Legal Drafting (LAWS90036)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 2
Teaching staff:
Jared Heath (Subject-coordinator)
Laura Deschamps Ferrari (Subject-coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
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 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: 4 March 2025
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 |
| 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: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Take-home assignment of problem-based exercises (5 days)
| Week 10 | 50% |
Online take-home examination
| During the examination period | 50% |
Additional details
The due dates of assessment will be made available to students on the Assessment Schedule on the Juris Doctor Canvas LMS Community. Note, these are updated regularly.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinators Laura Deschamps Ferrari and Jared Heath Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 36 hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching requirements Please refer to Canvas LMS to check on the pre-class readings and preparatory learning activities before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 28 July 2025 to 26 October 2025 Last self-enrol date 8 August 2025 Census date 1 September 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 26 September 2025 Assessment period ends 21 November 2025 Semester 2 contact information
Teaching staff:
Jared Heath (Subject-coordinator)
Laura Deschamps Ferrari (Subject-coordinator)For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
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. Please refer to the Juris Doctor enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment and subject quotas. Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for inbound study abroad and exchange students.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
- Links to additional information
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025