Students
LAWS5078 – Macquarie University Social Justice Clinic
2020 – Session 2, Weekday attendance, On location at placement
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Daniel Ghezelbash
Rebekah Stevens
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
120cp 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 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, 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:
- ULO1: 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.
- ULO2: Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
- ULO3: Critically analyse the personal and professional expectations of a lawyer in practice and entrenched issues of disadvantage in the legal system
- ULO4: Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz | 10% | No | Week 3 |
| Participation Journal | 40% | No | Week 7 and Week 12 |
| Final Reflection | 30% | No | Week 13 |
| Goal Setting and Review | 20% | No | Week 4/5 and Week 13 |
Quiz
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 5 hours
Due: Week 3
Weighting: 10%
Quiz on matters covered in the orientation
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in legal practice
Participation Journal
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 7 and Week 12
Weighting: 40%
Participation Journal
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.
- Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
- 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
Final Reflection
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 30%
Final Reflection
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.
- Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
- 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
Goal Setting and Review
Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 4/5 and Week 13
Weighting: 20%
Students will be required to develop aims and goals for their learning in the unit and assess the degree to which they achieved them.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
- 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
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
For Semester 2, 2020 this is an online unit with attendance expected from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm one set day per week during weeks 2 to 11 of semester via Zoom.
There may be opportunities to attend partner offices for face-to-face outreach depending on the COVID-19 operational policies of those organisations.
There is no textbook required for this unit. Learning and reading materials will be provided via iLearn.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.