The Course is Coordinated by David Caruso.
Email: david.caruso@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: 8313 5501
Office 212, Ligertwood Building
Contact information for other staff in the course will be made available on MyUni.

The Legal Practitioners' Education and Admissions Council (LPEAC) sets rules for the academic requirements for admission to legal practice in South Australia. Students must demonstrate a satisfactory level of understanding and application of 11 core areas of legal knowledge.
This course covers material in the Priestley 11 subject “Evidence”. In particular, it covers the following Priestley 11 topics:
· Introduction.
· Competence and compellability.
· The accused’s privilege against self-incrimination.
· The examination of witnesses.
· Disposition and character.
· Similar fact evidence.
· The accused as a witness.
· Burden and standard of proof.
· Documentary evidence.
· Opinion evidence and prior determination.
· Hearsay (the exclusionary rule and the common law and statutory exceptions).
· Admissions and confessions in criminal cases.
· Illegally obtained evidence and confirmation by subsequent fact.
· Res gestae.
· Corroboration.
 

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

1. Analyse the process of proving facts within the common law court system.
2. Apply a principled and critical application of evidential rules in South Australian and Federal courts.
3. Compare and contrast the ethical roles of lawyers within that system.
4. Apply trial and appellate litigation techniques and practice.
5. Relate proficiency in legal research techniques.

PRESCRIBED TEXT

Gray, Hinton and Caruso, Essays in Advocacy, 1st ed, 2012.

Copies of this books will be available on reserve in the law library for students who do not wish to purchase a copy.

PRESCRIBED LEGISLATION

1. Evidence Act 1929 (SA)
2. Evidence Act 1995 (Cth)
 

PRIMARY REFERENCE:

Ligertwood, Andrew and Edmond, Gary, Australian Evidence, 6th ed, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2017

Copies of this book are available on reserve in the law library for students who do not wish to purchase a copy.

OTHER REFERENCES:
There are a large number of texts which consider Australian Evidence Law. If you are having difficulty with any of the concepts covered in this course, and would like to see how they are discussed in an alternative text, you might wish to consider one of the excellent resources listed below.

On the laws of evidence:
1. Heydon, Cross on Evidence, LexisNexis Butterworths, Looseleaf and Online.
2. Odgers, Uniform Evidence Law, 12th ed, Thomson Reuters, 2016.

On techniques of advocacy:
1. Wells, Evidence and Advocacy, Butterworths, 1988
2. Glissan, Advocacy in Practice, 4th ed, Butterworths, 2005
3. Selby, Winning Advocacy, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2004
4. Mauet and McCrimmon, Fundamentals of Trial Technique, 3rd ed, 2011

The approved Law School style guide The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (3rd ed, 2010) (available electronically athttp://mulr.law.unimelb.edu.au/go/aglc and in hard copy in the Law Library and for purchase at Unibooks).

Learning and Teaching Activities amounting to 36 hours (across lecture, seminar and structured learning activity formats) will be offered to students in this course.

Students will be expected to attend lectures and seminars each week, in accordance with the Course Planner and other issued Lecture and Seminar schedules as issued in the Course. Honours Students will also participate in termly meetings with the Course Coordinator to discuss and prepare reports on extended principles of evidence theory and practice.

The University expects full-time students (ie those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies during semester. This means that in addition to lectures and seminars, students should spend time in private study in the course across the semester – this includes reading the material, preparing for lectures and seminars and undertaking the assessment tasks, individually or in assigned practice groups.

Students will be required to closely engage with the 12 aligned modules of the Evidence and Litigation Thematics which, together, inform the lectures, workshops, seminars and practical exercises of the Course.

The 12 Modules cover the following topics:

1) Basic Concepts - Relvance & Probity
2) Party Presentation
3) Evidence in CHief (XN)
4) Cross-Examination (XXN)
5) Documentary & Real Evidence
6) Opinion & Expert Evidence
7) Original & Hearsay Use
8) Hearsay Exceptions
9) Confessional Evidence and Discretionary Exclusion
10) Character 1 - Dispositional & Non-Dispositional Use
11) Character 2 - the Shield of the Accused
12) Warnings, Directions and Unreliable Evidence Safeguards

There are two significant small group discovery experiences in Evidence and Proof in Theory and Practice, although the subject is always rich with experiential student discovery and learning as a final year, often final, Law subject. First, through small groups in the compulsory seminar series each student will discover their role as a legal professional by working collaboratively within a group, ethically and practically, to identify, argue and resolve evidential and proof issues. In this process, with the assistance of highly experienced legal practitioners and academics as seminar leaders, each student will understand their role within the legal profession and the due administration of justice. Second, through the compulsory advocacy practical exercises each student will discover and experience the roles of the advocate, instructing solicitor and witness within the court process. The student will learn that the challenges faced by the advocate are many and complex. In doing so, the student will discover that the advocate “serves the private ends of those who seek legal services and at the same time the public end of maintaining the rule of law.” (The Hon Justice Robert French AC, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, in Gray, Hinton and Caruso, Essays in Advocacy, University of Adelaide Press, 2012, 3.) With the assistance and constructive feedback of highly experienced judges, the advocate will develop her or his own style or voice and discover her or his own abilities by the application of high level oral and written skills and by engaging in an educated and professional discourse with the bench and witnesses.

Assessment Item	% of final marks	Due dates	Group or individual assessment	Redeemable	Learning Outcomes
Attendance and satisfactory participation at seminars	Pass/Fail		Individual	No	1-5
Extended analysis reports	10%	2.00pm on the Friday of Week 8 (Report 1 - worth 5%) 2.00pm on the Friday of Week 12 (Report 2 - worth 5%)	Individual	No	1-5
Written research assignment on evidence	15%	2.00pm on the Friday of Week 9 (following mid-semester break)	Individual	No	1-3, 5
Advocacy Litigation Exercise on examination and cross-examination of witnesses in a mock case	25%	Exercises undertaken at various dates during semester. Further information to be provided on MyUni.	Individual	No	1-5
Examination	50%	Exam period	Individual	No	1-3, 5

Students who miss more than THREE (3) seminars during the course of the semester will be unable to pass the course, without the approval of the Course Coordinator.

Attendance and satisfactory participation in seminars is compulsory. Students who do not meet these requirements will not be eligible to take the exam, without approval of the Course Coordinator. Responsibility for monitoring attendance and participation is that of the student and will be recorded by staff of the Course.

1. Attendance and satisfactory participation at seminars (Pass/Fail)

See further information provided below. 

2. Extended Analysis Reports (10%)

EPTP (Hons) students must complete a written report on a civil evidence topic of study (a subject comprising or related to the first term topics of study in the Course) ("Report 1") and a written report on a criminal evidence topic of study (a subject comprising or related to the second term topics of study in the Course) ("Report 2"). Students will meet with the Course Coordinator during Term 1 and Term 2, repectively, to discuss and confirm their report topics.

Individually assessed written reports. Each Report is worth 5% of the overall grade. Maximum length per report, 1000 words (including footnotes).

DUE DATE: Report 1 is due at 2.00pm on the last Friday of Term 1. Report 2 is due at 2.00pm on the last Friday of Term 2.

3. Written Research Assignment on Evidence (15%)

Individually assessed written assignment. Maximum length, 2000 words (including footnotes). 

DUE DATE: 2.00pm on the Friday of Week 9 (following the mid-semester break). Assignment instructions will be posted on MyUni.

4. Advocacy Litigation Exercises (25%)

Each student must complete an advocacy exercise during the semester concerning the oral examination and cross-examination of witnesses. This is an oral assessment; there is no written component to be submitted.

DUE DATE: The advocacy exercises are due at various dates during semester. Further information about these exercises will be provided on MyUni.

5. Examination (50%)

To be held during the examination period. The exam will be up to 3 hours in duration (not including reading time).

Attendance and satisfactory participation at seminars

Students who miss more than THREE (3) seminars during the course of the semester will be unable to pass the course, without the approval of the Course Coordinator.

Students may complete make-up work for seminars missed for compassionate or medical reasons at the discretion of seminar leaders. The precise nature of this make-up work will depend on the seminar missed and will be negotiated with the seminar leader.

This subject prepares students for legal practice in South Australia and elsewhere in Australia and is a prerequisite for admission to the Bar in SA. It is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of evidential rules and ethical principles. These will be further studied at postgraduate level prior to admission as a legal practitioner. Skills such as critical evaluation, exercising legal and forensic judgment, appreciation of the operation of judicial discretion, and the capacity to communicate legal argument clearly and effectively are critical to legal practice in this area.

The appreciation of legal ethical principles is also an important graduate attribute. Whilst legal ethics are couched in absolute terms, in practical application, there is considerable subjectivity at play. Seminars in this subject make regular reference to ethical dilemmas, and draw on students to engage in evaluation and resolution of such dilemmas by reference to given principles, and legal and social outcomes. The practice of law requires lawyers to be able to identify and resolve such issues, and this is almost always only achievable by consultation with peers and other professionals. Including such issues in seminars, and assessing students’ capacity to approach them in a professional and effective manner, is a necessary aspect of teaching future legal professionals, and is best achieved by direct observation and participation in class. The seminars are predicated on the assumption that students have undertaken given preparation, and approach the subject matter at a relatively sophisticated level based on this preparation. Individual or small groups of students will often be asked to prepare issues for discussion, to undertake small research exercises, or to otherwise contribute to future seminars. Activities of this nature are an essential part of being an effective professional in the legal field. Small class sizes (24) and a strong focus on interactive learning make methodology such as this an effective way of developing students’ strategic and forensic thinking skills.

For these reasons attendance and satisfactory participation in seminars is compulsory. Students who do not meet these requirements will not be eligible to take the exam, without the approval of the Couse Coordinator. Responsibility for monitoring attendance and participation is set out below.

Models of class participation are varied to meet different educational styles, cultural approaches, and gender implications. They include:

• small group discussions (groups of 3 – 6) with different students invited to convene and record discussion. Seminar leaders moving between groups and assisting with discussion.
• Large group discussion with emphasis on directed questions, and reporting on preparatory work done for seminars.
• Working in pairs on case evaluation and discussion.
• Students being given specific small preparatory tasks for the seminar, so that they have the opportunity to prepare and be confident of delivery and are not “put on the spot”.
• Emphasis on collaboration and support – students expected to assist each other in answering questions or developing themes in class discussions.

It is expected that seminar leaders will identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and utilise these strategies so as to encourage development and confidence and ensure equality of participation.

Responsibility for monitoring attendance and participation is shared between seminar leaders and students as follows:

Attendance - Students who miss more than 3 seminars during the semester MUST contact their seminar leader to establish whether make-up work for the missed seminars is possible. IT IS EACH STUDENT’S OWN RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR THEIR ATTENDANCE AND ENSURE THEY HAVE SATISFIED THE MINIUMUM ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT.

Satisfactory participation - If students have satisfied the attendance requirement, but have failed to satisfactorily participate in seminars, this will be brought to their attention by the SEMINAR LEADER. The seminar leader and student will then discuss the participation requirements of the course and any obstacles to participation by the student. If appropriate, additional work (as negotiated by the seminar leader and student) may be completed by the student to supplement their participation.

Assignments must be handed in electronically by Turnitin. Students must ensure their student number appears on all written work submitted for assessment.

Electronic copies of the assignment as handed in must be retained by students.

Assignments will be returned electronically.

It is also advisable to keep written work after it has been assessed and returned.

Late submission penalty – assignments submitted after the due time and date without an extension granted by the Course Coordinator will be subject to a penalty of 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc. Hard copy submissions made after 5.00pm on a Friday will be assumed to have been submitted on the next business day and will be penalised accordingly. Extensions on medical or compassionate grounds will be in accordance with University Policy (see below).

Word length penalty - assignments which exceed the allocated length (word length or page limit) will be subject to a penalty of 5% of total marks available per page or per 100 words or part thereof (eg. an essay with a 3000 word limit which is graded 63% will have 5% deducted if it is 3020 words in length, for a final grade of 58% and will have 10% if it is 3120 words in length, for a final grade of 53% etc). Words are calculated including all footnotes and headings within the text but excluding cover page information. Quotations and all referencing information are included in the word count.

All written work in the Law School is required to comply with the approved Law School style guide, The Australian Guide to Legal Citation (see 3.1 above under References).

The quality of English expression is considered to be an integral part of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted from assessment because of poor expression, incorrect grammar, typographical errors etc. Unless instructed otherwise, please submit assignments on A4 size paper, double spaced and with a margin of at least 2.5 cm. Assessment work that is not submitted in this form may not be accepted, or may contain no assessment comments.

Assignments will be released to students within 3 weeks of the due date with written feedback.

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.

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 Acess Adelaide at the end of each semester.

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.

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

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus was founded in 2013 by Adelaide Law School Wellbeing officers Ms Corinne Walding, Ms Kellie Toole and Dr Mark Giancaspro. Lex Salus is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at raising law student awareness of the importance of mental, physical and nutritional health across all year levels of the degree, and of the various counselling, disability and equity services both within and outside the University that can provide help. Research shows that law students, both in Australia and in many jurisdictions around the world, experience the highest levels of stress, anxiety and depression out of any other discipline. Many do not get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet or achieve a realistic work/life balance. Making matters worse, they are unwilling or afraid to speak up for fear of feeling 'weak' or because of the negative stigma that attaches to seeking help. Lex Salus is dedicated to tackling these problems head-on.

Counselling Service

The University Counselling Service provides a free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Counselling service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life. More information is available at https://www.adelaide.edu.au/counselling_centre/. 

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, 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.