The scheduling of classes for the Moot Court course is dependant upon the scheduling of the moot competition a particular group is participating in. Provisionally there will be a 2 hr seminar scheduled from 5-7pm. The week-day of this seminar will be determined after consultation with the students in the class. Additional classes will be scheduled as required.

On successful completion of this course students will have:

1) Developed a knowledge and understanding of the basic principles and policies that influence the area
    of Australian law that is the subject matter of their moot;

2) Developed advanced problem solving skills in order to analyse complex fact scenarios in order to 
    identify the relevant legal issues;

3) Developed the ability to locate, analyse, evaluate, and synthesise materials so as to be able to
    undertake advanced legal research;

4) Developed the skills of written advocacy;

5) Developed the skills of oral advocacy;

6) Developed the ability to critically analyse legislation and case law;

7) Developed good inter-personal and communication skills to prepare written and oral presentations
    both independently and as a member of a team;

8) Developed an understanding of the ethical issues and responsibilities that arise in the practice of law.

J. Butler & T Gygar, Australian Mooting Manual (2nd ed, LexisNexis 2012)

Competition rules, moot problems, and associated materials will be provided in a printed format, and placed on MyUni.

J Snape & G Watt, How to Moot: A Student’s Guide to Mooting (2nd ed, Oxford 2010)
Christopher Kee, The Art of Argumentation: A Guide to Mooting (Cambridge 2006)

MyUni will be used to post announcements, post additional course materials, and announce assignment tasks. It will also contain electronic copies of the Course Profile, Lecture and Seminar Guides, and Course Materials.

Students are expected to check MyUni regularly to keep up to date with these materials and additional learning resources throughout the course.
https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/webapps/login/ 

Seminars will be conducted on a weekly basis and will involve the analysis of the legal issues arising in the moot problems and the preparation of written and oral submissions. Additional oral mooting practices will be arranged as required.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Contact time: There will be 3 seminar and moot practice contact hours per week. Students are expected to attend all classes throughout the semester unless an absence is excused due to illness or compassionate reasons are provided. Appropriate documentation may be required. Students who fail to attend more than THREE (3) classes without a valid excuse may receive an overall fail grade for the course.

Preparation time: In addition to attending formal classes it is anticipated that students will do substantial independent work to prepare for classes and to complete the course assignments.
It would be expected that an additional 9 hours of preparatory work will be undertaken.

A full timetable of all learning activities will be arranged in consultation with the students participating in each mooting team at the commencement of the course. The table below provides general guidance to the learning activities in the course but may be altered to reflect the structure of each particular moot competition.

	Seminar	Moot Practice
Week 1	The Structure and Nature of Mooting
Week 2	Introduction To Legal Advocacy
Week 3	How to Prepare Written Submissions
Week 4	Basics of Oral Advocacy
Week 5	Analysis of Practice Moot Problem (1)
Week 6		Presentation of Oral Arguments
Week 7	Analysis of Practice Moot Problem (2)
Week 8		Presentation of Oral Arguments
Week 9	Analysis of Competition Problem
Week 10	Analysis of Competition Problem	Presentation of Oral Arguments
Week 11	Final Written Submissions Submitted	Presentation of Oral Arguments
Week 12		Presentation of Oral Arguments

Students may be required to travel intra- or interstate to participate in mooting competitions. All expenses for any such travel will provided.

Assessment Item	% of Final Mark	Date Due	Group or Individual	Redeemable	Learning Objectives
Written Submissions for applicant	25%	5/9	Group	No	1-8
Reply to Applicant's submissions	25%	5/9	Group	No	1-8
Practice Moot #1	25%	17/9	Individual	No	1-8
Practice Moot #2	25%	24/9	Individual	No	1-8

Students who miss more than THREE (3) seminars without a valid excuse may receive an overall fail grade for the course.

The assessment tasks are designed to both enable students to develop advanced skills in legal analysis, written and oral advocacy. The assessment is designed to allow students to demonstrate their ability to evaluate complex legal scenarios and identify the relevant legal issues that need to be considered.

The written submissions are assessed taking into account the following factors: Were the arguments properly organised for clarity and comprehension? Were they presented in a logical sequence? Was effective use made of the best authorities and the best policy arguments? Were the arguments and authorities effectively woven into the facts of the case? Were cases properly analysed to support arguments or identify similarity to the case under decision?

Oral presentations are assessed on the following factors: Did the introduction properly focus the Court’s attention on what are going to be presented as the primary arguments? Was the presentation concise focusing on the more important arguments rather that a too detailed presentation that detracted from those arguments? Were any essential matters omitted from the oral presentation? Was the presentation concluded with a concise and effective summary of the arguments? Was the presentation effective in answering questions posed by the Judge?

Detailed grade descriptors for this course are below:

High Distinction (85-100)	Distinction (75-84)	Credit (65-74)	Pass (50-64)	FAIL (0 - 49)
Outstanding or exceptional work - understanding, interpretation, presentation & originality	A very high standard of work which demonstrates originality and insight	Demonstrates a high level of understanding and presentation.	Basic understanding	Fails to demonstrate basic  understanding.
Strong evidence of independent reading beyond core texts and materials	Evidence of reading beyond core texts and materials	Thorough understanding of core texts and materials	Evidence of having read core texts and materials	Little evidence of having read core texts and materials
Demonstrates insight, awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic.	Evidence of an awareness and understanding of deeper and more subtle aspects of the topic	Sound knowledge of principles and concepts	Knowledge of principles and concepts at least adequate to communicate intelligently.	Little knowledge of principles and concepts.

All written work in the Law School is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, the latest edition of The Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

Unless otherwise required by moot competition rules all written assignments must be presented in hard copy on single-sided on A4 size paper, double spaced and with a margin of at least 2.5cm. Assessment work that is not submitted in this form either may not be accepted or be required to be resubmitted in appropriate form. All hardcopy submissions must be accompanied by the Assignment Cover Sheet that sets out the word length, and contains a signed declaration that the assignment consists of the students own work. A student’s results will be withheld until such time as the student has signed the Assignment Cover Sheet. Markers can refuse to accept assignments which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.

Extensions: Requests for extensions must be made electronically according to law school policy. Extensions will be granted only for unexpected illness, hardship or on compassionate grounds in accordance with University Policy. Work commitments, travel, holidays or sporting engagements are not unexpected circumstances.

Penalties:

1. Late Submission: Submission penalties of 5% (of the total mark of the assignment) each day (or part thereof) will be deducted for late submission (including weekends and public holidays), (ie an essay graded 63% will have 5 % deducted if it is one day late, for a final mark of 58%, 10% if it is two days, etc).
2. Word Length: Is determined by the rules of the moot competition. Written submissions that fail to confirm to the competition rules by exceeding the stipulated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks available per 100 words or part thereof (ie with a word limit of 3,000, an essay graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3001 words long, for a final grade of 58%, 10% if it is 3101 words long, etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information.

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.

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.

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.

For more information please check out the Writing Centre website at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/writingcentre/

Further information regarding the Law School Policies and Procedures in relation to Supplementary Assessment, Extensions, and Remarks etc can be found at:

https://unified.adelaide.edu.au/group/law-school/policies-and-procedures

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating

Plagiarism is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the Adelaide Law School Enrolment Guide 2014, and should note in particular the sections relating to plagiarism, grievance procedures and academic conduct within the Law School and the University.

Plagiarism is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Please be aware that “academic dishonesty” (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to refuse 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.