Margaret Castles (Course Coordinator)
Skye Schunke (Equal Opportunity Commission Legal Advice Service and Magistrates Court Legal Advice Service Supervisor)
Patrick Wille (Magistrates Court Legal Advice Service Supervisor)
Ross Savvas (Adelaide Legal Outreach Service Supervisor)

Training Day 12 January 10.00 - 5.00

Seminars Monday 5- 7 pm 15, 22, 29 January and 5, 12, 19 February

Placement 2 days per week weeks 15 January - 23 February

Some students may be required to attend agency induction in week prior to semester commencing, by prior arrangement.

This course offers a limited number of students the opportunity to participate in legal practice whilst completing a three point elective subject. Students are placed at one of two legal advice services operated by the Law School, or at other community focussed legal service agencies, for one day a week for 12 weeks in Semester 1 and 2, or for two days per week over 6 weeks in Summer semester, as well as participating in an academically focussed seminar program. This course will equip later year law students with a critical appreciation the operation of law in a practical setting, the day to day and long term impact of law on the community, justice access, dimensions of community lawyering as a social and professional phenomenon, and the ethical and professional dimensions of legal practice.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Critical and applied knowledge of the operation of theoretical legal principles in a practical legal setting
2. Nuanced and internalised experience of the role of the lawyer and the legal profession in the provision of a just and accessible legal syste
3. Advanced theretically informed legal practice skills in dealing with clients in legal practice, including the capacity to analyse and apply different theoretical models of client centered practice
4. The capacity to exercise forensic judgment and make informed and considered decisions in a legal practice environment
5. The capacity to work effectively and reliably in a professional environment, both individually and as a member of a team
6. The refinement and development of oral and written communication skills of a high order;

Communication Skills: The continuing development of good inter-personal and communication skills is widely recognised as important for all graduates. This course specifically seeks to develop students’ abilities to engage in a wide range of written and oral communication activities, in the day to day clinical work on placement, and involvement in interactive seminar program. Assessment is also based in part upon communication skills in a range of different contexts.

All materials required for this course will be provided via MYUNI either in the form of allocated readings, seminar guides, training materials, and references to resources available online.

South Australian Solicitors Conduct Rules 2012

Most course materials will be provided via MYUNI.

If students are directed to participate in any online discussion forums as a result of absence from any class OR in substitute for seminars missed due to public holidays, participation in such forum will be compulsory.

Additional information and links to sites of interest or current interest will be accessed via MyUni links.

Students are required to check MyUni regularly (at least weekly) to keep up to date with online activities.

Online discussion forums and Facebook/blog activities may be introduced from time to time as advised to students during the semester.

Teaching in this subject is by way of one 7 hour training day, 6x2 hour weekly seminars, and two days per week on placement.

MYUNI, Facebook, or blogs may be used as a basis for online discussion and posting links.
Students in this course are required to attend and participate in the Training Day, and a minimum of 5 out of 6 face to face seminars as a prerequisite to passing the subject, and must participate in any online discussion forum set up as an alternative to classes missed due to absence of individual students or public holidays.

Seminars are an important component of learning in this course. The communication skills developed in tutorials by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

The modeling of cogent reporting, the open minded discussion of ideas and values, and the evaluative discussion of experience and practice by reference to principles set out in course materials are essential components in achieving the goals of the course (outlined above).

Participation in seminars requires demonstrated familiarity with reading materials, preparation of tasks or preparation allocated before seminars, engagement in discussion or activities in seminars. Students are not able to demonstrate the above will be considered not to have "participated" in seminars to a satisfactory level.

Students who fail to attend the Training Day without approval and completion of agreed substituted learning activities will not be permitted to attend placement or continue with the course.

The University expects full-time students to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies.

In this course students must attend a one day training/induction session preparatory to commencing their legal placement, 5 out of 6 x 2 hour seminars, and two days of placement (9 am - 5 pm) per week for 6 weeks.

Students may be required to attend additional induction sessions (usually by negotiation in the week prior to the placement commencing).

In addition students will be expected to complete assessment (journal, writing exercise, major project) outside placement/seminar hours.

The topics covered will include:

• The concept of professionalism and models of lawyering
• Client centered legal practice (theory and practice)
• Client Interviewing
• Legal Writing
• Evaluation of Different Models for dealing with clients
• Reflective learning techniques and self reflective practices 
• Legal ethics 
• Justice access 
• Law reform
• Self care and care of others in the legal profession

One of the primary methodologies adopted in this course is the sharing of experience and insight obtained by students on placement in seminars. Students attend placement for one or two days per week, and then attend classes where one objective is the discussion, evaluation and critique of experiences they have had and observations they have made. The participation of students in a structured way in seminars is a critical aspect of the teaching methodology. In seminars students are also expected to demonstrate the capacity to relate what they are experiencing on placement to the theoretical issues that are dealt with in the materials. Small class size and a student led approach to discussion results in students having ample opportunity to participate in this way. Student articulation of observation and experience in turn provides the basis for evaluation by the class of issues, problems, and concepts experienced in practice with reference to legal theory. Class participation plays  a central role in the presentation of seminars, and students have a responsible and significant role. In order to recognise gender, cultural, and learning preferences in the class context, the following strategies are used in seminars:

• small group collaborative work on specified short exercises for reporting to larger group (groups of 2 – 6),
• large group discussion,
• allocated questions,
• role plays,
• invitations to speak on issues arising on placement,
• small group discussion,
• quizzes, hypotheticals,  and problem solving exercises

Students must attend on placement and demonstrate capacity to engage in placement activities including interviewing clients, written work, and case management, with the support and direction of a placement supervisor. Students must receive at least 50% (Pass) for the placement component of the course to pass the course.

Clinical Legal Education is of its nature a small group discovery experience. Students work in small teams of 2 - 8 under the supervision of a solicitor. The primary learning methodology of CLE is student led exploration and investigation in acheiving case work outcomes, and completing self directed project work. Autonomy, personal responsiblity, evaluation and reflection are critical aspects of the pedagogy of CLE and are embedded in all aspects of the student experience.

Assessment Item	% of final mark	Due Date	Task Detail (Group or Individual)	Redeemable (yes/no)	Length	Coures Learning Outcomes	Note
Professional Journal	30%	To be advised in Week 1 of Summer Semester via MyUni					The journal is an exercise in deep reflective learning. Students journal each week, and then select and submit their best entries for submission and assessment. To ensure that students are supported in journalling, they are given guiding materials and time is allocated to journalling in class. Students also have the option (in Summer) of submitting their first 3 journal entries online for non assessed feedback to assist them to develop reflective rather than narrative/descriptive style. These must be submitted online by Monday each week on 22, 29 January and 5 February The final journal consisting of 5 entries over 6 weeks will be submitted in the first Week of Semester 1.
Class Participation	P/F
Project and explanatory methodology	30%	Due date to be advised in Week 1 of Summer Semester via MyUni					Students have the option of working in groups for the Project. Grades may be differentially awarded if different levels of contribution and participation are evident. Methodology submitted as part of the project assignment is required and indicates the nature participation of each student in any group project work. Both project and methodology are graded, with approximate equal weighting to the process and the outcome. Anticipated due date 12 March (but will be earlier for graduating students).
Performance on placement	20% (assessment by supervisor)
Portfolio	20%	26 February					The portfolio will conist of 3 annotated pieces of written work prepared by students on placement. 2 letters (annotated to indicate reflection of clear plain English communication principles) and one other piece of work of students choice which may be a case analysis/strategy; an opinion or other advisory note; an information publication, or a summary of a meeting or other engagement. Studnets will be required to indicate why they have chosen this final piece of work and why they value it.

 

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Redeemable (Yes/no)	Learning Outcome
Professional Journal		See MyUni	30%
Class Participation			P/F
Project and explanatory methodology		See MyUni	30%
Performance on placement			20% (assessment by supervisor)
Portfolio		26 February	20%

 
IMPORTANT NOTE: Students wishing to graduate in May 2017 will be required to submit assessable work earlier than other students in order to meet graduation sign off deadlines. Graduating students will be advised in Week 1 of Summer Semester when their assessment is due.
 

Detailed information about

• Content of Assessment
• Grade Descriptors and Grading evaluation
• Marking rubrics

will be provided on MYUNI

Details of assessment activities including expectations for individual assessment items and marking criteria will be provided on MyUni.

Submission of Journal (Parts 1 and 2) must be submitted electronically via Turnitin. This means that all papers will be electronically checked for plagiarism.

Submission of Project and Methodolgy is in hard copy (with electronic back up copies to be provided if requested)

Communication Practicum is on TURNITIN.

Courses for which a result of conceded pass has been obtained may not be presented towards the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Laws or the Honours Degree of Bachelor of Laws programs, or any postgraduate law program, nor to satisfy prerequisite requirements within any law course.

Finality of Assessment Grades

Students are advised that Course Coordinators will not enter into negotiations of any kind with any student regarding changes to their grades. It is irrelevant, in any given circumstance, that only a minimal number of additional marks are required to inflate a student’s grade for any individual assessment item or course as a whole. Pursuant to the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policyand the Adelaide Law School Assessment Policies and Procedures, grades may only be varied through the appropriate channels for academic review (such as an official re-mark).

Moderation

In accordance with the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, course coordinators ‘ensure that appropriate marking guidelines and cross-marking moderation processes across markers are in place’ in each course. Procedures adopted by Adelaide Law School to ensure consistency of marking in courses with multiple markers include:

• assurance of the qualifications of markers, and their knowledge of the content covered in each course;
• detailed marking guidelines and assessment rubrics to assist in the marking of items of assessment;
• sharing of example marked assessments at various grade bands across markers;
• reviewing of selected marked assessments from each marker by the course coordinator;
• comparison of the marks and their distribution across markers;
• automatic double-marking of all interim assessment receiving a fail grade, and of final assessments where a student’s overall result is a fail grade;
• the availability of re-marking of assessments in accordance with Adelaide Law School’s Assessment Policies and Procedures.

Approval of Results by Board of Examiners

Students are reminded that all assessment results are subject to approval (and possible moderation/change) by the Law School’s Board of Examiners. Assessment results at the University are not scaled. Under the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, students are assessed ‘by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards … and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course’. However, under that same policy, the Board of Examiners (as the relevant Assessment Review Committee for courses at Adelaide Law School) is required to ‘ensure comparability of standards and consistency’ in assessment. On occasions, the Board of Examiners will form the view that some moderation is required to ensure the comparability of standards and consistency across courses and years, and accordingly provide fairness to all law students. All assessment results are therefore subject to approval (and possible change) until confirmed by the Board of Examiners and posted on Access Adelaide at the end of each semester.

This course has a small enrolment of under 30 students each semester. Since  the introduction of e selts the number of responses to SELTS in this subject is small, often falling below the requisite benchmark for provision of a report to the Course Coordinator. 

This means that SELTS for this subject are not processed or provided to the Course Coordinator, or tutors, so no feedback from students is available. 

There are 3 tutors in this subject, who each tutor between 6 and 12 students. Because no report of SELTS is provided where responses are less than 6, no SELT feedback is ever available to Course Coordinators and tutors in this subject. 

This means that anonymous evaluative feedback has not been available in this subject for some years, depriving the Course Coordinator and tutors of meaningful feedback.

The University Writing Centre provides academic learning and language development services and resources for local, international, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students enrolled at the University of Adelaide.

The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus (law and wellbeing) is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at destigmatising mental health issues; promoting physical, mental and emotional wellness; building a strong community of staff and students; and celebrating diversity within the school. It also seeks to promote wellness within the legal profession, through the involvement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Honourable Chris Kourakis, as the official Patron of the program.

Students can participate in the Lex Salus program by attending barbecue lunches, pancake breakfasts, knitting and crochet circles, seminars, guest speakers, conferences and other activities. Our Facebook page, website and regular all-student emails promote upcoming events, and have tips and information on wellness.

Our Lex Salus YouTube channel also includes videos on topics like managing stress, and interviews with LGBTQ lawyers and their supporters which celebrate diversity and individuality. Students who commit to 10 hours of volunteering with Lex Salus in one year can have their service recognised on their academic transcript and through a thank you morning tea with the Chief Justice and law school staff.

Student Life Counselling Support

The University’s Student Life Counselling Support service provides free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Student Life Counselling Support service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life.

Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Academic dishonesty is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic dishonesty (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia.

Academic honesty is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.