Course Title: Civil procedure
Part B: Course Detail
Teaching Period: Term1 2013
Course Code: LAW5193
Course Title: Civil procedure
School: 650T TAFE Business
Campus: City Campus
Program: C6106 - Advanced Diploma of Legal Practice
Course Contact : Doug Gourlay
Course Contact Phone: +61 3 9925 5944
Course Contact Email:doug.gourlay@rmit.edu.au
Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff
Nominal Hours: 51
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
Pre-requisites: VU20111 Legal Process and VU20110 Law of Evidence
Course Description
This course provides skills and knowledge in the area of litigation and civil procedure including the civil jurisdiction, structure, procedure and operation of the courts in Victoria.
National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria
National Element Code & Title: |
VU20117 Civil procedure |
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:
Learning Outcome 1 - Analyse, outline and assess the structure and purpose of the civil courts system as it presently operates within Victoria.
Assessment criteria
1.1 Identify the jurisdictional limits of the Supreme Court, County Court and Magistrates’ Court courts.
1.2 Assess the role and jurisdiction of the Federal Court.
1.3 Examine the role of administrative tribunals in relation to dispute resolution.
1.4 Identify the roles of court personnel.Learning Outcome 2 - Determine and analyse the standard of proof and burden of proof in civil and criminal cases, and specify types of presumptions.
Learning Outcome 2 - Assess the sources of procedural rules and practices in the Supreme Court.
Assessment criteria
2.1 Outline the nature of Court Rules, judicial interpretation of Rules, the Court’s inherent power to control procedure, and practice directions.
2.2 Identify the circumstances in which no rules apply and examine the action to be followed in these situations.
2.3 Examine the power of the Court to prevent abuse of its processes.
Learning Outcome 3 - Analyse the steps prior to litigation and the commencement of litigation.
Assessment criteria
3.1 Analyse and evaluate the steps prior to litigation.
3.2 Examine the commencement of a Supreme and County Court action.
3.3 Examine the requirements of a Magistrates’ Court Complaint.
3.4 Examine the method of .issue of a Writ and Complaint
3.5 Identify the means by which an originating process may be served.
3.6 Examine the requirements of Notice of Appearance (Supreme and County Courts) and Notice of Defence (Magistrates’ Court) including
• conditional appearance
• interlocutory and final judgments in default of .appearance
• judgment in default in the Magistrates’ Court.
Learning Outcome 4 - Assess the nature, function and form of pleadings, particulars and third party procedures.
Assessment criteria
4.1 Identify the course of pleadings.
4.2 Describe the content, form and requirements of a pleading
4.3 Outline the methods of answering an opponent’s pleading.
4.4 Analyse the procedures relating to counterclaims and compare with set-offs.
4.5 Examine the nature and purpose of particulars.
4.6 Examine the procedures relating to the joinder of third and subsequent parties and claims for indemnity or contribution between parties.
Learning Outcome 5 - Analyse interlocutory procedures in defended actions.
Assessment criteria
5.1 Examine the circumstances in which summary judgment is available under Order 22 of the Supreme Court Rules and the applicable procedures.
5.2 Examine the process of discovery of documents.
5.3 Examine the nature and purpose of interrogatories.
5.4 Analyse the uses and effect of Notices to Admit.
5.5 Examine settlement procedures.
5.6 Examine the role of judges, masters and magistrates in the pre-trial stages of litigation.
5.7 Analyse the methods of fixing a date for hearing in the Supreme, County and Magistrates’ Courts.
5.8 Apply the procedures listed above to a court setting using relevant case study material.
Learning Outcome 6 - Analyse and evaluate the process of preparation for trial, the enforcement of judgments or orders and costs.
Assessment criteria
6.1 Analyse the process of preparation for trial.
6.2 Evaluate the process of enforcement of judgments or orders.
6.3 Examine costs considerations in relation to litigation.
Learning Outcome 7 - Evaluate and analyse non-litigious avenues of dispute resolution.
Assessment criteria
7.1 Evaluate mediation as an alternative avenue of dispute resolution with reference to:
• the nature of the process of mediation
• the roles of the parties
• the legal status of outcomes
• pre-issue mediation in the Magistrates’ Court
7.2 Evaluate arbitration as an alternative avenue of dispute resolution with reference to:
• the nature of the process of arbitration
• the roles of the parties
• the legal status of the outcomes
7.3 Analyse the operation of and advantages/disadvantages of alternative avenues of dispute resolution including collaborative law using case study examples.
Details of Learning Activities
Students will study Civil Procedure 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 – 11 Feb | The structure of the court system | |
Week 2 – 18 Feb | The place of procedure in the legal system, historical development of procedure | |
Week 3 – 25 Feb | Sources of procedure, steps before commencement of litigation | |
Week 4 – 4 Mar | Writs and Complaints, service | |
Week 5 – 11 Mar | Appearance, pleadings | |
Week 6 – 18 Mar | Pleadings (continued), particulars, remedies for defective pleading, amendment of pleadings | Assignment given out |
Week 7 – 25 Mar | Counterclaims and set-offs, disposition without trial | Short answer, multiple choice test (30%) |
Mid semester Break (Student Vacation) - 28 March to 3 April | ||
Week 7.5 – 1 Apr | Counterclaims and set-offs, disposition without trial | |
Week 8 – 8 Apr | Joinder of parties, third party procedure, contribution between defendants | |
Week 9 - 15 Apr | Discovery of documents, interrogatories, notices to admit | |
Week 10 – 22 Apr | Court control of interlocutory steps, case management | |
Week 11– 29 Apr | Settlement negotiations, formal offers of compromise and Caldebank offers, setting down for hearing, preparation for trial | Assignment due (30%) |
Week 12 – 6 May | Expert evidence, briefing Counsel, conferences, court fees | |
Week 13 – 13 May | Trial, costs, enforcement of judgments and orders | |
Week 14 – 20 May | Alternative dispute resolution, ethical issues in litigation | |
Week 15 – 27 May | Revision | |
Week 16 – 3 Jun | Final test. Open book (40%) |
Learning Resources
Prescribed Texts
There is no prescribed text for this course. Students will be required to be familiar with, among other things, relevant provisions of the Magistrates’ Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009 the Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2005 and the Civil Procedure Act 2010 (Vic) which can be accessed at www.legislation.vic.gov.au. |
References
Hunter, Cameron & Henning , Litigation I Civil Procedure, LexisNexis Butterworths |
|
Riethmuller, Civil Procedure, LBC nutshell series |
|
Cairns, Australian Civil Procedure, LBC Information Services |
|
Aronson, Hunter and Weinberg, Litigation – Evidence and Procedure, Butterworths |
|
Williams, Civil Procedure, Victoria, Butterworths |
Other 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.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 methods have been designed to measure achievement of the requirements in a flexible manner over a range of assessment tasks, for example:
• Test
• Practical exercise
• Assignment
• Class discussion
• Case study analysis
• Short answer questions
• Oral presentation
• Project (s)
Students are advised that they are likely to be asked to personally demonstrate their assessment work to their teacher to ensure that the relevant competency standards are being met.
Assessment Tasks
Short answer/multiple choice test (closed book) 30%
Assignment 30%
Final test (open book) 40%
To pass this course students must satisfactorily complete all assessment and have a total mark of not less than 50%.
The Assignment must be submitted via Blackboard. You should retain a copy of your Assignment (hard copy and soft copy).
Assessment Matrix
Learning outcome | Written Test 1 | Assignment | Written Test 2 |
Analyse, outline and assess the structure and purpose of the court system as it presently operates within Victoria | X | ||
Assess the sources of procedural rules and practices in the Supreme Court | X | ||
Analyse the steps prior to litigation and the commencement of litigation | X | X | |
Assess the nature, function and form of pleadings, particulars and third party procedures | X | X | |
Analyse interlocutory procedures in defended actions | X | X | |
Analyse and evaluate the process of preparation for trial, the enforcement of judgments or orders and costs | X | ||
Evaluate and analyse non-litigious avenues of dispute resolution | X |
Course Overview: Access Course Overview