Unit Outline

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to put skills and knowledge gained during your Law studies into practice in the University of Tasmania's on-site legal clinic (Student Legal Service), assisting clinic lawyers to interview clients, prepare research, advice and correspondence to and for clients, design community legal education materials, and contribute to policy and law reform efforts. Clinical Legal Practice and Education is now a central feature of law studies across Australian Universities.

This unit provides you with the necessary educational foundation to effectively engage in clinical legal practice within the law degree and as a student volunteer in social justice and community law activities. It allows you to learn about the law in practice, directly contribute to and support vulnerable communities, and reflect on your role as a future lawyer. Clinical legal education provides this while developing your legal skills. You will receive training in legal professional conduct, legal ethics, correspondence and communication, client relations, memo and advice preparation, legal collaboration, and case and firm management. Training and seminars will be delivered by academic staff and guest lecturers from the legal profession.

By completing this unit, you will be better prepared to make genuine and substantial contributions to social justice and volunteering work, either outside your studies or as part of Legal Professional Experience (for which this unit is a prerequisite). The unit connects to the training you will receive in the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the Tasmanian Centre for Legal Studies, facilitating an articulated transition to that program and to legal employment after it.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Reflect critically on the work and obligations of lawyers and other legal professionals, the operation of the legal system and the way in which law is practised
2	Think creatively when approaching real-word legal issues and tailor your response to the circumstances
3	Apply your theoretical legal knowledge and research to a legal problem in an efficient and directed way
4	Demonstrate preliminary practical legal and professional skills and the ability to adopt and utilise the appropriate skills in the circumstances
5	Work independently, collaboratively and under direction in a professional and inclusive manner

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	Selective enrolment

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The order and content of coursework has been updated in light of student feedback.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Skills quizzes	Week 3	15 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Personal Accountability and Reflection Logbooks	Week 4	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 3:	Research Project and Presentation	Week 14	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Skills quizzes

Task Description:

Following compulsory professional skills lectures/workshops, students will undertake online assessment tasks to embed and apply the training and allow for supervisor feedback to support future work integrated learning with actual clinical clients and files.

This task involves three quizzes:
Quiz A: Opens Tues 9AM and closes Wed 4PM in week 3
Quiz B: Opens Tues 9AM and closes Wed 4PM in week 6
Quiz C: Opens Tues 9AM and closes Wed 4PM in week 9

Task Length:

3 x 30 minutes

Due Date:

Week 3 (07/Aug/2024)

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Draw connections between lecture content and assigned readings on the theory and practice of lawyering and other legal professional work	LO1
2	Correctly identify essential skills and knowledge for professional legal practice	LO4
3	Correctly apply lessons about skills and knowledge to hypothetical problems	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Personal Accountability and Reflection Logbooks

Task Description:

Lawyers have responsibilities to a range of persons including their clients, their practice and the justice system (including the Law Society, courts and so on). Those responsibilities require that lawyers:
- manage their individual and collective work in a way that is transparent, honest and accountable;
- collaborate effectively with colleagues, clients and other actors in the legal system; and
- reflect on their work and learn from others.

This task requires students to keep an accurate record of their attendance and participation in clinical work at the Student Legal Service and reflect on and develop their practical, collaborative and leadership skills and ensures that group work is undertaken fairly, transparently and with horizontal and vertical accountability.

Each student must submit five logbook entries which include:
- a log of their attendance at each clinic session and brief summary of tasks undertaken; and
- critical reflections on their role in the clinic both as individuals and as part of their clinic group in response to a set of prompts.

Final marks are determined by reference to the quality of the logbook and an exit interview between the Unit Coordinator and the supervising practitioners/academics who have overseen the student in the conduct of clinical tasks.

Logbooks due Monday 4PM weeks 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12

Task Length:

5 x 600 words

Due Date:

Week 4 (12/Aug/2024)

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Reflect on your role in the clinic and draw connections between the clinic work, the theory and practice of public interest law, and the wider legal system.	LO1
2	Describe clinical activities undertaken and the legal and professional skills utilised to address legal problems in the clinic.	LO2, LO4
3	Describe the connections between your theoretical legal knowledge and legal problems dealt with in the clinic.	LO3
4	Work independently, collaboratively and under direction in a professional and inclusive manner.	LO5

Assessment Task 3: Research Project and Presentation

Task Description:

Students will work in small groups to prepare a written research report related to their clinical work, and give a presentation summarising the report at the end of semester.

Individual marks are determined by reference to the quality and fitness for purpose of the work, the nature of contributions of each individual student, and the quality of the oral presentation.

Task Length:

1,500 words + 7-minute oral presentation per student

Due Date:

Week 14 (30/Oct/2024)

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse legal scholarship and other appropriate resources relating to legal professional work in the public interest.	LO1
2	Prepare a response to a research question that is tailored to the intended audience(s) (e.g. solicitors, clients, members of the public).	LO2
3	Apply relevant concepts, ideas and knowledge to answer a research question concerning legal professional work in the public interest.	LO3
4	Demonstrate a professional communication style via written and oral expression.	LO4
5	Work collaboratively with other students to produce a response to a research question.	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.