Campus City Flinders, City Queen.
Prerequisite(s) Nil
Content This unit of study shall commence with an examination of the origins and the development of the legal profession within the Australian context and the professional divisions within the legal profession. This will be followed by an examination of the general ethical responsibilities of the lawyer; the duties owed by the legal professional to the law, the court and the client; the various types legal services provided by the profession; the role of non-lawyers within the system; the role of the judge; and finally, an examination of the future of the legal profession, including an examination of the ethical implications of the possible future acceptance of MDP's. This unit fulfils the COLE requirements for professional conduct including basic trust accounting.
Required Reading Ross, Y. and MacFarlane, P., most recent edition, Lawyers' Responsibilty and Accountability: Case, Problems and Commentary, Butterworths, Sydney, Australia.
Recommended Reading Law Institute of Victoria, 2000, Law Institute Members Handbook, Student Edition, LIV, Melbourne, Australia. Disney, J., 2nd edn, 1986, Lawyers, LBC Information Services, Sydney, Australia.
Class Contact Equivalent to three hours per week. Normally to be delivered as two hours of lectures and one hour of tutorials, workshops or modules or a delivery mode as approved by the Faculty of Business and Law. Unit of study equal to 12 credit points.
Assessment Assignment, 40%; Final examination, 60%.