The Community Law Clinical Program is a 12 unit elective course. 

This is a clinical program based in a community legal practice environment. During the course students work for two full days a week at the Welfare Rights and Legal Centre where they provide legal information and undertake casework under the supervision of solicitors. 

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
• encourage, promote and validate student aspirations to promote access to justice and equality before the law.

Course topics include:

• introduction to public interest law
• professional responsibilities
• legal practice skills - legal writing, interviewing, casework skills, advising
• substantive law in relation to tenancy, Social Security and Disability Discrimination
• law Reform.

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

• describe and critique how 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 in performing paralegal tasks
• demonstrate substantial improvement in their practical legal skills particularly relating to work routines, communication, interviewing, writing, and legal research
• 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.

The assessment for this course will involve evaluation of the student's onsite work at the Welfare Rights and Legal Centre for two days per week, seminar participation and a research project which involves preparation and presentation of a paper.

More information about the means of assessment, including the relationship between the assessment and the learning outcomes of the course, will be available on the course home page by the first week of semester.

Students undertake a compulsory 2 day orientation at the start of the course, undertake onsite work for two full days throughout the course and attend a one and a half hour tutorial once a week and a 1 hour tutorial every second week. Students also undertake a research project which they present at a presentation session.

Students are generally expected to devote approximately 20 hours per week to this course.

Students who have completed 48 units of LAWS courses including LAWS2201 Administrative Law and LAWS2204 Property are eligible to enrol. However, knowledge from other law courses, any legal experience which you do have as well as interpersonal and work related skills will be useful to you in this course.

Completion of 48 units of LAWS courses including LAWS2201 Administrative Law and LAWS2204 Property and communication skills sufficient to converse clearly and confidentially by phone, in person and in writing with Welfare Rights and Legal Centre clients.

This course is capped at 6 students.  Places will be allocated by ballot.

The course prerequisites are noted above. It would be helpful but not compulsory for students to have completed Criminal Law and Law Reform before commencing this course.   

Information about prescribed texts will be made available in the course outline.  See the course home page.

 The preliminary reading required for this course will be available through the Wattle area for the course at least one week prior to the commencement of the course.

 The reading guide is available in the course outline which can be found on the course home page.

Students must have access to Wattle to use course resources relevant to the course and for course coordination purposes.