LAW4814 · Extended clinical placement

Overview

This unit offers an additional clinical placement opportunity – an advanced clinical placement in a specialised area of law, supervised by expert practitioner-scholars. This additional clinical unit is open to students who have already had involvement in a client facing clinic at Monash Law Clinics or Southeast Monash Legal Service, such as the Lawyer Assisted Family Dispute Resolution clinic, Professional Practice, or cohealth Monash Legal Assistance Clinic. It allows them to advance both their knowledge and skills in more complex matters, and/or specialist areas of law. Students entering a specialised clinic who already have a background of clinical placement will have the chance to build on the skills and attitudes they have already acquired in previous simulated and clinical experiences. This will enhance both teaching outcomes for the student as well as problem resolution outcomes for clinic clients with complex legal issues.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Independently undertake complex and advanced legal research to inform the effective practice of a range of legal functions, including the provision of well-informed and appropriate client representation, support and advice, as well as ethical responses to general, specific and complex legal problems.
2. Demonstrate advanced practical legal skills in areas such as interviewing, drafting letters of advice, briefing counsel, taking carriage of a legal matter on client’s instructions, advocacy, court and tribunal appearances and restorative justice and ADR.
3. Build on previous clinic skills in assisting clients through decision making processes and managing their expectations.
4. Demonstrate an ability to advocate, communicate and liaise with legal and non-legal stakeholders in both formal and informal ways
5. Assess their own capabilities and performance as future legal practitioners by having developed skills of self-reflection and self-management.
6. Independently identify law reform or policy problems of relevance to the specialised areas of law practised at the clinic, and critically analyse the relevant legal principles that underpin those problems, and articulate sophisticated recommendations for reform; and/or demonstrate the ability to create resources, professional development or community education options for key stakeholders

Workload

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcome for this unit is as follows: • A half day orientation program • A full day placement day weekly for 12 weeks, plus a half day follow up in students’ own time • Self-directed online seminar program Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, client interviewing and advice sessions, supervision and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.