Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Law
Faculties : Next:Med, Dent & Health Sci | Prev:Engineering | Search | Help
The Law School at the University of Melbourne was founded in 1857. Since its inception it has been highly regarded for its scholarship and research. The Faculty continues to be dedicated to providing the highest standard of legal education and scholarship in a challenging intellectual environment. The Law School is proud of its contribution, through its many successful graduates, to the legal profession and to Australian society.
About 1500 students are enrolled in the LLB program. Most students at Melbourne choose to study for two degrees simultaneously, thus graduating with a degree in law and one in arts, commerce engineering, geomatics or science. Such combined degree programs are designed to equip students better to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world and to pursue a wide range of rewarding careers.
The Law School also offers a wide range of graduate and continuing education programs, with opportunities for specialisation in several areas of law. Enrolment in graduate diploma, masters, doctoral and continuing education courses now exceeds 550 students.
A special feature of the Melbourne Law School is its interest in the legal systems of other countries, pursued through the Asian Law Centre and the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies. As well, the Faculty has established the Centre for Natural Resources Law and the Centre for Media and Telecommunications Law and Policy. Opportunities also exist for later-year students to enrol in exchange programs with several overseas law schools.
The law library is the central teaching and research tool of the Faculty. It contains about 140,000 volumes of legal materials. These include Australian and international law reports, legislation, journals, microforms and a book collection which is both current and historic. The library is also expanding its use of electronic media and has a growing collection of texts and databases on compact disc.
The law library makes every effort to ensure that information needs are met, and personal assistance is available to new students wishing to learn about the library's various services and the organisation of the legal material.
Another important facility in the Law School is the computer network and laboratory. Students are encouraged to develop computer skills for the preparation of assignments and theses. Assistance is available to help students to produce documents using word processing and to access databases.
The rule of law pervades Australian society. It admits no exceptions; everyone is subject to the law. Understanding the law is a challenging and fascinating quest. It involves legal principle, legal institutions and the role of law in society. None of these is static. Each is marked by restless change.
Legal education at Melbourne is the beginning of this quest for understanding the law. It seeks guidance from the past, knowledge of the present, inspiration for the future. Legal education also entails application of the law to the events of everyday life. It requires skills of research, analysis and communication.
The LLB course is designed to meet these demands for understanding and application, through a wide range of compulsory and optional subjects, and a rich variety of learning methods. We rely on the fact that our students are bright and highly motivated. This makes it possible to strive for excellence in an intellectually rigorous and stimulating curriculum.
In recent years, the LLB curriculum has acquired a strong international flavour. The first year program introduces students to the legal systems of other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Specialist subjects are also offered on law and society in China, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan, the European Union and public international law. In addition, Melbourne has an outstanding record in the Phillip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, with victories in the world finals in 1988 and 1993, the second places in 1989 and 1994.
The Faculty of Law is located in the historic Old Quadrangle in the centre of the University, and in the nearby Baldwin Spencer Building. It has five specialist research centres in the fields of Asian Law, Comparative Constitutional Studies, Media and Telecommunications Law and Policy, Natural Resources Law and Employment and Labour Relations Law. It has important links with similar institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe, which allow Melbourne students to undertake a semester of their LLB course in another country, and encourage overseas students to study in Melbourne.
This course has as its objectives that graduates:
Admission to the first year of the LLB program is governed by the General and Special Principles of Selection for Entry published in Volume 6 of the Handbook, to which applicants should refer for detailed information. Selection is based primarily on academic merit. For most applicants, academic merit is judged on results obtained in the VCE examination and represented as a Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) score, following the formula used by the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) and the special rules published by the Faculty. A committee of faculty identifies and ranks in order of merit those applicants who are likely to complete the LLB course successfully. Places are offered to applicants in the order of ranking until the places available are filled. There is strong competition for admission to the Melbourne Law School. In 1995 candidates required a TER score of 99.15 to be admitted. It is not possible to predict what the TER cut- off score will be in 1996.
The minimum requirements for admission to the LLB course are that an applicants 'best four' VCE subjects include English Units 3 and 4 (with a minimum grade of C) and three other subjects (with a minimum grade of D) from the following prerequisite list: Accounting, Biology, Chemistry, Classical Societies & Cultures, Economics, Geography, Geology, History, Information Technology, International Studies, Legal Studies, Literature, Language other than English, Mathematics, Music Craft, Physics, Political Studies, Psychology, either Religion and Society or Texts and Traditions.
In selecting VCE subjects, you should ascertain the prerequisites for any non- law subjects which you may wish to take during your degree course. This is especially important if you are thinking of a combined degree program. Bonuses may apply in the calculation of a VCE score and students should consult the VTAC guide for details.
Certain qualifications other than the VCE are recognised as meeting university entrance requirements. These include interstate and overseas qualifications. Candidates should present the relevant documentation to VTAC for assessment.
Students who have graduated in another discipline, or who have not yet completed their studies in another course, may also apply for admission to the Law School. Intending applicants should refer to the special requirements listed in the current VTAC guide.
Generally, the likelihood of an applicant succeeding in the LLB course is judged by reference to his or her academic record but in certain cases the General and Special Principles for Entry allow additional factors to be taken into account on a discretionary basis. The University's general principles of selection provide that, in appropriate cases, and provided the applicant meets the ordinary requirements for admission, the selection committee may take the following circumstances into account when assessing an applicants likelihood of successfully completing a course:
(a) the age of an applicant when attempting any qualifying examinations;
(b) any illness, war or military service, or serious hardship, as a result of which the studies or examination performance of an applicant have, in the opinion of the committee, been adversely affected;
(c) physical handicaps or disabilities;
(d) school principals reports, where those reports may assist the selection committee in evaluating the effect of factors referred to in paragraph (b) or (c);
(e) any work experience which, in the opinion of the selection committee, may be relevant to the proposed course of study.
When applying through VTAC for admission, applicants should bring any such relevant special circumstances to the attention of course selection authorities, following the instructions in the VTAC guide and the VTAC application form.
The Law School reserves a limited number of places for applicants whose academic record has been adversely affected by disadvantage of a social, economic or like nature and for mature age applicants (that is, applicants who are at least 25 years of age or who have not attended a secondary school as a full- time student during the 10 years immediately preceding the year for which selection is sought, nor previously commenced tertiary study). The scheme has the objective of ensuring that applicants from groups which may be under- represented among undergraduates are selected in greater numbers, while ensuring that high academic standards are maintained.
For further information about special admissions, including eligibility, application procedures and application forms, contact the University's Course and Careers Unit, telephone (03) 9344 6686. The special entry schemes are advertised in the Melbourne Age and Herald- Sun in late August and early September.
All special entry applications should be returned to the Course and Careers Unit, but an application for entry to the LLB must also be made through VTAC.
Applicants who do not meet Ordinary Admission Requirements
Special admission may be granted under Statute 11.1.5 to applicants who lack the ordinary requirements for admission. The Academic Board has declared certain disadvantaged applicants, particularly Koori students, to be eligible for selection under this provision. Prospective Koori applicants should contact the Koori Student and Liaison Unit before making application to the Registrar.
Applicants who have completed the equivalent of the first-year law subjects in a law degree course at another university may apply for admission as a later year entrant. Applicants for later year entry must have already completed subjects equivalent to the Law School's first-year compulsory subjects at their previous institution; that is, the equivalent to Torts and the Process of Law, and History and Philosophy of Law. In exceptional circumstances, History and Philosophy of Law may be waived as a prerequisite; under these circumstances, History and Philosophy of Law must be taken as a co-requisite with Contracts, and Constitutional and Administrative Law.
Later year applicants should apply for admission by writing to the Selection Officer (Law) requesting admission and the granting of credit for subjects previously completed. It should be noted that the Faculty will not grant credit transfers to students from another institution for more than half of the subjects required for a University of Melbourne law degree. Successful later year applicants may not defer taking up the offer of a place. If an offer is declined by an applicant who wishes to be considered for entry in a subsequent year, it will be necessary to reapply and be re-selected in competition with all other later year applicants for that year.
The Law School welcomes applications from international students. A certain number of places are available for full fee- paying students from overseas. The tuition fee payable by overseas students in 1996 will be $12,000 for the LLB, BA/LLB, and BCom/LLB and $16,000 for the BSc/LLB and BEng/LLB. Accommodation and living expenses are not included in this fee. Students who wish to apply for admission under this scheme must have obtained academic results at least equal to the VCE cut- off score currently applying in the Law School. Results will be assessed on application to the Law School. It will be an advantage if applicants have studied subjects which are the equivalent of those prescribed for VCE students (see under Admission to the LLB program above).
Candidates are also required to demonstrate proficiency in English. This requirement can be satisfied by obtaining a minimum International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 6.5, or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 580.
Australian Development Co-operation Scholarships (ADCOS) may be available to students from developing countries who wish to undertake undergraduate studies in Australia. The scheme is part of the Australian Governments International Development Assistance Program and is normally advertised early in the year. Your nearest Diplomatic Mission or Australian Education Centre can give you full details.
International students should make initial enquiries and lodge applications for admission to the Law School with the International Office at the University of Melbourne before the end of December 1995. International students who are residents of Australia should apply through VTAC for admission.
The Law School offers students a wide range of subjects. Eight subjects are compulsory. To complete the degree, students choose further subjects from a list of optional subjects. The compulsory subjects are:
Students who enrol in an LLB course must complete the eight compulsory subjects and a specified number of optional subjects. The subjects you choose depend on your own interests and on what you hope to do when you have completed your degree. If you want to become a legal practitioner, certain optional subjects must be chosen, otherwise you will not be eligible for admission to practise. The length of time it takes to complete a degree depends on the structure of the degree course. Basically, there are three courses leading to an LLB degree: the five and six-year combined degree, the four-year LLB degree and the three-year graduate LLB degree.
A feature of the law course at Melbourne is the seminar format of teaching in first-year subjects. Students are taught in small groups, which allows the maximum degree of student-teacher and student-student interaction.
The majority of our students choose to study law in combination with another degree. Combined degrees can be completed after five or six years of study. Students study a combination of subjects from both faculties during the first three years. During this initial period you will complete most of the compulsory law subjects and most, if not all, of your non- law subjects. During the last two years of the course, you complete the remaining compulsory law subjects and the required number of optional subjects. When you have completed all the required subjects you are admitted to the two degrees.
If you do not wish to do a combined degree and you do not already have a degree, you can enrol in a four-year LLB course. You will need to study the same compulsory and optional law subjects as in a combined degree. In addition to these law subjects, you must complete a specified number of approved non-law subjects. On completing the required subjects successfully you are admitted to the LLB degree.
If you already have other tertiary qualifications you may enrol for an LLB as a graduate student. You are required to complete the same law subjects as in the four-year degree but you are not required to complete any non-law subjects. This course can be completed in three years.
Advice on planning a degree course and choosing optional subjects may be obtained from the Program Manager, Undergraduate Studies, in the Law School.
LLB(Hons) The LLB degree may be awarded with honours to students whose performance in final assessment is of the required standard. The Faculty publishes the regulations governing the award of honours in its LLB Course and Subject Guide.
If you enrol in a combined degree, you can obtain honours in the other discipline by taking an extra honours year in the fourth year of study. This adds an extra year of study to the combined degree.
Students should be aware of their rights and obligations while at the University. Essential information on matters such as enrolment, assessment, special consideration in the event of illness or other difficulties etc, is contained in the Student Diary, issued to every student on enrolment.
It is possible in certain circumstances to enrol as a Community Access Program student in single subjects offered by the Law School. Special rules apply and interested students should apply for information to the Program Manager, Undergraduate Studies, in the Law School. Overseas practitioners seeking admission to practise in Victoria are permitted to enrol on a Community Access Program basis in those subjects required by the Council of Legal Education.
It is possible for LLB students to undertake their studies on a part-time basis. Because part-time students take longer to complete all the subjects required for admission to the degree, it can take a long time, especially in the case of combined degrees. Many part-time students try to do at least one or two years of full-time study if they can. If you are contemplating part-time study, you should discuss your intended program with the Program Manager, Undergraduate Studies. Part-time students should be able to attend scheduled day-time classes. Although the Law School attempts to schedule classes conveniently, it is not always possible to devise a timetable which suits individual part-time students.
The University of Melbourne Law School offers graduate and continuing education programs designed to meet the particular needs of both busy practitioners and those pursuing more scholarly traditions.
Graduates may obtain a masters degree (LLM) by writing a thesis on a research topic, by completing a specified number of postgraduate subjects or by completing a lesser number of postgraduate subjects and a minor thesis. The Master of Taxation by coursework is also available.
Alternatively, specialist graduate diplomas are available in Advanced Family Law, Asian Law, Corporations and Securities Law, Dispute Resolution and Judicial Administration, Finance Law, Government Law, Health and Medical Law, Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Labour Relations Law, Media, Communications and Information Technology Law, Natural Resources Law and Transnational Law.
Higher degrees include the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), based on submission of a major thesis prepared under close supervision, and the Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), based on coursework subjects and a major thesis. The degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) may be conferred on someone who submits a particularly distinguished or important piece of writing which makes a significant contribution to the field of law.
For further information on graduate diplomas or degrees, contact the Program Manager, Research and Graduate Studies, in the Law School.
National policy encourages multilingual professionals in Australia and there is an increasing demand for law graduates with language skills. The Law School strongly encourages the development of language skills among its students. Combined Arts/Law degrees with language majors have been established for over 20 years, but less well known are the opportunities to use foreign languages in the LLB curriculum itself. Among the optional subjects offered in the LLB are some exciting new comparative law subjects covering Europe and Asia. Students may do written research assignments as part of their assessment in these (and other) subjects and students with the necessary language skills are encouraged to work with the primary sources of law. Research Project is a subject in the curriculum which also provides an opportunity to work on topics drawn from Europe or Asia, with the assistance of specialist Law School staff. If you have, or are developing, skills in a European or Asian language, please ask about opportunities to use those skills in your course.
The Faculty of Arts offers a Diploma in Modern Languages. Language subjects will be taken concurrently with an approved undergraduate degree in a sequence approved by the students home faculty and the language department. The Diploma will normally add one year to the duration of the students main degree course. For further information and application forms, please call the Faculty of Arts Office on 9344 5235.
The Law School is continuing to develop opportunities for students exchanges in Europe, North America and Asia. At present, exchange schemes operating include those with the University of British Columbia and McGill University in Canada, the University of Texas at Austin in the USA, Amsterdam University in the Netherlands, Université Jean Moulin-Lyon III in France, University College in Ireland and Leuven University in Belgium. The Asian Law Centre can advise you about the many opportunities in Asia. Credit to a University of Melbourne degree can be obtained for subjects completed during an approved exchange visit.
Some students who enrol in the LLB course may already have completed some subjects at another university. It is possible for credit to be given towards a University of Melbourne law degree in appropriate cases. This applies equally to subjects completed overseas as well as at Australian universities. For example, in recent years students have been credited with subjects completed in Japan and Thailand. Enquiries about credit transfers should be addressed to the Program Manager, Undergraduate Studies.
Admission to the legal profession in Victoria as a barrister or solicitor is controlled by the Council of Legal Education and the Board of Examiners appointed by the judges of the Supreme Court. Students should consult the Council's Rules Relating to the Qualification and Admission of Candidates.
After completing an LLB degree, and before applying for admission to practise, certain practical training is required. You can either serve a 12-month period as an articled clerk in a solicitors office, or do a full-time practical training course at the Leo Cussen Institute from March to October.
Between January and March each year, a special course is taught in the Law School on behalf of the Council of Legal Education in subjects which must be completed before a graduate will be admitted to practise. LLB graduates can enrol in this course to complete admission requirements.
The subjects taught are Evidence, Procedure and Professional Conduct (including basic Trust Accounts).
Law is a versatile qualification which provides an excellent basis for a wide range of careers. For those students combining law with another degree, options are expanded. Career outcomes will be dependent on particular interests as well as opportunities available at the time. For instance, students combining law with studies in economics and commerce may find that they are more interested in pursuing a career in business than in the law. In this case studies of law and legal principle will provide an excellent background and basis for engaging in commercial transactions.
Practising lawyers: Once admitted to practise law, you are both a barrister and solicitor, although most choose to practise as one or the other.
Solicitors work directly with clients, such as members of the public, companies and banks. Some firms specialise in the work they do, while others maintain general practices. They offer advice on legal matters; negotiate and represent clients in criminal prosecutions and civil actions; and prepare and process contracts, agreements and other documents relating to companies, land transactions, and a wide variety of business and family matters. Solicitors assist people with divorce or adoption or with immigration or social security problems. They also draw up wills; handle people's estates; and prepare and administer trust deeds; or work with companies on commercial or tax matters.
Barristers, on the other hand, are engaged by solicitors and do not deal directly with clients. They usually write opinions for solicitors on doubtful points of law or procedure; draft documents involving difficult legal issues or the pleadings which prepare a case for trial; and appear in court in criminal prosecutions or civil trials.
Government lawyers: Many opportunities exist in government service. You can draft Acts of Parliament in the Parliamentary Counsel's Office; give advice to government departments in the Victorian Government Solicitor's Office; and prepare criminal cases for trial and prosecute them in court in the Director of Public Prosecution's Office. You could work on environmental protection problems in the Environment Protection Authority; help the Guardianship and Administration Board look after the interests of people in institutions; work on occupational health and safety problems; or help administer the Family Court.
Community lawyers: Many lawyers now look for ways of using their special skills to help less privileged people in the community. In the 1970s a number of community legal services sprang up to offer free legal advice and practical help to people in trouble with the police, their landlords, their employers, their families, etc. These services now often have full- time lawyers. Many lawyers also work with the Legal Aid Commission, providing legal services to those who cannot afford to meet the full cost. You will find opportunities in immigration advisory services, citizens advisory services, adoption and foster care agencies, consumer credit services and the Council of Social Services.
Corporate lawyers: Most major banks and companies have their own legal departments. If you work for an oil company, you may be called on to do anything from negotiating major joint ventures for exploration to buying service stations and writing leases for their operation. If you work for a bank, you could put together large international financial deals or draft standard overdraft or mortgage documents. Invariably such lawyers eventually find themselves involved in developing policy and often move into management positions.
Policy formulation: Policy analysis and planning are developing areas of independent study. There are more opportunities for lawyers with these skills and interests than there are trained people to fill them. Opportunities exist in Law Reform Commissions, as Ministerial advisers, as consultants to or employees of government, in universities, and in industry or commercial lobby groups.
Research and teaching: Good graduates often look forward to doing postgraduate work overseas. Melbourne law graduates have great success in obtaining scholarships (the most recent Rhodes Scholar in 1995!) and are highly regarded in Britain and North America. Law graduates are also highly sought after in secondary schools because of the popularity of commercial and legal studies subjects. There are always opportunities for qualified researchers in the University of Melbourne Law School and the Faculty is also keen to involve good graduates in its teaching program, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level, either as full or part- time teachers.
Other careers: Law graduates have successfully developed careers in areas such as merchant baking, accounting, management consultancy, industrial relations, the media, and editing and publishing. Many diplomas have law degrees. Some corporations recruit law graduates and give them specialist training. The same is true of statutory authorities and public services.
The Course and Careers Unit at the University offers a career information and counselling service to students. Information on part-time and vacation employment, clerkships and career opportunities for law students is available from the Unit, which is located on the first floor of the Baldwin Spencer Building, telephone (03) 9344 6543.
All law students are automatically members of the Law Student's Society (LSS), which is one of the oldest societies on campus, having celebrated its centenary in 1992. Annual elections are held for committee positions comprising the Executive and representatives from each year level. A non-voting position on the committee is also provided for an ALMAPS (Association of Law Mature-age and Part-time Students) representative, a member of the Overseas Law Student's Society, a representative of the Science Law Student's Society and other specialist positions.
Many services are provided by the LSS to its student members. Social activities throughout the year include the Orientation Week program, a camp, the Law Ball, sporting competitions against the Commerce Faculty and Monash University LSS, regular gatherings known as Pleasant Thursday Nights, a Booze Cruise and the Valedictory Dinner.
The LSS also plays an important role in educational matters both within the faculty and the wider legal community. The LSS runs a Student Tutorial Program, a Taped Lecture Service, lunchtime Careers Seminars and the prestigious Mooting, Client Interview and Witness Examination Competitions to name a few. Student representatives sit on many of the faculty committees and this provides a valuable opportunity for them to have considerable input into important decisions affecting all law students. There are several publications produced throughout the year by the LSS, including the Counter Handbook, the Articles and Summer Clerkships Guidebook, a weekly newsletter Briefs, Mosaic, the education newspaper and the LSS magazine Purely Dicta. These publications provide important information on current events, as well as attempting to raise student's awareness of issues affecting them both within the faculty and the profession, and in the future as they prepare to enter the workforce.
The LSS liaises closely with law firms, professional bodies such as the Law Institute of Victoria, as well as the Monash University LSS and the Australiasian Law Student's Association (ALSA). The main source of funding for the LSS is through sponsorship by many Melbourne law firms, and it is this ongoing support which enables the LSS to continue to function at such a high level.
Dean of the Faculty: Professor Michael Crommelin
Deputy Dean and Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies): Professor Cheryl Saunders
Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies): Dr Michael Bryan
General Manager (Law): Ms Julie Anne Quinn
Program Manager (Undergraduate Studies): Ms Margot Eden
Program Manager (Research and Graduate Studies): Ms Kaye Nankervis
All postal enquiries should be addressed to:
Law School Office
The University of Melbourne
Parkville,
Victoria 3052
Contact numbers for the LLB program are:
Telephone: (03) 9344 6164
Fax: (03) 9347 2392
Telex: AA35185 UNIMEL
Cables: UNIMELB
Email: POST@LAW.UNIMELB.EDU.AU
Contact numbers for the graduate program are:
Telephone: (03) 9344 6190
Fax: (03) 9347 9129
Faculties : Next:Med, Dent & Health Sci | Prev:Engineering | Search | Help
Handbook 1996 : Faculty of Law
Status: Official 1996 Date created: Sep 27 1995 Last modified: Sep 27 1995 Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
Maintained by: Faculty of Law
Copyright © University of Melbourne 1995,1996.