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Contract Design and Automation (LAWS90194)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 6.25Not available in 2024
Overview
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Technology and automation are reshaping the landscape of many industries, and the legal industry in all practice areas is seeing the impacts of these changes. Contracts form part of our daily lives as consumers and as legal practitioners, yet in many ways agreements we sign today are very similar to ones we signed hundreds of years ago.
How might we re-design contracts so they are readable and understandable for all the people that use them, and not just lawyers? Can we craft contracts that work for computers and humans? Would increasing readability have an impact on the bottom line of a business?
This subject explores these ideas and encourages students to think about new ways to design contracts in the era of automation. We examine the legal requirements of electronic contracts, ways to increase contract readability, how to plan a contract redesign project, developing effective processes, identify targets for automation and introducing visual elements to contracts.
Students will identify and evaluate appropriate automation technology for their client and contract needs, develop skills to interpret instructions and gather user input for contract design, and will get hands on experience in generating an automated document and process.
The subject will also explore the legal and ethical issues surrounding a lawyer’s duty of clear communication and the duty to act in the best interest of a client. Students will develop advanced critical thinking skills and knowledge of the legal issues arising from electronic contracting. Recent legal developments in this field will be explored.
Principal topics will include:
- Introduction to contract automation and design
- Duty of clear communication and values based contracting
- Contract document redesign
- Electronic contracting and the law
- Contract process redesign
- Technology for automation
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- have the knowledge and skills necessary to analyse and synthesise information and problems associated with contract automation.
- be a sophisticated and engaged participant in legal issues around electronic contracts, contract design and automation.
- have an advanced understanding of the importance of contract design and demonstrate autonomy and expert judgment in evaluating technologies and developing strategies for good contract automation and document assembly.
- have the judgment and comunication skills necessary to negotiate contracts, convey complex information and have an advanced understanding of the importance of values and, duty to client.
Generic skills
Expected skills developed through successful completion of the subject:
- Well-developed competencies in legal analysis;
- Problem solving abilities, including through the collection and evaluation of information;
- Capacity to communicate, orally and in writing;
- Ability to evaluate and synthesise existing knowledge in the area;
- Capacity for critical and independent thought and reflection;
- Capacity for self-directed learning, organisation and time management.
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
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: 30 January 2024
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Class Participation | During the teaching period | 10% |
Contract Design
| Friday 13 August 2021 | 40% |
Automation Task (Students build an automated legal document and provide contextualised client instructions)
| Friday 3 September 2021 | 50% |
Attendance Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance. Note: the attendance hurdle does not apply when the subject is delivered online. | Throughout the teaching period | 0% |
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
Not available in 2024
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students.
Enrolment is on a 'first in' basis. Waitlists are maintained for subjects that are fully subscribed.
Students should note priority of waitlisted places in subjects will be given as follows:
- To currently enrolled Graduate Diploma and Masters students with a satisfactory record in their degree
- To other students enrolling on a single subject basis, eg Community Access Program (CAP) students, cross-institutional study and cross-faculty study.
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 30 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist materials will be made available via the LMS in the pre-teaching period.
- Links to additional information
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
Please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for information.
Last updated: 30 January 2024