MLL442 - Advanced Legal Practice
Unit details
| Year: | 2024 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Not offered in 2024 |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Cohort rule: | (For Bachelor of Laws students only) |
| Prerequisite: | Students must have approval from the unit chair to enrol in this unit and must have passed MLP235 plus 5 MLL/MLP/MLT coded law units |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the trimester undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
| In-person attendance requirements: | 30 classroom contact hours: 6 contact hours per day (2 x 1 hour on-campus lectures and 2 x 2 hour on-campus seminars) for 5 days and 2-6 Courtroom observation hours. Attendance is required. |
Note:Places are limited. Please email unit chair to enrol into the unit. Students may be required to obtain a Police Check before undertaking this unit. | |
Content
This unit is explicitly intended to extend skills and knowledge, developed in core subjects studied in the law curriculum, by exploring the relationship between theory, practice and the legal profession. This is done with a lens provided by an externally recognised expert in the field. Students will be challenged by emerging legal issues found in legal practice (within the selected area), taking into account institutional practices, relevant laws and legal processes. Students will be required to employ the skills they have developed throughout the course of their legal studies (eg, legal research and writing skills, critical thinking skills, etc) to produce output as required by practice to the legal problem under study (eg, legal pleading, application, letter of advice, etc). The specialist area that forms the subject of this unit may vary annually. Specific details will be identified by DLS and notified to students as these become known and prior to enrolment being made available. The essential focus of the unit will be to expose students to the practice of law and how it intersects with the theory and doctrine learned throughout their studies; to reflect on issues of legal principle relating to specific issues and controversies and to develop responses as governed by legal practice.
This unit provides students with a unique and invaluable opportunity to engage with some of the foremost experts and practitioners during their time at university.
By undertaking this unit, students acquire a diverse range of practical legal skills including: the capacity to undertake legal research and apply legal research to factual scenarios; the ability to synthesise professional, technical and ethical knowledge acquired in the law degree and apply it in a practical legal context; skills in critical thinking and legal judgment; the capacity to independently devise legal solutions for complex legal problems; and the capacity to identify and respond to ethical, moral and professional dilemmas in legal practice.
Students also develop an appreciation of social justice issues and have a heightened awareness of the operation of the criminal justice system, law reform needs and policy issues which face courts and criminal lawyers. The skills developed in this unit will be useful for students who wish to practice law (especially criminal law), along with students interested in policy, government and social justice career pathways.
| ULO | These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | At the completion of this unit and through independent learning, successful students can research legal principles, statutes and legal doctrine relevant to the topic area to develop a specialised understanding and aptitude. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | At the completion of this unit, successful students can apply the acquired discipline-specific knowledge and skills to complete and evaluate activities commonly undertaken in a legal environment using an available and authentic legal avenue of recourse. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | At the completion of this unit, successful students can critically examine and discuss approaches that practitioners may adopt to resolve contemporary legal issues relevant to the topic area. | GLO2: Communication GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO4 | At the completion of this unit, successful students can reflect on the ethical and professional duties and obligations which apply in a legal environment, drawing on relevant academic studies and explain how such issues are handled in practice. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: (Group of 2 or Individual) In Class Presentation | 15-20 minutes | 25% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 2: (Individual) Written Reflection (self) | 1000 words | 15% | Information not yet available |
| Assessment 3: (Individual) Problem Based Written Assignment | 4000 words | 60% | Information not yet available |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Hurdle requirement
Hurdle requirement: Mandatory attendance
Learning Resource
Texts and reading lists for units can be found on the University Library via the following link. Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
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