The Clinical Youth Law Program is an elective course. Students who have completed 48 units of LAWS courses are eligible to enrol and places are allocated by quality of application and if necessary ballot.
This is a clinical program based in a community legal practice environment. Students participate in the Youth Law Centre, a non-profit legal service for ACT youth aged 12-25 years. While analysing the various roles that lawyers can play, students will focus on extending legal assistance, social justice and reform - particularly in relation to youth legal needs in the ACT.
The course objectives are to:
- contextualise the study of law and student learning in a wide range of other law courses;
- guide and support students in identifying, developing and applying ethical legal practice skills;
- develop students' critical understanding of legal practice approaches, the roles of lawyers in relation to individual clients and social justice issues; and
- encourage, promote and validate student aspirations to promote access to justice and equality before the law.
The course also explores issues such as:
- the concept of ‘reflective practice';
- the links between the legal framework of legal practice and operating routines that apply to provision of all legal services (duties to client, confidentiality, conflict of interest);
- legal and non-legal problems - implications for practice/service provision of an appreciation of the relevant services and the meshing of non-legal issues;
- interviewing routine - difference between legal information and legal advice;
- legal practice approaches - ‘reactive', ‘proactive', ‘preventative', ‘activist'; and
- tailoring service models to client needs.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- describe and critique how advanced knowledge and skills acquired through the study of law relate to a legal practice setting, assisting individual clients and working for social justice,
- reflect on their personal motivation for studying law, their goals and career aspirations,
- demonstrate a reflective and ethical approach, together with the ability to apply broad theoretical and professional knowledge, in performing paralegal tasks,
- demonstrate substantial improvement in their practical legal skills particularly relating to work routines, communication with a variety of audiences, interviewing, writing, and legal research principles and methods,
- describe and critique a range of legal practice approaches having regard to the legal needs of individual clients,
- analyse the predicament of individual clients having regard to the operation of the law and the legal system,
- describe and critically assess a range of strategies to improve justice / social justice outcomes,
- identify concrete and achievable ways in which they can promote access to justice and equality before the law,
- Plan and execute a written research project, with some independence.
Indicative Assessment
- On-site participation, learning and performance (50) [LO null]
- Seminar participation (20) [LO null]
- Research project of 1,800 words (30) [LO null]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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
Two day orientation workshop at the beginning of semester, one day per week on-site (including through the mid-semester break)
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the ANU Law School to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Clinical resources are made available to students at the commencement of the clinical programme.
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 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4110 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
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.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4170 | 24 Feb 2020 | 02 Mar 2020 | 08 May 2020 | 05 Jun 2020 | In Person | View |
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9170 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | Online or In Person | View |
