GD-LAWLP v.2 Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Graduate Diplomas prepare students to develop advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and further learning corresponding to AQF level 8 qualifications.

The Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice is a specialised practical legal training course aimed at law graduates. Satisfactory completion of the course is a prerequisite for a law graduate to be eligible for admission to the legal profession in Western Australia as a lawyer.

Course Accreditation

This course has been approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia.

Professional Recognition

Students may be eligible for membership to the Law Society of Western Australia.

Additional Course Expenses

Students may be expected to purchase a number of textbooks and other essential study materials.

Graduate Diplomas contain a series of units which may include compulsory (core), optional or elective units to cater for student preferences. They may contain a range of majors/streams for students to choose from to pursue learning in a specialised area of study.

Course Learning Outcomes

A graduate of this course can:

1. research, interpret and apply knowledge of Western Australian and Commonwealth legal concepts, theory, procedure, statutory rules, case law principles, work management and business skills and professional ethical responsibilities to understand, evaluate and apply them in legal practice

2. critically and creatively analyse complex legal problems to effectively identify and articulate the issues involved, generate innovative options and apply legal reasoning to make a considered choice between competing solutions which best serves the needs of the client

3. identify, access, assess and synthesise relevant information from a client, primary legal sources such as cases and legislation and secondary sources such as journal articles, commentaries, relevant websites and precedents (including electronic versions of these sources), identify all relevant issues and gather and present relevant information in practical oral and documentary advice, legal documentation and communications

4. identify and evaluate the needs of a client and the purpose of a proposed communication; accurately confirm instructions, effectively undertake inquiries, communicate the outcomes of legal research and analysis effectively, appropriately, practically and persuasively to colleagues, clients, courts and tribunals, other professionals and the broader community

5. use appropriate electronic resources (law libraries, on-line searches, electronic data bases, legal citators and digests) - for advanced legal research and precedent identification purposes, use appropriate institutional databases for search and lodgement functions for legal documents, understand appropriate technologies to maintain trust and office accounts and file management and be able to communicate effectively in electronic forms

6. use learning by doing and observing, documenting in writing and critically reflecting on their own and others’ performance as legal professionals, making use of feedback as appropriate, demonstrating intellectual curiosity including via research tasks and problem solving, and demonstrating an understanding of resilience and well-being in the legal profession

7. understand the similarities and differences between local and other jurisdictions, including interstate and overseas jurisdictions, and be aware of the client’s and other practitioners’ perspectives, be able to effectively represent clients in negotiations by recognising other perspectives and apply best practice file and client management practices

8. demonstrate a highly developed understanding of, and be able to identify and respond appropriately to, cross-cultural verbal and non-verbal communication issues, particularly indigenous cultures and the possible effect that these issues may have upon a client’s dealings with the police, courts, government and legal agencies

9. understand, apply and demonstrate professional responsibility and professional courtesy in all dealings with clients, the courts and tribunals, the community and other practitioners and demonstrate ethical legal practice and professional integrity when working within a team and independently

Duration and Availability

The duration of the course depends on the study option undertaken and the commencement date. The minimum duration of this course is 33 weeks. The coursework components of this course are undertaken as full-time or part-time study across two or three study periods. The course also includes a workplace experience component of either 15 weeks within a Curtin approved legal workplace or 10 weeks clinical experience in the John Curtin Law Clinic.

Location and delivery Mode

The information displayed above refers to study periods and locations where the course is available for first time entry. Students are normally only offered or admitted to a course once.

* The course itself may not be available either solely internally or externally but individual units may be offered in either or both of those modes. Prospective students should contact the Course Coordinator for further information.

^ Course and associated units are offered in this mode permitting International Onshore student enrolment.

# Course and associated units are offered in this online only mode and DO NOT permit International Onshore student enrolment.

YEAR 1 STUDY TERM 1

YEAR 1 STUDY TERM 2

YEAR 1 TRIMESTER 2B

YEAR 1 STUDY TERM 3

* Please consult with the Curtin PLT Team Curtin.PLT@curtin.edu.au prior to enrolling into this unit

Applicants for a Graduate Diploma are required to meet University academic and English language entry standards; details are provided at http://study.curtin.edu.au/. Applicants generally require a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate. Any specific course entry and completion requirements must also be met.

Specifically, applicants require a Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor or equivalent qualification from a recognised university approved under the Legal Profession (Admission) Rules 2009 (WA), or otherwise have received prior written approval from the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia to enrol in the Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice Course. Students who have less than 50 credits of optional units remaining in the undergraduate degree and have received written approval from the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia may be enrolled to commence the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice concurrently with enrolment in those optional units.

Credit for Recognised Learning

Applications for credit towards a course are assessed on an individual basis. Credit reduces the amount of learning required to complete the course and may be granted for formal education qualifications, non-formal learning from non-award programs of study and informal learning through work experiences. Further information can be found at http://futurestudents.curtin.edu.au/non-school-leavers/rpl.cfm

Pathway to Further Study

Graduates may qualify for entry to some Master degrees. For further details, see the University website http://curtin.edu.au.

Specific Course Completion Details

To complete the course students must satisfy all of the requirements of the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice including a satisfactory level of competence in all Performance Criteria in the “Law Admissions Consultative Committee Practical Legal Training Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers” (“Competency Standards”).