Legal Professional and Community Service Experience

Course aim

The aim of this course is to develop professional skills and values, including UniSA graduate qualities, with a structured analysis of, and reflection on, experience gained in the workplace or in a community service setting. In addition to analysing and reflecting on their personal experience students will consider the role of legal professionals in the legal system and in society generally.

Course content

Students will attend workshops designed to prepare them for their period of work or community service experience and to assist the preparation of their assessment. The workshops will focus upon developing students’ understanding of work experience or community service as an ‘active’ context for critical reflection on their personal development and their role as a professional in society.
Students will then engage in one of a variety of professional experiences which may comprise: 

1. Work experience; or
2. Clinical placement in a community service legal clinic; or
3. Internship – eg Red Cross, Amnesty International, Parliament; or
4. Communicating the Law – this involves producing multimedia material for community groups to assist their understanding of the law; or
5. Trial Management; or
6. Access to Justice Project – students liaise with a community service organisation and complete an access to justice project which is of benefit to the host organisation and its clients.

During the course of their work experience or community service students will also attend seminars where they will present material from their experience for early feedback in relation to their learning.
Following their work experience or community service students must submit a reflective portfolio. Formative feedback on portfolios will be provided by academic staff and supervisors on a regular basis prior to submission.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Common to all relevant programs
Subject Area & Catalogue Number	Course Name
LAWS 4006	Lawyers, Ethics and Society

Corequisite(s)

Common to all relevant programs
Subject Area & Catalogue Number	Course Name
LAWS 4006	Lawyers, Ethics and Society

Teaching method

Component	Duration
INTERNAL, CITY WEST
Seminar	2 hours x 10 weeks
Workshop	2 hours x 10 weeks
Industrial Placement	7 hours x 10 weeks

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Critical Incident Report/Project Plan, Presentation/Video Presentation (group), Reflective Portfolio/Project

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 3)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
How to determine your Commonwealth Supported course fee. (Opens new window)

Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
Non-award tuition fees are set by the university. To determine the cost of this course, go to:
How to determine the relevant non award tuition fee. (Opens new window)

Not all courses are available on all of the above bases, and students must check to ensure that they are permitted to enrol in a particular course.

* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.