Practical Legal Skills 2012
20 August - 7 September
The Practical Legal Skills (PLS) program is designed to give you an insight into the law in practice. Students have an opportunity to participate in team work, develop your broad technical skills and enhance your presentation skills, all whilst gaining valuable courtroom experience.
This approach to legal training is a hallmark of our LLB program, is compulsory for all students and reflects our commitment to integrating practical legal training with theoretical training.
PLS Units*
The Program
PLS units are offered wholly online. Materials, resources and details of preparation, training, team selection, and assessment are made available via Deakin Studies Online (DSO). Preparation for each task is undertaken in teams of two, three or four (depending on the task).
PLS Assessment 2012
Approximately 1400 students will undertake PLS in 2012. Each PLS assessment task (Moot, Mediation, Arbitration & Witness Examination) forms 100% of the assessment for the unit.
Students who successfully complete the PLS assessment task will receive an ungraded pass (UP) which will appear on their academic transcript. Students who fail the PLS assessment task or do not attend will receive a fail grade (N) and will be required to repeat the unit.
Retired judges, solicitors, barristers, academics and members of the legal profession are appointed as Judges for this task and students acting as witnesses take part in the Witness Examination activities.
*Co-requisite units
All PLS units have a co-requisite unit that ensures students have the necessary knowledge to be able to effectively complete each assessment task. Please check the unit handbook for details.
How can I prepare?
There are plenty of resources available for you on the DSO sites. A great way to prepare for PLS is to participate in the Deakin Law Students Society (DLSS) Moot competitions that are run in Trimester 1. For further details go to the DLSS Melbourne Campus and Geelong Campus.
More detailed information can be found on the 2012 Handbook and the following flyers.
Sunday 1 July
Enrolments for the PLS program close
Students can access PLS units on DSO
Monday 9 July
T2 commences
Friday 20 July 5pm
Last day to register your team on DSO
Last day to withdraw from a PLS unit without penalty
PLS team schedules are available to students via DSO
Tuesday 7 - Sunday 19 August
Teams prepare for assessment task
Monday 20 August - Friday 7 September
PLS Assessment Period
Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September
PLS Off Campus Weekend Assessments
Friday 30 September 5pm
PLS results posted on DSO
Off campus students can undertake their assessment task at any of the available locations or during the PLS Off Campus Assessment Weekend held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September 2012, Melbourne Campus, Burwood. Students indicate their preference during team registration on DSO.
eLive is available to off campus students who live remotely (i.e. interstate or internationally) only. Students who are considering this option should contact the PLS Coordinator if you are considering this option.
PLEASE note only students enrolled as Off Campus student will be permitted to attend during the Off Campus period.
All questions relating to PLS should be directed to the PLS Coordinator.
