Indigenous Legal Advocacy Clinic (LAWS90209)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 1
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: Melbourne Law School Clinics (unimelb.edu.au)
Overview
| Availability(Quotas apply) | Semester 1 |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This clinic will engage with current law and policy issues impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Students will work in partnership with an Indigenous organisation or campaign on a range of law and policy issues. Students will receive a research memo or brief from the partner organisation/s and will work to produce this major project over the course of the semester. Major projects may include: legislative submissions, amicus briefs, case notes, desktop research, speech writing, website materials, petitions, open-letters, op-eds and explainers, and law and policy analysis.
Students will undertake 12 days of clinical work at Melbourne Law School under the supervision of the clinic supervisor and subject coordinator. Students will be taught lawyering skills in persuasive writing, organisational collaboration, and advocacy. The clinical work will be complemented by a seminar series (held across the semester during the clinic day) where they will hear from a range of perspectives on Indigenous advocacy and campaign work.
At the end of semester, students will present their completed work to their partner organisation. Students will also take part in debrief sessions, where they will evaluate their progress and reflect on the role and impact of law and practice on Aboriginal communities and organisations. Students will be required to maintain a reflective journal during semester to facilitate these discussions.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who successfully completes this subject will:
- Have an enhanced understanding of the history and ongoing legacy of government and legal institutions' interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities;
- Have an advanced and practical understanding of contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal issues in Australia;
- Have a sophisticated understanding of the techniques and methods of public interest lawyering with a focus on influencing legal policy development;
- Be able to reflect critically and meaningfully on their learning in the subject, as well as on the capacity and role of law and lawyers to create social, economic and political change;
- Have an enhanced understanding of, and capacity to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.
Generic skills
A student who successfully completes this subject will develop:
- applied research skills, including the ability to identify, research, evaluate and synthesise relevant factual, legal and policy issues in the context of a complex area of law and policy;
- legal practice skills, including critical legal analysis, legal writing and drafting of policy documents;
- personal and professional skills, including learning autonomously, being accountable for one's work, self-reflection on performance and ethical professional conduct and development;
- skills required for effective workplace performance, such as communication, time management, co-worker collaboration and office organisation;
- research and reflection skills, the ability to engage in high-level analysis and critical reflection, and to develop and articulate legal reform ideas for social change based on theoretical and empirical knowledge of the operation of the law; and
- the practical, interpersonal, technical skills and ethical awareness needed to practise effectively in a team of legal researchers, including in the areas of collaborative work, research, communication, and management of briefs for external stakeholders.
Last updated: 8 November 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 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50025 | Torts | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50026 | Obligations | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50028 | Constitutional Law | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50029 | Contracts | Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50030 | Property | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS50031 | Legal Theory |
Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
November (On Campus - Parkville)
|
12.5 |
| LAWS50032 | Administrative Law | Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville) |
12.5 |
| LAWS90140 | Disputes and Ethics | 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: 8 November 2024
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Satisfactory performance and attendance in clinic Hurdle requirement: Attendance at clinic and satisfactory performance must be achieved in order to pass the subject. | N/A | |
Attendance and participation in up to three reflective debrief sessions with the subject coordinator Hurdle requirement: Must attend and participate in up to three reflective debrief sessions with the subject coordinator in order to pass the subject. | N/A | |
Reflective Journal
| Throughout the teaching period | 30% |
Work portfolio - including group project (assessed by group) and research note of law reform submission (assessed individually)
| During the examination period | 70% |
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: 8 November 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- Semester 1
Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 26 February 2024 to 26 May 2024 Last self-enrol date 8 March 2024 Census date 3 April 2024 Last date to withdraw without fail 3 May 2024 Assessment period ends 21 June 2024 Semester 1 contact information
Email: law-wil@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: Melbourne Law School Clinics (unimelb.edu.au)
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
This subject has an enrolment quota of 6 students.
This subject is an application-based enrichment subject. More information about the application process can be found on the JD LMS Community.
Last updated: 8 November 2024
Further information
- Texts
Last updated: 8 November 2024