School of Law - Undergrad
Faculty of Business and Law
Orientation towards practising law
The LLB and combined Law programs are designed
principally as qualifications for entry to the legal profession. Whilst the Law
School recognises that not all law graduates practise law, the LLB course
was developed with the belief that its primary
role is to equip graduates with the knowledge, skills and attitudes which are
necessary for the professional practise of law.
The development of professional skills
Law students will emerge from Deakin
with a broad technical competency, a specialisation in commercial law and an
appreciation of how the law operates
in practice. They will also have acquired highly developed research and analytical
capabilities, a facility to quickly master a situation and the ability to present
a case in a persuasive and convincing manner. All of these elements are important
components of our legal training.
Award to develop innovative teaching
A team from the School of Law received
a Commonwealth grant from the Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching
to develop materials
for the School's 'Practical Legal Skills Training' course.
Practical legal
skills training is the application of legal theory to the problems and tasks
encountered by lawyers in practice.
This approach to legal training is perhaps
a distinguishing characteristic of law at Deakin and reflects our commitment
to integrating practical legal training in all our programs.
Practical Legal Skills training
Practical Legal Skills training is conducted
each year through the medium of fictional law firms. The firms are assigned
tasks designed to train students
to apply their theoretical learning to the practical work performed by lawyers.
The tasks involved include:
Professional experience
As part of its orientation towards
practising law, the Deakin LLB requires students to acquire some experience
of legal practice during their
course by working for a period each year in a law related environment. This
requirement is designed to enrich each student's formal legal education
and to ensure that our graduates have practical experience of the operation
of the law and those who work in the legal system.
Professional experience placements may occur in any environment in which a student can gain experience on how the law, or the legal system, operates in practice. Placements with a solicitor or barrister, in a public law or regulatory office such as the ACCC, ASIC or Crown Law Department, in a court, or with a police prosecutor are examples. It is not expected that there be any formal instruction for the student. Rather, they are expected only to be able to experience the work undertaken by those working at the placement. In particular, it is hoped that they will be able to experience some or all of the following:
Law Clinic
In conjunction with community Legal Services, the Law School offers
a clinical skills unit. Students work at a legal service under the supervision
of a legal
practitioner and assist the practitioner, take instructions and advise and
represent clients. This forms the basis of the development of skills in interviewing,
counselling, negotiation, communication and advocacy.
Dispute resolution
Dispute Resolution is an important part of the LLB program.
Because of its importance within our program, students are required to complete
exercises
in the following, over the duration of their course:
These exercises assist students to acquire skills in advocacy, research and the preparation of a brief. Within the structure and procedures of a court setting, students are required to develop and argue a case as part of a team. Students are also encouraged to participate in a number of mooting competitions.
