Units

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Sample subject outline - 6 Week Teaching Period - 4 2013

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

Rationale

The Australasian Professional Legal Education Council and the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (2000) Practical legal training: competency standards for entry level lawyers (the Standards) require students to complete some of their pre-admission training in a placement. This unit is designed to fulfil that requirement.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide you with the opportunity to observe and participate in the delivery of legal services in a real life context under supervison.

Objectives

On completion of this unit, you should (at a level appropriate for an entry level lawyer):

• demonstrate a commitment to professionalism and ethical practice in the context of a 'real life' legal practice;


• have an awareness of the dynamics of the real life practice of law; and


• have an enhanced understanding of at least one area of legal practice;

Content

The skills and attributes developed in this unit are:

• ethics & professionalism;


• communication;


• work management; and


• lawyering skills in the field of practice to which you are exposed in the placement.

The practice areas to which you are exposed in Placement will depend on where you are placed and the work being done there at the time.
QUT expects graduates will have developed graduate capabilities of a kind and level appropriate to their award. Subject to the opportunities that your particular placement is able to provide you, this unit aims to develop the capabilities that are identified below;

Attitudinal skills
Ethical orientation
Social justice orientation
Pro-active behaviour

Cognitive skills
Problem solving
Discipline knowledge
Ethical knowledge
Legal analysis

Relational skills
Work independently
Working with others

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

In this unit your learning is situated in real life legal proceedings and transactions being conducted by the law office in which you are placed for a period of 4 weeks or equivalent. You learn by observing, reflecting and participating. We will provide you with a reflective journal in which you will record your experiences and reflections on those experiences. Your journal must not contain any information that will identify the firm's clients, or their matters, or otherwise breach client confidentiality.

Assessment

Assessment context

Journal

Formative assessment is provided by a journal which you must keep and hand in.

Date Due - Last day of placement
Weight - 0%.

Problem

During Placement you will be provided with a problem to complete over a specified weekend. The problem will be designed to test your understanding of one or more of the practice areas covered in the GradDipLegalPrac and your ability to identify and provide practical solutions to legal, procedural, ethical and professional responsibility problems.

Date Due - Date specified
Weight - 0%.

This unit is assessed on a pass/fail basis. To pass you must complete your journal and hand it in by the due date and you must make a satisfactory attempt at the 'problem' by the due date. The criteria for 'satisfactory' are contained in the course assessment policy. You must also attend your placement for 4 weeks during normal office hours and comply with your supervisor's reasonable directions.

Assessment name: Laboratory/Practical
Relates to objectives: n/a
Weight: 100%
Internal or external: External
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Various

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

We will provide you with electronic copies of any problems that you have to work through for the unit, via QUT Blackboard.

You will be able to access other resource materials via the QUT Library or internet.

Risk assessment statement

The risks are those associated with having students attend off-campus and being placed under supervision of people who are not QUT staff.

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: 19-Dec-2012