Course Title: Legal and Professional Frame Work

Part A: Course Overview

Course ID: 002982

Course Title: Legal and Professional Frame Work

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
JUST1076	City Campus	Postgraduate	615H Accounting & Law	Distance / Correspondence	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 2 2007

Course Coordinator: Elizabeth Shi

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 99251319

Course Coordinator Email: Elizabeth.Shi@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: melbourne

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

There are no prerequisites for this course, other than those required for the degree in general.

Course Description

One of the most important attributes of a financial planner is to be able to communicate complex legal issues clearly to clients. This course will introduce students to the legal issues that financial advisers need to consider when looking at the financial affairs of their clients and develop their skills in analysing and communicating complex matters to their clients and other professionals. The course will consider:

•The role and duties of financial advisers in relation to their duties to the client and their agency

•The regulatory environment dealing with investments and participants in the financial investment industry

•The nature and establishment of the law dealing with investments and providers of investment products

•The nature and establishment of the different legal structures which might appropriate for clients

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

The Masters in Financial Planning degree has been prepared for independent study and uses methodology appropriate for distance learning. The modules in the course guide are the main study resource, and are reinforced by varied uses of the internet. This forms an expansive approach designed to develop both research and presentation skills, as well as equip you for the practices of financial planning.

At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:

* Read and interprete the Corporation Law, legal documents such as trust deeds, partnership agreements, articles and memoranda, you will appreciate the reasons for the way law is framed and also the meaning of the documents that create structures used by your clients. 

* Have developed skills in statutory interpretation which will assist in your ability to communicate complex matters to your clients as well as to fellow professionals 

 * Demonstrate your knowledge of the legal/regulatory environment and be aware of the reasons for the continual changes. You will also appreciate the changing financial framework in which you operate as professionals. 

* Apply  enhanced legal knowledge and analytical skills, which will allow you to provide better quality advice to better, suit your client’s circumstances. 

* Understand the client’s circumstances and develop skills that help you understand the law and how the problems of your client may be resolved. The course will encourage you to resolve the client’s problems and think outside the "square". This creativity aspect will flow on in all the subjects of the Masters course. 

* Appreciate that the legal issues and framework are only one aspect of the environment in which you and your client have to operate. 

Overview of Learning Activities

* key concepts and their appication will be explained in online notes

* Students will have opportunities to engage in Online discussion forums

* Students will complete assignments and exams

Overview of Learning Resources

The modules in the online materials are the main study resource, and are reinforced by textbooks, and varied uses of the internet.

Overview of Assessment

The assessment would normally comprise two assignments and a take home exam paper.