Handbook home
Legal Drafting (LAWS90036)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Robert Clarke, Coordinator
Email: law-aso@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 4475
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | Semester 2 |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
Most legal thinking needs to be communicated in a written form. For legal advice to be useful and effective for clients, it needs to be able to be readily understood by people without a background in the law. It also needs to address the issues which are important to the recipient of the advice. The practice of law also involves the use of technical legal documents such as contracts. For these legal documents to be effective and to achieve the aims of the parties to whom they relate, they should be prepared by someone with expert legal drafting skills.
The focus of this subject is on the development of the specialised skills needed for legal drafting. This crucial aspect of legal practice requires a broad set of skills including the ability to explain complex ideas using clear and simple language, the ability to understand the relative importance of various legal issues, attention to detail and structure, and an ability to properly appreciate the purpose and audience of the document.
Legal Drafting enables students to develop this set of skills in an interactive manner. Topics covered will include understanding the types of drafting styles, drafting legal advice, presentation of legal advice, persuasive legal drafting, legal drafting in workplaces outside of law firms, and drafting technical legal documents. Students will be required to prepare a variety of types of written legal work which would be typically required in a legal workplace.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed the subject will have:
- an extended understanding of the attributes of good legal drafting in a variety of workplaces and contexts;
- developed an expert capacity to identify the skills and techniques available to achieve a better legal drafting style;
- applied those skills and techniques in the drafting of written legal advice and technical legal documents such as contracts to a high-level; and
- developed the ability to critically reflect on their written work.
Through the development of these cognitive and technical skills, students will develop the ability to:
- independently synthesise complex legal issues into a clear written form suitable for commercial contexts;
- prepare technical legal documents;
- independently assess and improve on their own legal drafting and that of others; and
- communicate their legal thinking to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Generic skills
Students who successfully complete this subject will understand and have developed:
- advanced technical skills in preparing clear written legal work in a variety of workplaces and contexts;
- communication skills necessary to convey complex ideas and arguments in clear and concise language;
- expert judgement and creative skills necessary for understanding and drafting contracts and other similar technical legal documents; and
- cognitive skills necessary to reflect critically and meaningfully on their performance of the above tasks.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Successful completion of all the below subjects:
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50023 | Legal Method and Reasoning | Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50024 | Principles of Public Law | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50025 | Torts | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50026 | Obligations | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50027 | Dispute Resolution | Not available in 2024 |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS90140 | Disputes and Ethics | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50028 | Constitutional Law | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50029 | Contracts | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
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
- Preparation, in advance, of written responses to problem-based exercises (3,000 words, in total), due before class in Week 10 of semester (50%);
- 2 hour examination during the end-of-semester examination period (50%).
More information on assessment will be available to students via the Assessment Schedule on the JD LMS Community.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours Total time commitment 144 hours Teaching period 29 July 2019 to 27 October 2019 Last self-enrol date 9 August 2019 Census date 31 August 2019 Last date to withdraw without fail 27 September 2019 Assessment period ends 22 November 2019 Semester 2 contact information
Robert Clarke, Coordinator
Email: law-aso@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 4475
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Additional delivery details
This subject has an enrolment quota of 30 students. Your subject enrolment will not be confirmed until the selection process has been run. Selection is conducted on a random basis with outcomes communicated to students shortly after re-enrolment closes. Please refer to the Melbourne Law School website for more information on the JD Quota Elective selection process.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
- Specialist materials will be made available from Melbourne Law School.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Juris Doctor - Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 3 November 2022