LAWS386-18S1 (C) Semester One 2018

Clinical Legal Studies

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 19 February 2018
End Date: Sunday, 24 June 2018
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 2 March 2018
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 18 May 2018

Description

The Clinical Legal Studies (CLS) course provides students with applied legal skills and selected management skills training in a context that replicates actual legal practice in the business and legal services environment. Part of the course offering is assisting actual clients with legal and business-related problems, and partnering with pro bono lawyers and the Community Law Centre to take legal action in suitable cases. The course will also have the objective of promoting an ethos of effective client-service, and promoting the law as a tool for pro-actively solving problems, not merely reactively responding to problems.

The Clinical Legal Studies (CLS) course offers students training in applied generic and specialist legal skills, including inter-personal and selected management skills, in a context that replicates actual legal practice in the business and legal services environment.  The world-wide trend is for law schools to have law clinics and CLS courses as integral parts of their law curricula.

Part of the course offering is assisting actual clients with legal and business-related problems, and partnering with pro bono lawyers and the Community Law Centre (CLC) to take legal action in suitable cases. A two-stage approach is envisaged, whereby law clinic students interview clients to identify and research issues, and prepare an issue brief for proposed action (first stage). This issue-brief is then discussed with qualified solicitors assisting with the CLS programme (usually the CLC or pro bono lawyers), who will then sanction further action or advise clients on their legal options (second stage).

A unique feature of the CLS programme is the identification of access to justice gaps in the law, or recurring trends indicating other problem areas, and the preparation of proposals for law reform to address these issues (through a Law Reform Clinic).

In general, within the University the course will also actively promote multi-disciplinary cooperation, especially with other departments in the College of Business and Law.
The nature of the course will enable students to acquire and enhance most of the skills designated in the UC and LLB Graduate Profile, and develop close relationships between the community and the College of Business and Law by assisting all UC students, and members of the wider Canterbury community, with legal and business problems.

The course will also have the objective of promoting an ethos of effective client-service as a values-outcome, and promoting the law as a tool for pro-actively solving problems, not merely reactively responding to problems.

Learning Outcomes

The course outcomes are designed to equip students with specialist knowledge in selected fields of law not covered in other LLB courses; advanced business and generic skills not taught in other LLB courses; and selected specialist legal skills not covered in other LLB courses. In addition, the course outcomes envision the inculcation of certain core values, such as emphasising the importance of the law as a vehicle to serve the community, as a core value of the legal profession.

1.  Knowledge outcomes: A full understanding of:

General topics: History and objectives of Clinical Law; Clinical Legal Education concepts; Types of law clinics; NZ social service and referral agencies; Functions of selected government ministries; Selected Crown institutions (Human Rights Commission; Privacy Commissioner; Race Relations Commissioner; etc); Office of the Ombudsman; Types of private Ombudsman’s offices; Client ethics and confidentiality; Law Reform procedure.

Selected Statutes: Including, the Legal Services Act 2011; the Lawyers and Conveyancers’ Act 2006; the Limitation Act 1950 and the Limitation Act 2010; the Crown Proceedings Act 1950; the Dispute Tribunals Act 1981; the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, and the Interpretation Act 1999.

2.  Skills outcomes: Basic proficiency in:
Principles of Logic & Applied Reasoning Skills; Listening and Reading Skills; Oral and General Writing Skills; Interviewing & advising skills; File management; Letter-writing (general; demand and referral); Basic Project Management; Issue papers; Research reports; Basic legal Opinions; Negotiation; Conciliation & Mediation; Control of meetings.

3.  Values outcomes: An appreciation of:
What is effective justice?; Service v Commercial gain: balance; Client empathy and confidentiality; Courtesy and etiquette; Reliability and trustworthiness; Honesty and integrity; personal preferences and insight in human interaction; work-ethic self-analyses; Bi-cultural New Zealand, and interacting in an increasingly multi-cultural environment.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Prerequisites

(i)LAWS101; (ii)LAWS110; (iii)LAWS202-LAWS206. RP: LAWS307 The Principles of Evidence and LAWS301 Equity and Trusts

Recommended Preparation

LAWS307 The Principles of Evidence and LAWS301 Equity and Trusts

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Robin Palmer

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Letter of Demand 27 Apr 2018 20%
Take Home Test 30 May 2018 20%
Interviews 20%
Attendance 10%
Legal Opinion 08 Jun 2018 30%


The course assessment will be likely to consist of a take-home statutes test (15%), a legal opinion assignment (30%), file assessment and participation (15%), an oral presentation (10%), an interviewing assessment (10%), a letter of demand (10%) and attendance (10%).

The course assessment will be confirmed in the first week of lectures.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $790.00

International fee $3,600.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

Minimum enrolments

This course will not be offered if fewer than 10 people apply to enrol.

Limited Entry Course

Maximum enrolment is 32

For further information see Faculty of Law .

All LAWS386 Occurrences

  • LAWS386-18S1 (C) Semester One 2018