Law Internship PG (11448.2)

Please note these are the 2025 details for this unit
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Law Internship PG
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods Online real-time
 UC - Canberra, Online
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra Law School Post Graduate Level Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Band 5 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Students are required to undertake an internship placement of 75 hours under the supervision of a professional practitioner in an appropriate workplace in the law and justice community OR complete a project to meet workplace requirements. Students will be exposed to and involved in the processes of applying practical skills, including analysis, research, problem solving and writing in a law or justice workplace.

Each student is required to analyse and reflect on the study and practice of law and justice, including by preparing a research report or producing other work as required and maintaining a reflective journal throughout (reflecting critically on their field of study). They will also produce a presentation highlighting skills obtained and/or skills to be honed, on his/her placement.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Reflect critically on theory and professional practice to evaluate and report on the relationships between discipline specific theories and actual professional practice;
2. Analyse and theorise developments in law concerning professional practice to engage with social and ethical issues; and
3. Generate and evaluate complex ideas about professional practice that are communicated orally, individually or in a group, with confidence and clarity.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - take pride in their professional and personal integrity
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development


Skills development

Students are required to undertake an internship placement under the supervision of a professional practitioner in an appropriate workplace in the law and justice community OR complete a series of ‘virtual internship’ tasks alongside the unit's course work. Students will be exposed to and involved in applying practical skills, including analysis, research, problem-solving and writing in a law or justice workplace. Each student must analyse and reflect on the study and practice of law and justice, maintaining a reflective journal throughout (reflecting critically on their field of study).

The unit has two ‘streams’ (workplace internship and virtual internship) but the same assessment structure. Students can elect to participate in one or the other.

Workplace Internship

Students undertaking an internship in their current workplace or an external workplace will need to identify their own internship hosts unless the University offers or identifies a potential host. The internship arrangement will fall within the University’s existing internship policies and procedures. Consequently, a student will need to undertake a series of administrative steps before commencing the internship. Those steps may take time to complete. Students contemplating this stream are strongly encouraged to contact BGLWIL@canberra.edu.au as early as possible.

Under this stream, a student may also choose to undertake a research-based internship under academic supervision.

Virtual internship

Students in this stream will undertake a series of practice-related tasks for a hypothetical client under the mentorship of the convenor, adjunct, or sessional staff member with experience in the practice area. Students will deal with the virtual matter as the basis on which to explore and develop practice-based skills.



Prerequisites

11751 Legal Methods and Skills G AND 11752 Legal Systems G

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

11253 Law and Justice Internship

Equivalent units

8075 Law Internship PG

Assumed knowledge

None.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 2 17 March 2025 Online real-time Dr Andrew Henderson
2025 UC - Canberra, Online Study Block 5 01 September 2025 Online real-time Dr Andrew Henderson
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

There are no required texts for this unit. A curated set of reading materials is available on the unit's UCLearn site.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Use of Generative AI

Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit, except for Studiosity Writing Feedback Plus.

GenAI may only be used in authorised ways when completing assessments at UC. This means that GenAI can only be used for an assessment when:

  • the Unit Convener has authorised GenAI use for that assessment
  • the student uses GenAI in the way that the assessment instructions allow
  • the student fully acknowledges their use of GenAI, with proper citations, references and a GenAI Acknowledgement Statement in line with the assessment instructions.

Where the assessment instructions do not specifically state that GenAI may be used and how, then its use is not permitted for that assessment. Students must still provide the required GenAI Acknowledgement Statement to indicate whether GenAI has or has not been used in the preparation of the assessment. If unsure, students should seek advice from the Unit Convener.

The GenAI for Students Library Guide provides further information, including how to reference GenAI.

Virtual Internships and nonassessable tasks

Students who have elected to participate in a Virtual Internship have several non-assessable tasks to complete that are associated with their virtual client. The tasks are intended to mirror the types of tasks an intern might be asked to complete in an ordinary internship. The tasks are not assessable. However, students in a Virtual Internship should be aware that, just like an ordinary internship, failing to complete tasks assigned to them reflects poorly on them and on their internship and will affect their supervisor's overall assessment in Assessment 4.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

Participation in Virtual Rooms is not mandatory, but strongly encouraged. In weeks 2-5, students will have the opportunity to meet experienced legal practitioners from a number of different professional fields. 

Each session will begin with the guest practitioner sharing their experiences and observations about that week's topics. For students in the Virtual Internship stream, they will also provide general feedback and guidance on the previous week's submitted tasks, highlighting common themes and areas for development.

The majority of each session will be dedicated to open discussion and questions. This is your chance to learn from someone currently working in legal practice - to ask about their experiences, seek career advice, and better understand what day-to-day life as a lawyer actually involves. While no preparation is required, you're encouraged to think about questions you'd like to ask and to engage actively in the discussion.

These sessions are designed to complement the theoretical content of the unit by providing practical context and real-world perspectives. The guest speakers can help bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, offering valuable insights that will support both your internship experience and future legal career. 

Required IT skills

This unit involves online meetings in real time using the Virtual Room in your UCLearn teaching site. The Virtual Room allows you to communicate in real time with your lecturer and other students. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, go to the Virtual Room in your UCLearn site and 'Join Course Room'. This will trigger a tutorial to help familiarise you with the functionality of the virtual room.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves work integrated learning. If you have elected to participate in Workplace Internship, that will involve an Internship. If you have elected to participate in a Virtual Internship that will involve a Simulation. Students must adhere to University policy during WIL activities, including the Student Conduct Rules 2018, the WIL Policy and WIL Procedure, and the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedure.

This unit has pre-placement requirements. You must complete Pre-Place: Preparation for Work Integrated Learning prior to commencement of your Internship or Simulation. You can self-enrol in this module through the UC Learn site here.

You are also required to complete details in InPlace, refer to inplace.canberra.edu.au. If you have any queries related to InPlace please contact placement@canberra.edu.au.

These requirements apply regardless of whether you are participating in a Workplace or Virtiual Internship. Detailed instructions on how to complete these steps can be found on the UCLearn page.

Contact your unit convener if you have any concerns with meeting the requirements of this unit.

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