Course Title: Practise In A Legal Environment

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2008

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 – 11th Feb  Introduction, file keeping, taking instructions   
 Week 2 – 18th Feb  Organisations and people in the legal environment. Obtaining specialist assistance  
 Week 3 – 25th Feb  Trust and firm accounts, costs  
 Week 4 – 3rd Mar  Ethical duties of legal practitioners and staff  
 Week 5 – 10th Mar  Labour Day holiday. No class  
 Week 6 – 17th Mar  Communicating with clients  
 Mid Semester Break (Student Vacation) – 20th to 26th March  
 Week 7 – 31st Mar  Legal language, documentation, the uses and abuses of precedents  
 Week 8 – 7th April  Litigation documents  
 Week 9 – 14th April  Litigation documents   
 Week 10 – 21st April  Conveyancing documents  
 Week 11 – 28th April  Conveyancing documents Litigation file due
 Week 12 – 5th May  Commercial documents  
 Week 13 – 12th May  Commercial documents  
 Week 14 – 19th May  Class presentations Conveyancing file due
 Week 15 – 26th May  Class presentations  
 Week 16 – 2nd June  Class presentations Commercial file due
 Week 17 – 9th June  Queen’s Birthday holiday. No class  
Week 18 – 16th 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.dms.dpc.vic.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