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Class Actions (LAWS70019)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5Not available in 2018
Overview
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Class actions have become an increasingly prominent feature of Australia’s litigation landscape. Some people think they enhance access to justice, offer an efficient way to deal with large numbers of claims and function as an effective regulatory tool, while others criticise them as improper ‘private’ regulation or as just another way for lawyers to become wealthy. Students will have the opportunity to critically evaluate these views. Law reform proposals will be considered, as will the development, present state and likely future directions of the law and practice of Australian class actions. While the focus will be on Australia, methods used in other countries to bring and manage group proceedings will be considered and compared. Students will have the opportunity to engage and debate with lecturers and guest lecturers with substantial academic, practice, judicial and international experience.
Principal topics include:
- The origins of modern class action regimes in Australia
- Comparisons of the federal and Victorian regimes with those in other Australian and overseas jurisdictions
- The main stages of class action litigation
- The roles of lawyers, judges, parties, litigation funders and regulators
- Specific issues, including choosing a forum, defining the class, the role of the lead plaintiff, entrepreneurial lawyering, identifying and notifying class members, settlement and court approval
- Comparing class actions with other procedures available for bringing and managing complex litigation
- Securities class actions and the regulatory role of the class action
- Funding and costs issues, including the role of commercial litigation funders.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the statutory regimes, principles and practices governing class action litigation, including recent local and international developments in this field of law and practice
- Be able to critically examine, analyse, interpret and assess the purposes and efficacy of class action litigation
- Be an engaged participant in debates regarding emerging and contemporary issues in the field, such as the extent to which Australia’s class action regimes have secured the policy goals of access to justice and judicial economy, empirical evidence regarding the practical operation of these regimes, their interaction with the activities of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the role of commercial litigation funders
- Have a sophisticated appreciation of the key practical, conceptual and ethical issues that arise in the context of class action litigation
- Have an advanced understanding of the main stages class action litigation and how class action proceedings are commenced, conducted and settled
- Have a detailed understanding of class action regimes in a comparative and empirical context
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas relating to class action litigation and to critically evaluate law reform initiatives and existing issues, debates, theories and controversies
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to independently examine, research and analyse existing and emerging issues relating to class action litigation
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding class action litigation to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Be able to demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of class action litigation.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Melbourne Law Masters Students: None
JD Students: Successful completion of the below subject:
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50027 | Dispute Resolution | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- Take-home examination (5,000 - 6,000 words) (100%)
or - 8,000 - 10,000 word research paper (100%) on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
Not available in 2018
Time commitment details
The pre-teaching period commences four weeks before the subject commencement date. From this time, students are expected to access and review the Reading Guide that will be available from the LMS subject page and the subject materials provided by the subject coordinator, which will be available from Melbourne Law School. Refer to the Reading Guide for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students. Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist printed materials will be made available free of charge from the Melbourne Law School prior to the pre-teaching period.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Dispute Resolution Course Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies Course Juris Doctor Course Master of Commercial Law Course Master of Health and Medical Law Course Master of Laws Course Master of Public and International Law - Links to additional information
law.unimelb.edu.au
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
Last updated: 3 November 2022