Students

LAWS478 – Macquarie Social Justice Clinic

2017 – S1 Placement

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and primary point of contact for student enquiries
Daniel Ghezelbash
W3A517
Wednesdays, 12-1pm
Adjunct Professor and Clinical Supervisor; Director of the National Justice Project
George Newhouse
n/a
n/a
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
24cp in LAW or LAWS units and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Students will undertake a placement at the Macquarie Social Justice Clinic, a new university-run legal clinic housed on campus at Macquarie Law School. Students will work under the close supervision of solicitor-teachers on real world social justice cases, undertaking a range of activities including legal research and writing, client interviewing, and legal and non-legal advocacy. Students work face-to-face with their solicitor-teacher for one day a week in the clinic on campus. They are also expected to undertake an additional 6-8 hours of independent work per week outside this setting. Online modules will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to participate in a clinical legal environment (e.g. ethical and reflective practice, research skills) and introduce them to social justice issues and aspects of public interest law.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

General Assessment Information

In the absence of a successful application for special consideration due to a disruption to studies, any assessment task submitted after its published deadline will not be graded and will receive a mark of zero.  Applications for a Disruption to Studies are made electronically via ask.mq.edu.au and should be accompanied by supporting documentation.  Students should refer to the Disruption to Studies policy for complete details of the policy and a description of the supporting documentation required.

Word limits will be strictly applied and work above the word limit will not be marked. 

All assessments in the unit are to be submitted electronically. Plagiarism detection software is used in this unit.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 10% No Thursday 16 March
Goals and Reflection 30% No 17 March and 13 June
Portfolio 60% No 13 June

Quiz

Due: Thursday 16 March
Weighting: 10%

The quiz will test your understanding of your ethical and professional obligations set out in the Clinic Operating Manual and Volunteer Agreement


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Goals and Reflection

Due: 17 March and 13 June
Weighting: 30%

This exercise requires you to develop aims and goals for your learning in the clinic and meet with the Convenor to discuss these goals (17 March, 5 marks); and prepare a goal outcomes report and personal reflection (13 June, 25 marks)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Portfolio

Due: 13 June
Weighting: 60%

This task requires you to select and collate your three best outputs created during the course of your work at the clinic. This can include (but is not limited to) formal legal writing, such as submissions, statements or legal correspondence; timelines or background research relevant to litigation; research memorandum; blog posts or community education/empowerment materials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection

Delivery and Resources

Students will undertake a placement at the Macquarie University Social Justice Clinic, a new university-run legal clinic housed on campus at Macquarie Law School. Students will work under the close supervision of solicitor-teachers on real world social justice cases, undertaking a range of activities including legal research and writing, and legal and non-legal advocacy. Students work face-to-face with their solicitor-teacher for one day a week in the clinic on campus. They are also expected to undertake an additional 6-8 hours of independent work per week outside this setting. Online modules will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to participate in a clinical legal environment.

Adjunct Professor George Newhouse will be acting as the solicitor-teacher for this offering. Students will assist Professor Newhouse with his caseload from the National Justice Project (NJP), of which he is the Director. More information about the work of the NJP can be found here: http://www.justice.org.au/. Students will be required to attend the clinic in person from 10am to 4pm on Fridays, from week 2 to week 13.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Demonstrate competency in practical 'lawyering' skills, including preparing file notes and court documents, conducting legal research, and drafting legal correspondence and other forms of legal and non-legal writing.
  • Understand how to learn from experience, observation and reflection
  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection
  • Portfolio

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice

Assessment tasks

  • Quiz
  • Goals and Reflection