• Offered by ANU Legal Workshop
  • ANU College ANU College of Law
  • Course subject Legal Practice
  • Areas of interest Legal Practice
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Mode of delivery Online
  • Offered in Autumn Session 2017
    Winter Session 2017
    Spring Session 2017
    See Future Offerings

Ready For Practice is a compulsory capstone course concluding the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP) (and the 'admission to practice' component of the Master of Legal Practice) (MLP). This course complements and builds upon the legal knowledge, skills and values introduced in the Becoming a Practitioner intensive course, and as further developed by the Professional Practice Core course, Legal Practice Experience and necessary elective courses. With close mentoring support, this course assists students to bring to completion the e-portfolio of work and evidence gathered from the commencement of their program. This course also contributes to the e-portfolio by providing opportunities for:

  • advanced ethical performance, through a Giving Voice to Values experiential module; and

  • developing legal skills in an identified area of relative student weakness.

By the end of this course, students should be able to ‘make a case’ - by a combination of oral and written submissions - for both: 

  • satisfying the legal and character requirements for admission to practice as an Australian lawyer; 

  • professional formation with having a future focus upon emerging vocational opportunities and developmental pathways in law and related disciplines - as may fit best with tailored student goals, aspirations and capabilities; and

  • providing a personalised and evaluated package learning and achievement for future use in their professional careers.

The course will equip students with - and help them to demonstrate - the capacity to apply an advanced body of legal knowledge, skills and values in a range of professional practice contexts.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon completion of this course, and towards evidencing the LACC competencies for entry-level lawyers, a student will:
  1. Take responsibility as a learner, with high level autonomy and accountability, as necessary to validate an e-portfolio of the student’s legal knowledge, skills and values developed across the GDLP program for assessment against the standards prescribed by LACC;
  2. Reflect critically upon the student’s e-portfolio for the purpose of identifying areas of relative strength and weakness and, for the latter, plan and demonstrate improved performance;
  3. Research and apply established theories of:
       a) the current and future context of legal services and legal practice;
       b) legal ethics and values;
       c) client interviewing and/or legal negotiation;
       d) structured, succinct and persuasive oral persuasion;
       e) structured, succinct and persuasive written submissions;

  4. Synthesise complex information and apply mature judgment in the resolution of, and critical reflection upon, a complex client problem and/or ethical dilemma; and
  5. With creativity and initiative, explore and envision a future professional self and a career, further learning and developmental pathway beyond the GDLP.
The course will allow students to work with mentoring support towards achieving the above learning outcomes.

Other Information

For further information about this course or to apply for a permission code if you don't meet the prerequisite, please go to ANU Legal Workshop website.

Indicative Assessment

Assessment is likely to consist of:
  1. Giving Voice to Values (ethics performance plus structured reflection)
    (Learning Outcomes: 3b and 4).
  2. Advanced Skills Development, one module of:
    a) interview performance; or
    b) negotiation performance; 
    (Learning Outcomes: 2, 3c and 4).
  3. Making a Case for The Calling of Law:
    a) Completed e-portfolio;
    b) Written Submission - Self Assessment [1,500 words max];
    c) Written Submission - Future Focus/Making a Difference [1,500 words max];
    d) Presentation for Mentor
    (Learning Outcomes: 1, 2, 3a, 3d, 3e and 5).

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

The course is conducted intensively over three weeks with an expected average workload of 18-20 hours per week, including assessment activities.

It will require continuous online participation throughout the course, as students will be required to participate in formative assessment activities in order to satisfy course completion requirements.

Requisite and Incompatibility

Completion of 42units of LEGW courses including LEGW8141 Becoming a Practitioner, and LEGW8142 Professional Practice Core. Concurrent enrolment permitted for: • Legal Practice Experience (LPE); and/or • one GDLP elective, provided that this is the student’s final GDLP/MLP admission to practice elective, provided that any and each of the above courses must be completed concurrently or before the conclusion of Ready for Practice course.

You will need to contact the ANU Legal Workshop to request a permission code to enrol in this course.

Preliminary Reading

An indicative list of reading materials includes:

Legislation/Regulations

  • Legal Profession Uniform Law;
  • Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015
  • ACT Legal Profession (Solicitors) Conduct Rules 2015
  • and related legislation and regulations across Australian jurisdictions
Key articles and papers
  • Antonin Scalia and Bryan Garner, Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges (2008)
  • Kenneth Hayne, Written Submissions (2007)
  • Mary Gentile, Giving Voice To Values: An Introduction
  • Mary Gentile, An Action Framework for Giving Voice to Values: The To-Do List’
  • Mary Gentile, Giving Voice To Values: Starting Assumptions
  • Michael Smith, Advanced Legal Writing: Theories and strategies in persuasive writing (3rd ed, 2012)
  • Richard Susskind and Daniel Susskind, The Future of the Professions: How technology will transform the work of human experts (2015)
  • Richard Susskind, Tomorrow’s Lawyers: An introduction to your future (2013)
  • Richard Susskind, The End of Lawyers: Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services (2010);
  • Scott Chamberlain, Future of Law (in development)
  • Scott Chamberlain, The Rise of Legal Entrepreneurism (in development)
  • Scott Chamberlain, Advanced Negotiation (in development)

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
3
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2017 $1430
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2017 $2004
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Autumn Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
5733 24 Apr 2017 28 Apr 2017 28 Apr 2017 12 May 2017 Online N/A
5734 22 May 2017 26 May 2017 26 May 2017 09 Jun 2017 Online N/A
Graduate Program
5801 26 Jun 2017 30 Jun 2017 30 Jun 2017 30 Jun 2017 Online N/A

Winter Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
6830 14 Aug 2017 18 Aug 2017 18 Aug 2017 01 Sep 2017 Online N/A
6831 10 Jul 2017 14 Jul 2017 14 Jul 2017 28 Jul 2017 Online N/A
Graduate Program
6918 10 Jul 2017 17 Jul 2017 17 Jul 2017 17 Jul 2017 Online N/A

Spring Session

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
9693 09 Oct 2017 13 Oct 2017 13 Oct 2017 27 Oct 2017 Online N/A
9694 20 Nov 2017 24 Nov 2017 24 Nov 2017 08 Dec 2017 Online N/A

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