Course Title: Practise In A Legal Environment

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2011

Course Code: LAW5109

Course Title: Practise In A Legal Environment

School: 650T TAFE Business

Campus: City Campus

Program: C6070 - Advanced Diploma of Business (Legal Practice)

Course Contact : Doug Cole

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5424

Course Contact Email:doug.cole@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 68

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

LAW5040 Legal Process [VBM898]
LAW5041 Law of Torts [VBM894]
LAW5042 Property Law [VBM896]
LAW5043 Law of Contract [VBM895]
LAW5048 Commercial Law [VBM899]
JUST5009 Law of Evidence [VBM897]

Course Description

This module covers open client file, take instructions and provide required legislative information, consult appropriate specialist(s), obtain, prepare and manage legal documentation, maintain communication with the client and identify and apply legal ethics and practice


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

VBJ207 Practise in a Legal Environment


Learning Outcomes


1. Open client file, take instructions and provide required legislative information.
2. Consult appropriate specialist(s).
3. Obtain, prepare and manage legal documentation.
4. Maintain communication with the client.
5. Identify and apply legal ethics and practice.


Details of Learning Activities

Students will study Practise in a Legal Environment skills and theory in class sessions and through prescribed exercises and assessment work. These concepts will also be explored through the investigation of appropriate real world and simulated environments.


Teaching Schedule

Week Beginning (subject to variation) Topics Assessment
 Week 1 – 7 Feb  Introduction, file keeping, taking instructions   
 Week 2 – 14 Feb  Organisations and people in the legal environment. Obtaining specialist assistance  
 Week 3 – 21 Feb  Trust and firm accounts, costs  
 Week 4 – 28 Feb   Ethical duties of legal practitioners and staff  
 Week 5 – 7 Mar Communicating with clients  
 Week 6 – 14 Mar   Labour Day holiday. No class  
 Week 7 – 21Mar  Legal language, documentation, the uses and abuses of precedents  
 Week 8 – 28 Mar  Litigation documents  
 Week 9 – 4  April Litigation documents   
 Week 10 – 11 April Conveyancing documents  
 Week 11 – 18 April  Conveyancing documents  
Week 11 - 25 Apr Mid Semester Break (Student Vacation) – 21 to 27 April  
 Week 12 – 2 May  Commercial documents Litigation file due
 Week 13 – 9 May  Commercial documents  
 Week 14 – 16 May  Class presentations Conveyancing file due
 Week 15 – 23 May  Class presentations  
 Week 16 – 30 May   Class presentations Commercial file due
 Week 17 – 6 June  Feedback and review of assessment  


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts

There is no prescribed text for this course.


References

R. Curnow, A Practical Students’ Guide to Working in a Legal Environment, Law Crest.
Lewis and Kyrous Handy Hints on Legal Practice (3rd ed.) Lawbook Company.2004
Legal Profession Act 2004 (Vic)
Professional Conduct and Practice Rules 2005
Legal Profession Regulations 2005


Other Resources

Online Resources:
Australasian Legal Information Institute (www.austlii.edu.au)
CCH Online (www.cch.com.au)
ComLaw (www.comlaw.gov.au)
LexisNexis Butterworths Online (www.butterworthsonline.com)
Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents (www.legislation.gov.au)
High Court of Australia (www.hcourt.gov.au)
Federal Court of Australia (www.fedcourt.gov.au)
Federal Magistrates Court (www.fms.gov.au)
Supreme Court of Victoria (www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au)
County Court of Victoria (www.countycourt.vic.gov.au)
Magistrates’ Court of Victoria (www.magistratescourt.vic.gov.au


Overview of Assessment

Assessment will consist of assignments, a presentation and practical exercises (simulated client files).


Assessment Tasks

Assessment that learning outcomes have been achieved will be by:
Submission of three simulated client files 80%
Students will need to satisfactorily complete all work on files to achieve a pass. Marks will be determined by assessment of the following:
- Magistrates’ Court Complaint
- Brief to Counsel
- Letter to client
- Statement of Adjustments and Settlement Statement
- Settlement instructions
- Contract
Oral presentation and report 20%

 To pass this course students must satisfactorily complete all assessment and have a total mark of not less than 50%.


Assessment Matrix

Learning outcome File 1 File 2 File 3 Presentation
Open client file, take instructions and provide required legislative information X X X  
Consult appropriate specialist(s). X      
Obtain, prepare and manage legal documentation X X X  
Maintain communication with the client X X    
Identify and apply legal ethics and practice       X

Course Overview: Access Course Overview