Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Dr Amanda Head
Contact via iLearn
Consultation: Wednesday 12pm-1pm or by appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
10
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertLaw or GradDipLaw or JD
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
LAWS8001 or LAWS600 or admission to JD in 2014
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
In this unit students will be encouraged to develop an ethical approach to the study and practice of law. Ethical problems may present in diverse ways, including problems of confidentiality, access to justice or conflict of duty and interest. The lawyer's role in the resolution of these problems is examined in the context of the common law, statute, professional rules of conduct and diverse theoretical approaches to legal ethics. The lawyer's relationships with their client, the court and other legal practitioners as well as with the general public are strengthened through development of skills such as listening, interviewing and negotiation. The unit also emphasizes continued improvements in academic writing skills, concentrating on structure, legal language and issues of academic honesty. |
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Students should be aware of and apply the University policy on academic honesty.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.
No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments - e.g. quizzes, online tests.
All assessments are submitted electronically. Turnitin plagiarism detection software is used to check all written assessments.
Students should carefully check that they submit the correct file for an assessment as no re-submissions will be accepted after the due date and time, including instances where students upload an incorrect file in error.
Word limits are strictly applied. Work above the word limit will not be marked. Footnotes are to be used only for referencing. Referencing must conform to the requirements set out in the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.
Marking of all assessments is moderated through a process of blind marking and the use of detailed marking rubrics.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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A series of in class and online activities | 10% | No | ongoing |
Client Interview Assessment | 30% | No | Video 18/3/22 11:59pm; Reflection 8/4/22 11:59pm |
Legal Ethics paper | 30% | No | 13/5/22 11:59pm |
Legal Ethics Quiz | 30% | No | 31/05/22 5pm - 01/06/22 5pm |
Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 12 hours
Due: ongoing
Weighting: 10%
A series of in class and online activities
Assessment Type 1: Simulation/role play
Indicative Time on Task 2: 23 hours
Due: Video 18/3/22 11:59pm; Reflection 8/4/22 11:59pm
Weighting: 30%
An assessment task built around a simulated client interview and reflective paper
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 13/5/22 11:59pm
Weighting: 30%
A research paper on an applied ethics topic
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: 31/05/22 5pm - 01/06/22 5pm
Weighting: 30%
An online quiz
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
For face-to-face students:
There is a one hour face-to-face tutorial beginning in Week 1.
For online students:
There is a two-hour online tutorial (once every two weeks) beginning in Week 2.
For face-to-face and online students:
There are online lectures each week which begin in Week 1. Students are expected to listen to the lectures and work their way through the other materials on a weekly basis.
The required text is Lise Barry (ed) Lawyers: Roles, Skills and Responsibilities (Thomson Reuters, 3rd ed, 2017). It is available from online bookstores and online from the publishers
Additional reading will be available via the Leganto link on iLearn and the unit reading list maintained by the library.
Students require access to a computer and a secure and reliable server. All Unit requirements and a weekly teaching and reading schedule are outlined in iLearn.
Topics to be covered in the lectures and tutorials in this unit include:
What it means to be a professional
An overview of the profession
Introduction to Legal Ethics
Overview of regulation of the profession
Retainers
Legal Writing
Lawyers and Mental Health
Duty to the client
Fiduciary duties and the duty of care
Duty to the Court and administration of justice
Conflicts of interest
Confidentiality and privilege
Duty to the court
Ethics in criminal law
Duties of prosecutors
Ethics in negotiations
Duty to the community
Pro bono work
Access to justice
Costs
Duty to account
Duty to the profession
Admission requirements
Discipline and regulation
Lawyers and technology
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
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
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.
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.
Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook