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Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice

The Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice may be taken as a first degree in a minimum of four years full-time (or the equivalent part-time) or as a graduate-entry program in a minimum of three-and-a-half years full-time (or the equivalent part-time). The course is offered by the College of Business, Government and Law.

Students who do not wish to undertake the Practical Legal Training component may be eligible to transfer to the Bachelor of Laws and complete in three-and-a-half years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time). However, these students cannot be admitted to Legal Practice without completing further practical legal training. Students who choose to transfer to the Bachelor of Laws must complete 94.5 units of compulsory topics and 31.5 units of option topics as listed under Option – Year 3 & 4 topics in the Bachelor of Laws course rule.

Part-time students should note that minimum enrolment requirements apply in their first semester of study. Students must undertake both LLAW1311 Introduction to Law and Justice and LLAW1312 Essential Legal Skills.

Admission requirements

The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements. 

Law Pathway

The Bachelor of Law and Society (Law Pathway) is an alternative entry option for students seeking admission into a Law degree at Flinders. Students who successfully complete this pathway may receive credit upon admission into the Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice. For details, see the Bachelor of Law and Society (Law Pathway) course rule.

Course aims

The course aims to:

  • provide students with a sound training in law and legal skills
  • emphasise the acquisition on foundation legal skills through the integration of skills training with the teaching of substantive subjects
  • instil in students a desire for just outcomes, a broad outlook on law and a commitment to ethical conduct.
  • equip students to develop an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset to respond to 21st century opportunities

Learning outcomes

At the completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate:

  • an extensive and well-founded knowledge of key areas of current Australian law, including new and developing areas;
  • the ability to find, interpret, understand and critique Australian law within its historical and comparative contexts, using effective learning strategies and appropriate methods, including both recent and traditional technologies
  • the ability to use their knowledge to plan, analyse and think critically, logically and creatively, including by reflecting upon and evaluating facts, ideas, options and resolutions to disputes and debates, and considering client instructions and the requirements of procedural and jurisdictional contexts
  • the capacity to use plain English vocabulary, legal terminology and conventions as appropriate to the situation, to convey their knowledge, reasoning and decisions in a clear and fluent manner
  • the capacity to listen well and respond constructively in written and spoken formats as they apply skills of oral advocacy, persuasion, interviewing, negotiation, argument and counter-argument, as appropriate to particular audiences and settings
  • professionalism and self-reliance in their learning and their work within legal contexts, including skills and attributes such as initiative, goal setting, organising activities, prioritising tasks and managing time productively
  • the capacity for, and a commitment to, lifelong learning: recognising that the world is dynamic and changing and therefore being prepared constantly to review, update and adapt their knowledge and skills
  • the willingness and ability to take responsibility for their decisions and actions and to operate effectively within any relevant contextual framework
  • the capacity to interact effectively with others in a variety of Legal Practice settings, including, where appropriate, working cooperatively and productively towards a common outcome as a team member and leader. This also includes group dynamics, showing respect for others and for their ideas and perspectives and learning to negotiate and resolve conflict or difficulties in a constructive manner
  • awareness of the philosophy and the social and global contexts of law, and willingness to uphold their community responsibility to advocate for justice and to act with integrity in all matters in their professional work and personal lives. As potential officers of the court, they must learn and apply ethical standards applicable to the legal profession and Legal Practice, and to show understanding of the complexity of ethical issues and debates, applying relevant decision-making models to arrive at ethical solutions to problems and taking responsibility for their actions
  • the capacity to recognise the colonial and immigrant context of Australian law and Legal Practice, and to engage positively with people and ideas beyond the limit of their own geographical, disciplinary, social and cultural background, including by synthesising ideas and principles across various legal doctrinal areas; critically analysing and taking appropriate action in complex global and cultural contexts; and forging constructive links between the world of study and the world of work.

Credit

Credit may be granted for topics taken at other institutions. However, except in exceptional circumstances approved by the Dean (Education), a majority of units towards the degree must be obtained from topics offered by Flinders University.

Program of study

To qualify for the Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice as a first degree, a student must complete 144 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, comprising 94.5 units of compulsory topics, 22.5 units of Legal Practice core topics, and 27 units of option topics, as set out below.

Students who complete at least 75% of their degree at Flinders and have achieved an overall GPA of 5.5 or greater in the course may be awarded the degree ‘with distinction’.

Option topics may be taken from topics not offered or cross-listed by the College only with the written permission of the Dean (Education). Under no circumstances will permission be given to take topics where entry and course requirements are not met, or the Dean (Education) has designated them as unacceptable.

Except with permission of the Dean (Education) the program must be completed within ten consecutive years.

The award of a grade of Fail (F) on more than one occasion in the same topic, which may include attempts of the same topic undertaken in other awards, may constitute prima facie evidence of unsatisfactory progress for the purposes of the University's Policy on Student Progress.

Not all option topics are necessarily available in a given year.

The Dean (Education) may specify that two or more topics represent unacceptable combinations.

Core - Year 1 topics

36 units comprising:

 LLAW1311  Introduction to Law and Justice  (4.5 units)
 LLAW1312  Essential Legal Skills  (4.5 units)
 LLAW1313 Ethics and  Professionalism (4.5 units)
 LLAW1321 Indigenous Peoples, Colonialism and Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW1322 International Law and Global Perspectives (4.5 units)
 LLAW1323 Criminal Law and Procedure (4.5 units)
 INNO1100  Legal Innovation and Creative Thinking (4.5 units)
 INNO2100 Innovation for Social Justice Impact (4.5 units)

Core - Year 2 topics

36 units comprising:

 LLAW2311 Torts (4.5 units)
 LLAW2312 Contracts (4.5 units)
 LLAW2313 Property, Equity and Trusts (4.5 units)
 LLAW2321 Jurisprudence (4.5 units)
 LLAW2322 Real Property Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW2323 Corporate Law (4.5 units)
 INNO3001A From Innovation to Impact (4.5 units)

Plus one of:

 LLAW3301 Law in a Digital Age (4.5 units)
 LLAW3302 Law in Action (4.5 units)

Core - Year 3 topics

22.5 units comprising:

 LLAW3311 Administrative Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW3312 Constitutional Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW3322 Evidence (4.5 units)
 LLAW3321 Civil Procedure (4.5 units)

Plus one of:

 LLAW3301 Law in a Digital Age (4.5 units)
 LLAW3302 Law in Action (4.5 units)

Plus 13.5 units of Option - Year 3 & 4 topics

Core - Year 4 topics

22.5 units comprising:

 LLAW7000  Practical Legal Training: Civil Litigation Practice  (4.5 units)
 LLAW7001  Practical Legal Training: Legal Practice Management  (4.5 units)
 LLAW7002  Practical Legal Training: Transactional Legal Practice  (9 units)
 LLAW7003  Practical Legal Training: Criminal Practice and Advocacy  (4.5 units)

Plus 13.5 units of Option - Year 3 & 4 topics

Options - Year 3 & 4 topics

Not all topics are necessarily available in a given year. 

 LLAW3241  Dispute Management  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3242  Environmental Law  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3243  Family Law  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3244  Health Law  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3247  Intellectual Property  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3251  The International Protection of Human Rights  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3253  Labour Law  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3256  Socio-Legal Theory  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3259  Remedies  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3262  Selected Issues in Media Law  (4.5 units)#
 LLAW3265  Succession  (4.5 units)
 LLAW3330  Law in a Global Age (4.5 units)
 LLAW3331  Technology Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW3332  Marginalised Populations and International Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW3333  Advanced Corporate Law (4.5 units)
 LLAW3334  Advanced Criminal Law
 LLAW3335  Advanced Law of Obligations (4.5 units)
 LLAW3336  Advanced Public Law (4.5 units)

Combined degrees

The Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice may also be studied in a combined degrees program with a:

Every effort has been made to ensure the information published on the Course Rule pages is accurate at the time of publication. Flinders University reserves the right to amend its curriculum without prior notice, and will update the Course Rules to reflect any amendments at the earliest opportunity.

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