Law in Action

LAW IN ACTION PROJECT - 8749 UG unit and 8750 PG unit

  1. Description
  2. Eligibility
  3. Prerequisites

DESCRIPTION

The Law in Action unit gives senior law students an opportunity to work with external agencies and law firms on ‘real projects’, where they can use their skills and knowledge in a practical way, to improve their employment prospects.   


Some examples of the type of work that previous students have undertaken include:

  • ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety
    The student assisted in the development of a human rights toolkit for the Human Rights and Regulatory Policy Unit, where she mainly focused on the prohibition against torture in the ACT jurisdiction. This involved developing a plain English guide to the right not to be tortured that falls under the Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT).

  • Meyer Vandenberg Lawyers
    The student prepared a flow chart which included court procedures applicable to General Protections Applications and Unfair Dismissal Applications under the Fair Work Act 2009.  The flow chart outlined court and legislative procedures in a plain English framework.  He also linked the flow chart to case law and legislation for the use by lawyers in the office. 

  • Conflict Resolution Service
    The student undertook a project on the role of the mediator in family law disputes.  The project considered the obligations and legal responsibilities on mediators to assist in facilitating just and equitable outcomes for the parties.  The student looked at relevant legislation, case law, both domestic and international, and the processes in child inclusive practice mediations conducted. 

The unit allows agencies and law firms that may not have the capacity to take on students in their workplace, to involve law students in a ‘real project’ and give them experience in practical legal thinking, without being in the office for the whole project. 

At the conclusion of the unit, you will be required to submit the project, complete a journal paper, and do a presentation on the project. 

 

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to enrol for the unit you will need to send your expression of interest to doris.bozin@canberra.edu.au by 6 January 2012.  The expression of interest should include the following information:

  1. Brief explanation of why you are interested in doing the unit, and what area of law you are interested in;
  2. Copy of academic transcript; and
  3. Curriculum vitae.

 
PREREQUISITES

There are prerequisites for this unit, in that you must be a law student in your final year, and have a grade point average [GPA] of above a credit [5.0]. 
Not all students who send an expression of interest for this unit will be given a placement.  This will depend on whether the prerequisites are met, and whether the student is able to be placed with an agency or law firm. 
If you are selected for a placement in this unit, you will be notified prior to the commencement of semester 1, 2012, and it is only then that you should formally enrol in the unit.