The PPC is a 12-week course that covers the compulsory practice areas in the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP) and Masters of Legal Practice (MLP) (Admission to Practice Courses) namely:

• Property Law Practice;
• Commercial Law Practice;
• Civil Litigation Practice;
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility;
• Legal Trust Accounting Practice;
• Professional Development attitudes, skills and competencies

The PPC’s objective is to provide you with a learning experience that enables you to become a professional, courteous and adaptable lawyer who strives to complete all legal services competently and on time.

This course draws together the compulsory skills, practice areas and values from the APLEC/LACC Competency Statements for Entry-level Lawyers.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Develop and apply effective oral and written communication strategies in a variety of legal practice contexts.
2. Review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise knowledge at an entry level lawyer standard to conduct property and commercial law transactions and civil litigation matters.
3. Critically reflect on the breadth and scope of legal issues and applicable law relevant to a complex legal practice problem, develop solutions and advise a client on the available options.
4. Facilitate early resolution of disputes and negotiate settlements.
5. Apply knowledge and skills with creativity and initiative to new situations in professional practice.
6. Apply knowledge and skills demonstrating independent judgement, self-management and accountability, and reflect on the student's own ethical and professional behaviours, responsibilities and experiences in order to improve future performance.
7. Explain requirements in relation to financial transactions and legal costs, and comply with relevant processes, law and good practice.
8. Collaborate effectively with peers, clients, staff, legal and other professionals to identify, analyse and solve legal practice problems.

Research-Led Teaching

We have developed and evaluated the PPC based on extensive research into the best practice for legal education as well as extensive research into the needs and requirements of the legal profession. Some of the distinctive features of this course include the emphasis on:

• A simulated model of learning through doing (Maharg & Garvey, 2011; Barton, McKellar, & Maharg, 2007; Hughes, Gould, McKellar, Maharg, & Nichol, 2008
• Collaborative work as the basis for readiness for practice (Barton & Westwood, 2006; Jacques & Salmon, 2008)
• Professional development in context (Holmes, Foley, Tang & Rowe, 2012) 
• Sustainable assessment practices (Boud & Falchikov, 2007)
• Giving Voice to Values as a mechanism for acting constructively in ethical situations (Gentile, 2010)
• The value of being a reflective practitioner (Leering, 2015)

Required Resources

You will find Resources relevant to each Practice Area on the PPC Wattle site under the Resource link. These resources are not exhaustive and you will be required to undertake independent research to complete team and individual work

Recommended Resources

During the PPC most of the resources you require will be in the PPC or available via a web link from the PPC. In some cases, we will refer you to practice resources, such as commentaries, which are available online through the ANU Library.

The ANU Law Library provides access to online legal research resources (e.g., CCH Intelliconnect, Legal Online, and Lexis Nexis AU):

Go to: http://anulib.anu.edu.au/subjects/law/

and    https://login.virtual.anu.edu.au/login

then type in your “u” number and your password you will find a link to the library in the Quick Links block of the PPC Wattle Site.

Staff Feedback

You will be given written and/or oral feedback pointing out things that have been done well and those that could be done better or differently. You will be given written or oral feedback following any submission of an assessment. This is typically available 1-2 weeks after submission of the assessment. You may seek further elaboration on any feedback - either from your marker or by the convenor. If you feel that your feedback and grade does not reflect your performance, please contact the convenor in writing and outline your concerns.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

Competency Standards

The GDLP draws together the compulsory skills, practice areas and values from the Law Admissions Consultative Committee (LACC) Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers. The LACC competencies set out the standards that you must achieve during your professional legal training (PLT) to be eligible for admission to practice.

You can find the PLT Competency Standards for Entry-level lawyers at https://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/files/web-pdf/LACC%20docs/224336988_10_LACC%20-%20PLT.pdf.

Requesting an Extension

If extenuating circumstances arise which will prevent you from submitting an assessment item by the due date, it is essential that you communicate with your practice area Convenor before the due date to request an extension. Please use your ANU email (not your private email) to advise the practice area Convenor of your situation and to request an extension. 

We may grant an extension as a matter of course in some circumstances (illness, injury, family crisis, etc.). The practice area Convenor may ask you to provide documentation – e.g., a medical certificate.

If you think, other circumstances justify an extension you should discuss your circumstances with your practice area Convenor, before the due date. The practice area Convenor has the discretion to grant an extension. Convenors will not usually give extensions if the reason for your inability to complete work on time is due to a commitment that you knew you had at the start of the course. Alternatively, we are more likely to grant an extension if an issue / commitment arises during the course that you could not have predicted.

We will only grant retrospective extensions in exceptional circumstances. Convenors recognise that circumstances can arise when it is impossible or impracticable for a student to request an extension before the submission date.

Convenors may notify the Sub-Dean when responding to your extension request. The Sub-Dean may contact you about your extensions request(s) if they identify that you may benefit from additional and/or coordinated support due to your circumstances.

External Resources

Information about the ANU Law Library, including details of E-Legal research online resources (for example, CCH Intelliconnect, Legal Online, LexisNexisAU, etc) is available to ANU students and can be found at http://anulib.anu.edu.au/subjects/law. For access to the online resources please go to: http://virtual.anu.edu.au then type in your student number and password.

At various points throughout the course you will be directed to other useful external resources.

Word Limits

As the assessment in the GDLP Program is authentic to legal practice, we do not impose word limits. However, you will often be given a word ‘recommendation’ to guide you, taking into account the purpose of the document and the length it is likely to be in practice.

 

Sub-Dean, GDLP/MLP

The GDLP/MLP Sub-Dean can be contacted via email on subdean.slp@anu.edu.au.

Wellbeing Support Services for Lawyers

You will find an abundance of wellbeing support information for lawyers on the ANU School of Legal Practice website.

We also encourage you to read Being Well in the Law – a guide for lawyers which is a toolkit is provided by the NSW Law Society, written by our ANU Academics.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Week 1: Team Selection Preparing for Team Work	Week 1: Trust Quiz released Ethics Quiz released Property Quizzes (3) released
2	Week 2: Preparing for Team Work Preparing for Property	Week 2: Trust Quiz cont'd Ethics Quiz cont'd Property Quizzes (3) cont'd
3	Week 3: Property Team Work commence	Week 3: Property Task 1 due Trust Quiz due Ethics Quiz due Team Agreement due
4	Week 4: Property Team Work cont'd	Week 4: Property Task 2 due Property Task 3 due
5	Week 5: Property Team Work cont'd Preparation for Commercial	Week 5: Property Task 4 due Property Task 5 due Property Task 6 due Property Individual Assessment to be booked
6	Week 6: Commercial Team Work commence Property Individual Work	Week 6: Commercial Negotiation Assessment commence Attend Property Individual Assessment Property Quizzes (3) due
7	Week 7: Commercial Team Work cont'd Commercial Individual Work commence	Week 7: Commercial Negotiation Assessment cont'd Commercial Individual Assessment to be booked
8	Week 8: Commercial Individual Work cont'd Preparation for Civil	Week 8: Attend Commercial Individual Assessment
9	Week 9: Commercial Individual Work cont'd Civil Team Work commence	Week 9: Attend Commercial Individual Assessment
10	Week 10: Civil Team Work cont'd Civil Individual Work commence	Week 10: Civil Team Work due
11	Week 11: Civil Team Work cont'd Civil Individual Work cont'd	Week 11: Civil Individual Work Due
12	Week 12:
13	For a full class schedule, please refer to the Important Class Information & Schedule in Wattle

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Orientation Assessments	0 %	30/09/2019	14/10/2019	3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Property Practice	0 %	03/11/2019	17/11/2019	1,2, 3, 8
Commercial and Corporate Practice	0 %	24/11/2019	08/12/2019	1, 2, 3, 4, 8
Civil Litigation	0 %	13/12/2019	20/01/2020	1, 2, 3, 8

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using 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. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Orientation Assessments

Team Tasks

Release Date: 09 September 2019

Task: Prepare for teamwork and meet with team (Due date: 30 September 2019)

Individual Tasks

Release Date: 09 September 2019

Tasks

• Complete tasks in Start Here section of Wattle (Due Date: 30 September 2019)
• Trust Accounting Quiz (Due Date: 7 October 2019)
• Ethics Quiz (Due Date: 7 October 2019)
• Property Quizzes A, B and C (Due Date: 3 November 2019)

Portfolio Task

Release Date: 09 September 2019

Task: Complete team agreement (Due date: 7 October 2019)

Notes

• The due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the final assessment in the Orientation Assessments.
• Please refer to the Important Class Information & PPC Deadlines Schedule in Wattle for further information regarding assessments and grades in this course.

Assessment Task 2

Property Practice

Team Tasks

Release Date: 07 October 2019

Tasks

• Task 1: Initial Letter to Client (Due Date: 11 October 2019)
• Task 2: Special Conditions (Due Date: 14 October 2019)
• Task 3: Instructions - Contract Formation (Due Date: 16 October 2019)
• Task 4: Transfer (Due Date: 21 October 2019)
• Task 5: Business Advice (Due Date: 21 October 2019)
• Task 6: Final letter to Client / Closing File (Due Date: 22 October 2019)

Individual Task

Task: Oral Interview (45 minutes)

Release Date: 21 October 2019 (booking forum closes 24 October 2019 11.55pm AEDT)

Due Date: Attend between 26 October 2019 - 03 November 2019 (as per booking)

Notes

• The due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the final assessment in Property Practice.
• Please refer to the Important Class Information & PPC Deadlines Schedule in Wattle for further information regarding assessments and grades in this course.

Assessment Task 3

Commercial and Corporate Practice

Team Tasks

Task: Commercial Team Negotiation

Release Date: 28 October 2019 (booking forum closes 31 October 2019 11.55pm AEDT)

Due Date: Attend between 02 November 2019 - 10 November 2019 (as per booking)

Individual Tasks

Task: Written file note, business sale of agreement, Director guarantee

Release Date: 01 November 2019

Due Date: 12 November 2019

Task: Oral individual client briefing

Release Date: 01 November 2019 (booking forum opens 4 November 2019 and closes 07 November 2019 11.55pm AEDT)

Due Date: Attend between 14 November 2019 and 24 November 2019 (as per booking)

Portfolio Tasks

Task: Complete Peer Review of Team Agreement

Release Date: 22 October 2019

Due Date: 29 October 2019

Task: Ethics/GVV: Statement of Adjustments

Release Date: 25 October 2019

Due Date: 01 November 2019

Task: Review on Negotiation

Release Date: 05 November 2019

Due Date: 12 November 2019

Notes

• The due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the final assessment in Commercial and Corporate Practice.
• Please refer to the Important Class Information & PPC Deadlines Schedule in Wattle for further information regarding assessments and grades in this course.

Assessment Task 4

Civil Litigation

Team Tasks

Task: Written Internal Memorandum of Advice

Release Date: 18 November 2019

Due Date: 29 November 2019

Individual Tasks

Task: Written Individual Assessment

Release Date: 18 November 2019

Due Date: 8 December 2019

Portfolio Tasks

Task: Review of Time and Work Management Practices

Release Date: 03 December 2019

Due Date: 10 December 2019

Notes

• The due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the final assessment in Civil Litigation.
• Please refer to the Important Class Information & PPC Deadlines Schedule in Wattle for further information regarding assessments and grades in this course.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You must submit assessments by the due date. 

We assess you on timeliness as one of the skills competency criteria.

Team Work Submission

You will submit your practice area team written work in either Property Portal or the Practice Area Activities and Assessments section in Wattle as directed. You will submit your team written work as advised in your instructions. All team members must agree to the submitted work before lodging.

Individual Work Submission

Your individual assessments relate to the work you are completing as a team, but you will receive instructions for your individual assessments under the Practice Area Activities and Assessments section on the course Wattle site.

You will submit individual written assessments through the course Wattle site in the appropriate submission box under the heading Practice Area Activities and Assessments. Ensure you properly submit your work, (click “send for marking”), and not merely upload as a draft file.

Other Assessments

You will complete oral teamwork or individual assessments using Adobe Connect platform. We record oral assessments. You are required to use a webcam for student verification only. You must have your student card, driver’s licence or another form of photo identification available to show your assessor. You can then turn your camera off.

When you are required to do a quiz assessment, you will find the quiz in the PPC Wattle site under the Practice Area Activities and Assessments section of the Wattle site. You must complete the quiz on your own. This means you do not consult with any other student, ex-student, colleague, family member or staff member while completing this quiz. Please ensure that you keep a copy of all the work you submit. Your e-portfolio could be an excellent place to do this.

Hardcopy Submission

No hard copy submission will be accepted in this class.

Late Submission

If you submit an assessment late, without receiving an approved extension from the Convenor, the following penalties will apply: 

1. You will not be able to achieve a Higher Level Performance (HLP) grade for the assessment in question.
2. If your assessment is graded as Not Yet Competent (NYC) you will not be offered the opportunity to resubmit the assessment, or to submit a supplementary assessment.
3. Assessments submitted more than 72 hours after the due date will be automatically graded NYC.

The Convenor has overriding discretion to accept an assessment and/or to allow a student to resubmit an assessment, or to submit a supplementary assessment.

What Happens if Your Team Cannot Meet a Deadline as a Team

If your team cannot meet a deadline for teamwork, your team should send a message to your Associate/Senior Partner in the forum/property portal before the deadline passes, and courteously request more time to complete your work. If your team misses deadlines without seeking extensions from your Associate/Senior Partner, your team is at risk of receiving an overall rating of Not Yet Competent (NYC) for the Practice Area and may be required to redo that component of the PPC. 

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Your written work will receive feedback and grading via the course Wattle site (or dedicated property portal) under the corresponding assessment drop box. The Convenor will advise when you can expect your assessment results. 

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

We offer an additional assessment to students who make a bona fide attempt at assessable work and who submit it on time (or are granted an extension), and who receive an NYC grade for the assessment item.

The additional assessment is EITHER one opportunity to resubmit the assessment, OR one opportunity to submit a supplementary assessment. The Convenor has the discretion to decide which form of additional assessment to utilise.

Supplementary assessment is both the opportunity to resubmit work that we have graded NYC, or to submit a supplementary assessment.

We offer no further supplementary assessment once a student receives an N (fail) grade as a result for the course.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students