Students

LAWS8099 – Professional and Community Engagement

2024 – Session 3, In person-placement, On location

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul Maluga
paul.maluga@mq.edu.au
George Tomossy
george.tomossy@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
120cp in LAW or LAWS units at 6000 level or above and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides JD students with an opportunity to apply their legal knowledge and skills in practical placements within partnerships between Macquarie University and the legal profession and community. Students will develop vital employability skills and have opportunities to participate in a variety of workplace experiences including law firms, legal centres, community-based legal organisations and services, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations. In these placements, students will be able to engage with the real world application of legal skills and principles developed in earlier units of study either through internships, clerkships and voluntary or paid legally related employment. In line with the university's Professional and Community Engagement (PACE) initiatives, the unit aims to provide students with a broad social perspective, critical thinking skills and the technical competence that employers value. Students will be advised of clinic, workplace or project opportunities on a regular basis and will be invited to apply for these opportunities online before they are required to apply for special approval to enrol in the unit.

Visit Employability Connect for important information on this unit including required preparation and closing dates for PACE activities.

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: Describe and analyse the personal and professional demands that arise in professional legal practice and community legal engagement. .
  • ULO2: Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
  • ULO3: Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in the legal environment
  • ULO4: Apply the specialised cognitive, interpersonal and communication skills necessary in legal workplaces including the ability to take direction and work in a team to address or resolve legal problems.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special Consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Clinic, project or workplace report 40% No Weeks 3 - 6
Clinic, project and workplace tasks 30% No Weeks 1 - 3; Summary due 5 January
Reflection and contribution report 30% No Part 1 due 15 December; Part 2 due 26 January

Clinic, project or workplace report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weeks 3 - 6
Weighting: 40%

 

Students will be required to write a report that either represents a reflection upon their clinic placement or project or which responds to the initial brief in a project. The requirements for reports will be outlined in detail on iLearn and will be clinic, placement or project specific

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and analyse the personal and professional demands that arise in professional legal practice and community legal engagement. .
  • Apply the specialised cognitive, interpersonal and communication skills necessary in legal workplaces including the ability to take direction and work in a team to address or resolve legal problems.

Clinic, project and workplace tasks

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 0 hours
Due: Weeks 1 - 3; Summary due 5 January
Weighting: 30%

 

Students are required to attend and participate online or in person in all meetings with their clinic, workplace or project supervisors and to prepare work in response to their supervisor's instructions

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and analyse the personal and professional demands that arise in professional legal practice and community legal engagement. .
  • Reflect on your professional skills and knowledge and develop and implement plans for continuous learning
  • Identify, manage and reflect on ethical issues that arise in the legal environment
  • Apply the specialised cognitive, interpersonal and communication skills necessary in legal workplaces including the ability to take direction and work in a team to address or resolve legal problems.

Reflection and contribution report

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Part 1 due 15 December; Part 2 due 26 January
Weighting: 30%

 

Students will be required to set goals for their clinic, workplace or project placement and to reflect on how well they have achieved those goals over the course of the unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe and analyse the personal and professional demands that arise in professional legal practice and community legal engagement. .

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

This unit is delivered entirely online. There are no face-to-face classes or lectures. You must complete at least 80 hours with your placement provider and follow their lawful workplace directions.

Students require access to a computer and a secure and reliable internet provider.

Policies and Procedures

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.

Student Code of Conduct

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

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 connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

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.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

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. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Unit information based on version 2024.03 of the Handbook