Ready for Practice is a compulsory capstone course concluding the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice (GDLP). 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 elective courses. This course also assists students to reflect upon the portfolio of work and evidence gathered throughout their program.

Recognising the diverse careers of legal professionals, the course provides an avenue to reflect upon their roles in the profession, capabilities and intentions as they transition to becoming an Australian lawyer.

In this course students will be provided with opportunities to:

• Develop independent views of their own professional formation, values, aspirations and role as a lawyer. Discuss and practice responses and approaches to ethical dilemmas, through a Giving Voice to Values experiential module; and
• Further develop legal skills in an identified area, relative to individual students’ goals

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Critically reflect on the student’s own portfolio of work and legal practice experience to develop, conceptualise and articulate a view of their own professional formation, including knowledge, skills and values.
2. Critically examine their role as a lawyer in the current and future context of legal services and legal practices.
3. Evaluate the student’s own skills in the context of considering the type of legal professional the student would like to be, and communicate these ideas in oral form, to other students and teaching staff.
4. Identify a legal skill for further development and research and apply established theories or techniques applicable to a complex task relating to that skill.
5. Identify relevant concepts from the Giving Voice to Values approach to resolve a complex ethical dilemma or conflict and apply these concepts towards the resolution of that dilemma or conflict.

Research-Led Teaching

This course is supported by extensive research on the importance of reflective practice and capstone tasks in synthesising adult learning for professional practice. The Giving Voice to Values curriculum and Professional Identity formation research and the changing nature of the legal profession are also relevant. For example:

• The importance of reflective practice for legal professionals
• Leering, Michele. "Conceptualizing Reflective Practice for Legal Professionals." Journal of Law and Social Policy 23. (2014): 83-106;
• Leering, Michele, “Integrated reflective practice: A critical imperative for enhancing legal education and professionalism” (2017) 95 Canadian Bar Review.
• Law Capstone experiences as detailed in Kift et al, Curriculum renewal in legal education, http://eprints.qut.edu.au/64249/1/Final_Report%5B1%5D.pdf and http://www.lawcapstoneexperience.com/ 
• 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; Ferguson & Lee, 2012)
• Giving Voice to Values as a mechanism for acting constructively in ethical situations (Gentile, 2010)
• The importance of professional identity and values development in wellbeing to professional ethical outcomes and student wellbeing (Ferguson, 2015; Tang & Ferguson, 2014; Ferguson & Lee, 2012)
• The changing nature of the legal profession (Susskind, 2008)

Required Resources

As you consider your assessment tasks it will be necessary to research and read and wide range of resource materials. Details of foundational resources will be provided on the course 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. Your submission will be re-marked by a new examiner.

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 you think other circumstances justify an extension you should discuss your circumstances with your Convenor, before the due date. Whether or not an extension will be granted remains in the discretion of the Convenor. Convenors will not usually grant 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, an extension is likely to be granted if an issue / commitment arises during the course that you could not have predicted.

In some circumstances (illness, injury, family crisis etc.) an extension will be granted as a matter of course. The Convenor may ask you to provide documentation – e.g. a medical certificate. 

Retrospective extensions will be granted only in exceptional circumstances. Convenors recognise that circumstances can arise when it is impossible or impracticable for a student to request an extension prior to the submission date.

Convenors may notify the Sub-Dean when responding to your extension request. The Sub-Dean may contact you with regard to 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	Portfolio conference: submit a short reflection before attending a conference (may run into week 2)
2	Giving Voice to Values: submission of conversation plan and conference (may run into week 3).
3	Submission of advanced skills development task; Submission of professional formation portfolio and responses to reflective questions.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Two Professional Formation Tasks	0 %	02/05/2019	16/05/2019	1, 2, 3
Giving Voice to Values Task	0 %	07/05/2019	21/05/2019	5
Advanced Legal Skills Task	0 %	17/05/2019	31/05/2019	4

* 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.

Participation

You have elected to enrol in an intensive practice course – give it your full commitment by keeping up to date, being informed and actively participating in the course.

Check Wattle announcements and forum discussions as well as your ANU email at least every 24-48 hours. Alternatively, set your personal setting to provide you with all the reminders you need to achieve this. At the end of the day, it is your responsibility to ensure you are actively committed and involved in this course.

All email correspondence from the ANU will be sent to your ANU email address.

You may arrange for your ANU Email to be forwarded to an email address you check daily. 

Assessment Task 1

Two Professional Formation Tasks

Professional Formation Webconference

Book Webconference by: Tuesday, 30 April 2019

Worksheet Assessment Due Date: Thursday, 2 May 2019 by 9.00am (AEST)

Webconference: Between 2 May 2019 (9.00am AEST) - 8 May 2019 (9.00am AEST)

Please note the due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the worksheet assessment.

Professional Formation Advanced Response

Release Date: Sunday, 12 May 2019 by 11.00pm (AEST)

Assessment Due Date: Saturday, 18 May 2019 by 11.00pm (AEST)

Please note the due date listed in the Assessment Summary relates to the due date of the worksheet assessment.

Assessment Task 2

Giving Voice to Values Task

Book Webconference by: Tuesday, 30th April 2019

Worksheet Assessment Due Date: Tuesday, 7 May 2019 by 11.00pm (AEST)

Webconference: Between 8 May 2019 (9.00am AEST) - 15 May 2019 (9.00am AEST)

Assessment Task 3

Advanced Legal Skills Task

Selection of Topic by: Tuesday, 12 May 2019 by 11.00pm (AEST)

Assessment Due Date: Friday, 17 May 2019 by 11.00pm (AEST)

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community 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 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 University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

Please ensure that you keep a copy of all the work you submit.

The submission requirements specific to each task will be set out on the course Wattle site by the Convenor.

You will submit written assessments through the course Wattle site in the appropriate submission box under the heading “Assessments”. You must complete the electronic academic integrity certification. Ensure you confirm your submission has been properly submitted (click “send for marking”), and not merely uploaded as a draft file.

You will complete oral assessments through the web-conference platform provided on the course Wattle site (Adobe Connect) or through Skype under extenuating circumstances. Oral assessments will be recorded and webcam will be required for student verification only. You must have your student card, driver’s licence or other form of photo identification available to show your assessor. You can then turn your camera off. 

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. 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.
2. 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.

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 under the corresponding assessment drop box. Assessment results are typically available between 1-2 weeks after the due date via the same dropbox your assessments were submitted to. The Convenor will post announcements about 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

Students who make a bona fide attempt at assessable work and who submit it on time (or are granted an extension), and who receive a Not Yet Competent (NYC) grade for the assessment item, will be offered additional assessment.

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.

Both the opportunity to resubmit work that has been graded NYC, or to submit a supplementary assessment, are considered to be supplementary assessment in the course. 

No further supplementary assessment will be offered once a student receives an N (fail) grade as a final 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