Lawyers' Ethics and Professional Responsibility

Unit code:LLW3009Study level:Undergraduate

Credit points

12
(Generally, 1 credit = 10 hours of classes and independent study.)

Location

City Campus
Online Real Time

Prerequisites

6 Level 1 Law units
(Or equivalent to be determined by unit coordinator)
Co-requisites
(Corequisite units must be studied concurrently with this unit)

Overview

This unit of study will examine the legal profession within the Australian context (in particular, Victoria) and the professional standards of the law profession. It will consider the general ethical responsibilities of the legal practitioner; the duties owed by the practitioner to the law, the court, the client (including the basic principles of holding trust money), fellow practitioners and the public. The focus will be on the regulation of the legal profession, the professional conduct of legal practitioners and the practical application of legal ethics in professional practice. This unit meets the Victorian Legal Profession Rules requirements under Sch 2 for Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Research relevant information on principles of legal ethics and legal practitioners’ ethical obligations;
Canvass the framework for the regulation of the legal profession and the professional conduct of legal practitioners to a variety of audiences;
Elucidate and apply principles of legal ethics and legal practitioners’ ethical obligations in professional legal practice in 21st century contexts;
Analyse and canvass ethical issues that commonly occur in professional legal practice in contemporary multicultural Australia and apply the relevant principles to creatively resolve those issues with accountability and responsibility;
Communicate clearly, in writing, use appropriate language and present coherent arguments and independent exposition of ideas.