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Law Apps (LAWS90033)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
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About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 1
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au/students/jd/enrichment/mls-clinics
Semester 2
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au/students/jd/enrichment/mls-clinics
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | Semester 1 - Dual-Delivery Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
In Law Apps students will design, build and release a live legal expert system that can provide legal advice to non-lawyers. Legal expert systems (law apps) are applications that replicate the thought processes and actions of a lawyer in connection with a specific legal question. Law apps are a new and growing part of the legal landscape. Lawyers in Australia and overseas are using them to provide fast, accurate and cost effective answers to common legal problems.
The subject involves a series of distinct but related topics and tasks:
- The current role and future role of law apps;
- The identification of appropriate legal problems in the not-for-profit sector that can be answered by law apps;
- The design of sequences of appropriate questions and answers which culminate in the provision of correct legal advice for the problems;
- The authoring of a law app using the Neota Logic platform; and
- The release of the law app in a live web and or tablet/mobile based environment.
The semester will commence with an introductory survey of the role of legal analysis and advice programs and the use of artificial intelligence in legal advice in Australia and overseas. Students will be required to research, imagine and predict the future use of such technology in and beyond the legal profession. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of law apps design and basic mastery of Neota Logic’s authoring tools. The Neota Logic platform does not require coding knowledge or application. It has been used in Australia and overseas as a platform of choice for lawyers building law apps. Throughout the semester students will have access to advice from Neota Logic's experts.
As the semester progresses the subject will explore other ways that technology is being incorporated into legal practice. Guest speakers from the profession and experts in digital technology will present in seminars. There is a light reading load in this subject as students will be required to spend time outside the seminars working in their groups on the design, authoring and release of their live Law App. The semester will culminate with a Law Apps Bake Off - groups will present their Law Apps to an invited panel of experts and the winning group will receive a prize.
At the commencement of the semester students will be provided with a choice of pre-identified not-for-profit organisations that are interested in being involved in the Law Apps subject. Students will be required to list which organisation they would like to work with in order of preference.
Students will be placed in a small group of three or four students and will work in that group throughout the semester. In collaboration with the not-for-profit organization, groups will identify suitable common legal problems that can be answered through a series of structured questions. This will involve visiting the organisations and meeting with key staff so that students understand the relevant needs and concerns of clients and the wider non-lawyer public. This group-focused process will enable students to build on and develop their skills in legal analysis, creativity, problem solving and innovation. The teacher will meet regularly with students individually and with groups to check on progress and to work with the group on any issues that may arise within the group. Part of the assessment for the subject is a group mark. This mark will be awarded equally across all students in the group unless an individual’s contribution falls substantially below the contribution of other students in the group, in which case that individual's mark will be reduced.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed the subject will:
- have an advanced and integrated understanding of the role of automated legal analysis system design.
- be able to work effectively with external organisations to identify and articulate specific legal questions that can be appropriately answered by a Law App.
- develop and enhance their collaborative and teamwork skills.
- analyse, critically reflect on and communicate their personal perspectives on their learning in the subject.
- have developed expert, specialised cognitive and technical skills ton alyse critically, reflect on and synthesise complex information, legal problems and concepts; and design and construct a Law App which can be used by a non-specialist audience.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Admission into the MC-JURISD Juris Doctor
AND
All of
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50023 | Legal Method and Reasoning | Summer Term (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50024 | Principles of Public Law | Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50025 | Torts | Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50026 | Obligations | Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50028 | Constitutional Law | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50029 | Contracts | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
LAWS50031 | Legal Theory |
Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
November (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
AND
One of
Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
---|---|---|---|
LAWS50027 | Dispute Resolution | Not available in 2024 |
12.5 |
LAWS90140 | Disputes and Ethics | Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - 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: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Individual self reflections (3)
| Throughout the teaching period | 10% |
Individual assignments (3; 15%; 25%; 10%)
| From Week 2 to Week 7 | 50% |
Group design submission
| Week 12 | 20% |
Group mark for final working Law App, as delivered
| Week 12 | 20% |
Additional details
The due date of the above assessment(s) will be available to students via the Assessment Schedule on the LMS Community.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Principal coordinator Gary Cazalet Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours Students are expected to attend all sessions whether participating on-campus or remotely. Total time commitment 144 hours Teaching period 28 February 2022 to 29 May 2022 Last self-enrol date 11 March 2022 Census date 31 March 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 6 May 2022 Assessment period ends 24 June 2022 Semester 1 contact information
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au/students/jd/enrichment/mls-clinics - Semester 2
Principal coordinator Gary Cazalet Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 144 hours Teaching period 25 July 2022 to 23 October 2022 Last self-enrol date 5 August 2022 Census date 31 August 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 23 September 2022 Assessment period ends 18 November 2022 Semester 2 contact information
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au/students/jd/enrichment/mls-clinics
Additional delivery details
This subject has an enrolment quota of 30 students per offering.
All timely JD elective enrolments are subject to a selection process, which the Academic Support Office will perform after the timely re-enrolment period ends. Late self-enrolment is on a first-in basis up to quota.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law School website for further information about the management of subject quotas.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
- Specialist materials will be made available via the LMS; and
- Specialist software will be made available by Melbourne Law School.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Juris Doctor
Last updated: 31 January 2024