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Faculty of Law : Guide to courses
The Faculty may, in accordance with the powers granted by Statute 11 of the University, grant such credit as it thinks fit to a candidate who enrols in the course for the Degree of Bachelor of Laws and who has passed such subjects in another institution which, in the opinion of the faculty, are equivalent to subjects prescribed in the course for the degree of Bachelor of Laws; provided that no candidate may be granted credit for more than 150 law points in an LLB course; and provided that credit transfers shall be granted in accordance with the guidelines approved by the faculty from time to time for that purpose.
A candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Laws who has completed a standard full time year of study or who holds a degree from a recognised tertiary institution but not in the study of law may be exempted from the requirement of obtaining 100 non-Law points. The Faculty may also determine that a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Laws who has not completed any tertiary study may be exempted from some or all of the 100 non-Law points normally required of each candidates. Details of the application procedure, and of the criteria employed in determining such applications, may be obtained from the Manager, Undergraduate Studies.
Candidates who enrol in an LLB course may be granted credit for any non-law subjects previously completed by that candidate while enrolled in another faculty, to the extent that such subjects are the equivalent of non-law subjects prescribed for the LLB.
Applications for credit transfers shall be made to the Manager, Undergraduate Studies, in the manner and form determined by the Manager in consultation with the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies. The Manager, Undergraduate Studies, shall convey all requests for credit transfers to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, for decision.
The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies is empowered by the Faculty to consider all applications for credit transfers for all subjects of an LLB course and to grant such credit transfers as he or she deems fit, subject to the requirements of these guidelines.
Subject to the following rules, credit for law subjects in an LLB course may be granted to applicants who have been admitted to a university course in another institution and who have passed the final examinations in one or more of the subjects prescribed by that institution for a degree.
For the purposes of these guidelines the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, must be satisfied before granting a credit transfer that the other institution concerned is generally recognised as a tertiary level institution and that the standards of teaching and examination are substantially similar to those in The University of Melbourne Faculty of Law.
For the purposes of these guidelines the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, must be satisfied before granting a credit transfer that the subject for which credit is sought is substantially similar to the content of the subject for which credit will be given or, the subject is of such academic quality as to justify the granting of credit.
No applicant will be granted credit transfers in more than 150 of the 300 law points prescribed for a University of Melbourne law degree. Subject to this limit, applicants should, as a general rule be granted the maximum possible credits. In particular, credit transfers may be given not withstanding that the credits concerned have been counted towards a degree previously conferred by another University.
Students enrolled in the LLB course who participate in an approved exchange program and who obtain credit in the other institution for any approved subject in that institution's LLB curriculum will be given equivalent credit towards his or her University of Melbourne LLB degree. Scales of equivalent credits will be determined in advance for specific exchange programs.
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 a separate brochure.
Honours points for exchange students will be calculated primarily by reference to law subjects undertaken at The University of Melbourne. Thus, actual honours points will not be attributed to subjects undertaken at the other institution by an exchange student. Instead, that student's honours points will be calculated in accordance with the formula laid down for the award of the Bachelor of Laws with Honours for candidates who qualify for the degree having passed in scoring subjects which carry a total of credit points other than 300, i.e.
(Honours points x 300) / n
where n = the number of credit points in scoring subjects passed by the candidate. However, the Honours Board shall have a discretionary power to take account of the performance of a student in an exchange program for the purposes of ranking that student and making an honours award.
If you enrol in a combined degree, you can obtain honours in the other discipline by taking an extra honours year. This adds an extra year of study to the combined degree.
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 endeavour to do at least one or two years of full-time study.
If you are contemplating part-time study, you should discuss your intended program with the Manager, Undergraduate Studies. Part-time students should be able to attend scheduled day-time classes as there are generally no evening classes.
A number of subjects will be offered in January and February 1999. They will include Civil Procedure, Evidence, Professional Conduct (including Trust Accounts), Insurance Law, Remedies and Restitution. These subjects may be taken as part of the LLB degree. Where the subjects are not taken as part of the LLB degree, a Community Access Program fee will be payable in respect of each subject taken. A timetable for the summer program may be obtained from the Undergraduate Studies Office. Further information on the summer program may be obtained from the Manager, Undergraduate Studies.
The Faculty has resolved that:
leave of absence should not be granted for a total of more than three years during the enrolment of a student for the LLB;
leave of absence should be granted only for one year on each application;
no more than two years deferral before initial enrolment for first year studies should be permitted;
deferral before initial enrolment should count as leave of absence for the purpose of computation of three years;
Applications for leave of absence must be made in writing to the Manager, Undergraduate Studies.
It is possible to enrol as a Community Access Program student in single subjects offered by the Faculty of Law if you satisfy the subject prerequisites. Special rules apply. Interested students should apply for information about undergraduate and graduate subjects to the Manager, Undergraduate Studies, and the Program Manager, Research and Graduate Studies, respectively. 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.
National policy encourages multi-lingual professionals in Australia and there is an increasing demand for law graduates with language skills. The Faculty of Law 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 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. Advanced Legal Research 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 Faculty of Law 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 Law is continuing to develop opportunities for student exchanges in Europe, North America and Asia. At present, exchange schemes operating include those with the University of British Columbia, McGill University and Queen's University in Canada, the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University in the USA, University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Universite Jean Moulin - Lyon III in France, University College, Dublin in Ireland, University of Glasgow and University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. The Asian Law Centre can advise you about the many opportunities in Asia. Credit for The University of Melbourne degree can be obtained for subjects completed during an approved exchange visit. A leaflet on exchange programs is available from the Undergraduate Studies Office. Students interested in participating in an exchange program should see the Manager, Undergraduate Studies, who will, where appropriate, refer them to academic staff qualified to advise on legal study in other countries.
Each year the progess of students in the Law course is reviewed and consideration is given as to whether action should be taken over any student who has
(a) failed in half or more than half of his or her enrolment in that year in terms of either credit points or subjects, excepting a student whose enrolment comprises one or two law subjects and one or more subjets in another faculty, and who passes all subjects in the other faculty but fails one law subject and this failure is the first failure in a law subject; or
(b) has failed a subject on two or more occasions.
Apart from the exception set out in (a), the relevant subjects are those which can be counted as subjects of a Law course. Students whose progress is of concern to the Faculty are notified and invited to make a written submission to the Faculty Progress Committee. Arrangements are also made for each student to be interviewed by the Progress Committee.
At the interview the student is given the opportunity to be heard and any information before the Committee is made known to the student. After considering the student's case the Committee may:
(a) report to the Academic Board that in its opinion the student should be suspended from the course; or (b) decide that the subjects for which the student may enrol in the forthcoming year should be specified; or (c) take no action.
Students reported to the Academic Board are advised of their right to appear before the Board and copies of relevant regulations are provided.
Any student in respect of whom a report has been made to the Academic Board that the student be suspended from the course is given the opportunity of making an explanation to the Academic Board which may either suspend the student, limit his or her future enrolment, or permit the student to continue in the course without restriction.
For the precise rules relating to unsatisfactory progress students should consult Statute 11.5 in the University Calendar.
The admission of barristers and solicitors in Victoria is regulated by the rules of the Council of Legal Education administered by a board of examiners appointed by the Supreme Court. Students proposing to seek admission should make themselves familiar with them in due course.
The academic requirements for admission are satisfied by passing the compulsory subjects of the degree, and the following: Corporations Law, Evidence, Civil Procedure and Professional Conduct, or the subject Dispute Resolution and Legal Ethics incorporating Civil Procedure and Professional Conduct.
A candidate who has obtained the degree of Bachelor of Laws is required to serve for one year in articles or complete the legal practice course at the Leo Cussen Institute.
The Council of Legal Education introduced revised requirements for admission to practise law in Victoria from 1994. The following are required areas of knowledge for admission from 1994.
Criminal Law and Procedure
Torts
Contracts
Property both Real (including Torrens system land) and Personal
Equity (including Trusts)
Company Law
Administrative Law
Federal and State Constitutional Law
Civil Procedure
Evidence
Professional Conduct (including basic trust accounting)
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.
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.
All law students are automatically members of the Law Students' Society, an incorporated student association which provides important services, publications and events for students. The officers and committee members of the Society are elected annually, and include representatives from all year levels. The Law Students' Society is generously sponsored by law firms and other employers of law students, and also receives some funding from the Law Faculty and the Melbourne University Student Union Inc. The Law Students' Society has four sub-committees: Education, Careers, Activities and Equality. These committees meet regularly to discuss issues of concern to students, and to organise the provision of services and events. These initiatives include educational services such as the Taped Lecture Service and the Student Tutorial Program, guest speakers and debates, Careers Fair, Work Experience Program and a vast range of publications which are free to students. The hectic social calendar includes an Orientation Week Program, Law Camp, Law Ball, Law Revue, Valedictory Dinner and lunchtime BBQs. The mooting, witness examination, client interview and letter writing competitions are run by the Law Students' Society and are a valuable practical complement to the LLB curriculum. Through these competitions students are able to acquire and enhance their oral presentation skills. Teams of competitors are sent to the Annual ALSA Conference each July, to compete with law students from throughout Australasia.
LSS representatives also play an important role in liaising with the Law Faculty. The executive meets regularly with the Dean and staff on matters of immediate concern to students and elected students sit on the Faculty and each of its sub-committees. The Society thus represents student interests on matters such as curriculum, study conditions, assessment, course design and library facilities. The Society also maintains links with the legal profession and the wider community. It provides career information to students, and represents student interests to the profession on matters such as articles guidelines and professional admissions requirements. For further information about the Law Students' Society, or for assistance on any matter from the LSS representatives, contact the LSS office, room G-12, telephone 9344 6179.
The Australasian Law Students' Association (ALSA) is the peak body of law students in Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Currently, law students at 33 law schools are ALSA members. Through membership of the LSS, all University of Melbourne law students are members of ALSA. ALSA is best known for its Annual Conference, featuring Australasian Championships in mooting, witness examination and paper presentation, and its publications, the ALSA Reporter and the ALSA Careers Journal. All students are encouraged to involve themselves in ALSA activities. In 1993, the Australasian President for ALSA was located at the University of Melbourne. The LSS has two ALSA Council Representatives.
The Overseas Law Students' Society (OLSS) is an affiliated body of the Law Students' Society. It was established to promote and assist the welfare, status, social, educational and cultural activities of international students, foster a common bond among them and assist the interaction of international students and Australians. The Society has an active program of social and educational activities. A student mentor program assists new students adapt to the Faculty of Law, the University and Australia. All international students are automatically members of the Society. However, the OLSS accepts as members any other students who show an interest in our goals and activities.
Search : Index : Faculty of Law
Prev 6. Admission to the LLB program
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Status: Official 1999 Last Modified: Tuesday October 20 11:51 SGML to HTML Conversion: Information Technology Services Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email Enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au