LAW4328 Professional practice, LAW4330 Family law assistance program & LAW5050 Professional practice (JD)

The Clinical Period

The clinical period runs for 16 weeks (including changeover period). Please note that the dates of the clinical period are different to those of normal teaching periods. While University holidays are observed attendance at the clinic is continuous.

Format of the Unit and Workload Requirements

Students should note that these are the minimum workload requirements and there may be occasions when you will be obliged to spend additional time at the clinic.

The student is placed either at the Monash Law Clinics Clayton or at the Springvale Monash Legal Service (LAW4328 only) or Monash Law Clinics City (LAW5050 only). In the week prior to the commencement of the clinical period, students are required to attend a compulsory full day Orientation Session.

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is one half-day Legal Service client intake session per week for 16 weeks (including non-teaching period) plus one and a half days per week client follow-up, which equals two days per week, and including one onsite seminar day and 4/5 online seminars over the clinical period.  Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, client interviewing and advice sessions, supervision and online engagement.

Prior to the commencement of the clinical period students are provided with details of the Orientation and Seminar Programs. For further details regarding the workload requirements please see Handbook entries:

LAW4328 Professional practice

LAW4330 Family law assistance program: Professional practice

LAW5050 Professional practice (JD)

Clinic Self -allocation

Once you have been offered a place in the unit, accepted and been enrolled by Law Student Services, you will be given the opportunity to nominate your preferred Legal Service session times via Moodle in the Clinic Self-allocation activity under unit resources at a specified time Published on the Moodle page. Clinic self-allocation is on a first-come, first serve basis during the clinic self-allocation time period.

In choosing your preferred time, note the work requirements and that it is necessary to be able to spend time at the Legal Service after client interviews have finished, to do the necessary follow-up work and to meet with supervisors.

Legal Services

Springvale Monash Legal Service is one of Australia's largest Community Legal Centres. It is open five days and four evenings per week. Four morning sessions, one afternoon session and one evening session are staffed by students. Volunteers assist the Service on a regular basis.

Monash Law Clinics- Clayton is open five days and some evenings per week to serve the University and the surrounding communities. The full range of University services can be accessed to assist clients. Each Legal Service has its own management and its own responsibility to the community. Students are invited to participate in discussion of policy and administration. The legal work of each Legal Service is under the supervision of qualified lawyers.

It is the philosophy of the Legal Services that legal advice should be accessible to the public and that self-help should be encouraged.

Both Legal Services handle a wide range of matters. These include: family, crime, traffic offences, consumer and debt problems, motor vehicle accidents, tenancy and social security issues. Every person seeking assistance is interviewed, and may receive advice only, or their case may be opened for further work handled by the student under supervision of the lawyer. Alternatively, the client may be referred to a local lawyer, legal aid or otherwise. If the matter goes to court, Counsel may be instructed and the student may be given the opportunity to attend the hearing.

While the nature and extent of student workload varies according to a number of factors and the student experience at each Legal Service may appear to be different, the fundamental learning experience available to every student is the same. Every student is exposed to the operation of the law and the legal process in their social context and learns the essential skills of communication, analysis, judgment and the demands of professional ethics.

Advocacy program

The Professional Practice Advocacy program has been developed to provide students with training and experience in Magistrates' Court, Federal Circuit Court and Family Court appearances and tribunal experiences. All students participate in one Advocacy seminar within the Professional Practice seminar program.

A highlight of the program in all clinical periods is the possibility of appearing on behalf of a Legal Service client before the Magistrates' Court, Federal Circuit Court or Family Court. In some circumstances, Judges and Magistrates may agree to give leave to Professional Practice students to appear (under supervision) on behalf of Legal Service clients. This is an opportunity unique to Professional Practice.

Commitment

As the unit is integrated with public Legal Services which are operated continuously, regular attendance is essential, from the taking-over of clients' files at the beginning of the unit to the hand-over at the end. `Change-over' takes place in the last two weeks of each clinical period and overlaps with the first two weeks of the next clinical period. Attendance at the Legal Services for case work and seminars is compulsory. Reliability and punctuality are essential.

Assessment

Throughout each clinical period, emphasis is placed on the development by each student of:

*    understanding of the legal process in its social context;

*    analytical and decision-making skills. There is no formal examination in this Unit.

Half way through the clinical period there is an informal ͚mid-clinical period  review when the supervisor discusses strengths and weaknesses with each student.

Please see Handbook entries for further information:

LAW4328 Professional practice