member of the student's family.

Skills
In this unit you will further develop the following skills:
1. Critical thinking and legal analysis
2. Research
3. Problem solving
4. Oral and written communication
5. Ethical orientation
6. Social justice orientation
7. Reflective practice, the ability to work independently and time management

Graduate Capabilities
Your understanding of the unit content and the further development of these skills will assist you to acquire the following law graduate capabilities:
1. Discipline Knowledge Skills
2. Problem Solving, Reasoning and Research
3. Effective Communication
4. Life Long Learning
5. Work Independently and Collaboratively
6. Professional, Social and Ethical Responsibility

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

As a final year unit the teaching approach is to assist you to work independently and assume responsibility for your own learning. In order to achieve the learning objectives of the unit a range of teaching and learning approaches will be employed. These include:

Online academic learning support in preparation for the placement and the assessment of student learning;

• Liaison between the unit coordinator and the workplace supervising lawyer;


• Individual consultation between you and the unit coordinator;


• Experiential learning and reflective practice;


• Collaborative learning by students using the online discussion forum; and


• The Supervising lawyer's feedback and evaluation.

Assessment

In order to achieve a passing grade in this unit you must submit a satisfactory attempt at every assessment item described below. If you do not submit a satisfactory attempt on any assessment item you will be invited to resubmit that item of assessment within a reasonable time. In that case an email will be sent to your student email address notifying you of the opportunity to resubmit.Students will receive feedback on the assessment items and learning activities in the unit through written comments on criteria sheets and individual contact with the unit coordinator by phone and email. Students will also receive feedback from the unit coordinator and fellow students on their online discussion forum contributions. In addition, placement supervisors will provide students with ongoing feedback throughout their placement including a written interim report and a written response on completion of their placement.

Assessment name: Placement Plan
Description: Your Placement Plan shall be approximately 2000 words and must use the template provided. The placement plan should include details of your placement and how the placement was secured, your learning goals, planned activities during the placement, certificate of completion of required Placement Preparation Modules and the signed agreement of the supervising lawyer. Your placement plan shall be 2000 words (including the words provided in the template).

Weighting:Satisfactory result must be according to published assessment criteria
Relates to objectives: The placement plan relates to all unit outcomes.
Weight: 10%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of Week 4

Assessment name: Online Discussion Forum
Description: You are required to post contributions to the online discussion forum on QUT Blackboard. Your assessment will be based on your involvement in the discussion forum and the quality of your contributions to the discussion.

Weighting: Satisfactory result must be according to published assessment criteria.
Relates to objectives: The online forum relates to all unit objectives.
Weight: 15%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout semester

Assessment name: Student Portfolio
Description: You are required to submit a critical incident report of your achievement in relation to four of the goals set out in your Professional Plan. The critical incident report should be between 3000 and 4000 words.

Weight: Satisfactory result must be according to published assessment criteria
Relates to objectives: Relates to all learning outcomes.
Weight: 35%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 13

Assessment name: Supervisors Report
Description: The demonstration of your skills in the workplace will be assessed by your work placement supervisor. You will be assessed on your ability to perform legal tasks, apply legal skills, communicate (orally and in writing), perform effectively in a work team and cope with workplace challenges.

Weighting: Satisfactory result must be according to published assessment criteria
Relates to objectives: 2-3
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Both
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 13

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Prescribed Materials
There is no set text for this unit. A study guide will be available for purchase through the QUT bookshop.

Recommended Reference Materials
Reference material will be placed on the QUT Course Materials Database (CMD). Various learning materials will be available as a resource though the unit Blackboard site.

Risk assessment statement

Whilst on placement you will be covered by QUT Workers' Compensation public liability and professional indemnity insurance provided your employer doesn't pay you. If your employer does pay you (which is not expected as part of your placement), you need to be covered under their policy.

You will have to familiarise yourself with the workplace health and safety rules of the particular placement.

You will be expected to observe your duty of confidence to your work placement office and you may be required by your work placement office to sign a confidentiality agreement and agree not to disclose any information divulged to you in the course of your placement to any person outside the work placement office.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 18-May-2012