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Legal Drafting (LAWS90036)
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 2
Lecturers
Jared Heath (Co-coordinator)
Matthew Critchley (Co-coordinator)
Melanie Bond
Email: law-aso@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 4475
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
---|---|
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 and practical manner, enabling them to apply relevant legal principles and develop an appreciation for relevant commercial and strategic considerations. Topics covered will include understanding the types of drafting styles, drafting legal advice, persuasive legal drafting, drafting technical legal documents (such as contracts) and legal drafting in a government context. 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 understanding of the attributes of good legal drafting in a variety of contexts;
- developed a 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 standard;
- developed the ability to critically reflect on their written work;
- developed cognitive and technical skills to independently synthesise complex legal issues into a clear written form suitable for commercial contexts;
- developed cognitive and technical skills to prepare technical legal documents;
- developed cognitive and technical skills to independently assess and improve on their own legal drafting and that of others; and
- developed cognitive and technical skills to 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 contexts;
- communication skills necessary to convey complex legal ideas and arguments in clear and concise language;
- expert judgement and creative skills necessary for understanding and drafting technical legal documents (such as contracts); and
- cognitive skills necessary to reflect critically and meaningfully on their performance of the above tasks.
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 |
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 |
---|---|---|
Take home assignment of problem-based exercises
| Week 10 | 50% |
Examination
| During the examination period | 50% |
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 2
Principal coordinator Matthew Critchley Coordinator Jared Heath Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 36 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
Lecturers
Jared Heath (Co-coordinator)
Matthew Critchley (Co-coordinator)
Melanie BondEmail: 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.
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.
- 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: 31 January 2024