Evidence law governs the use of proof in legal proceedings and answers important questions like: How much proof is enough? What will the jury be allowed to hear? And what kinds of proof can be used? Evidence law is also a major component of trial procedure, governing how proof is presented in a trial. The law of evidence regulates the emergence of the parties’ narratives; and decisions about evidentiary issues frequently determine which version of events is believed, what is considered ‘fact’ and what is not. Liberty, property, livelihoods and families can hang in the balance.
Understanding the law of evidence is integral to understanding the trial process and the development of all areas of substantive law. Evidence law is the lens through which the legal system views the “facts” of a case. Understanding how a record of evidence is developed will give you new insight into litigation processes and appellate decisions. It will also give you a new perspective on the adversarial system and the importance of advocacy. If you become a litigator or barrister someday, evidence law will be your bread and butter. If you never become a litigator, you will need to know evidence law in order to make appropriate decisions for clients who are not in litigation. Protecting your clients’ rights outside litigation may depend on your knowledge about what might be admissible if litigation were eventually employed. Even if you leave law and go into business or another field, understanding evidence will give you a new perspective on the nightly news.
This course is an introduction to the law of evidence. It covers important aspects of proof, admissibility, fact-finding, and the standards and procedures that are applied in legal proceedings. While it would be possible (and fascinating) to take a philosophical approach to evidence issues, this course takes a practical approach. It will require you to participate in discussion, present arguments, think on your feet, and make strategic decisions. You should leave the course with fluency in Uniform Evidence Law and with a strong understanding of the principles that undergird the rules of evidence and trial procedure in common law systems.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
By the conclusion of this course it is intended that students who have successfully completed all the course requirements should be able to:1. Formulate a plan for establishing each legal element of a case to the required standard of proof with admissible evidence when given a set of case file materials and a legal case to prove (e.g. negligence, defamation, theft, murder, etc.).
2. Plan and execute a strategic witness examination that comports with evidentiary standards and that persuasively establishes a fact in issue in a case; anticipate and respond to evidentiary objections that may be raised during your examination.
3. Identify, evaluate, articulate and assert appropriate evidentiary objections on examination of a witness; articulate the reasons for your objections and respond persuasively to questions from the judge.
4. Critically analyse, draft and execute a witness examination for the introduction of an item of proof into evidence;
5. Formulate, assert and support strategic objections to items of proof, using appropriate evidentiary rules and tailoring objections to the facts at hand;
6. Use a variety of case file materials (witness statements, documents, etc.) to make a coherent and persuasive argument for the admission or exclusion of a specific item of evidence; select and incorporate factual information and legal standards drawn from both evidentiary rules and substantive law (such as criminal law or tort law).
7. Analyse and apply evidentiary standards to a complex evidentiary issue; decide when further case law research is needed, conduct necessary research, evaluate case law, and present a persuasive argument for the admission or exclusion of the evidence.
8. Articulate a coherent, objective decision on the admissibility of evidence; incorporate evidentiary standards, substantive law, principles of statutory construction and policy considerations in your decision.
Indicative Assessment
The assessment will consist of the following three (3) compulsory components:1. Tutorial Participation (15%)
2. Mid-semester Assignment: Moot Court Exercise or Written Court Submission (30%)
3. Examination (55%)
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
Students are expected to spend about 4 hours per week in classes/tutorials and about 4 hours per week in private study time.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
The prescribed textbook for this course is:S Odgers, Uniform Evidence Law (11th ed. 2014), Thomson Reuters. Please obtain this edition. Other editions will contain out of date material.
R v Douglass case file material posted on Wattle.
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 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2958 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $4350 |
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.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Summer Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1721 | 01 Dec 2014 | 19 Dec 2014 | 02 Jan 2015 | 13 Feb 2015 | In Person | N/A |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3524 | 20 Jul 2015 | 07 Aug 2015 | 31 Aug 2015 | 30 Oct 2015 | In Person | N/A |
