Year
2020
Units
4.5
Contact
1 x 2-hour lecture per semester
1 x 3-hour workshop fortnightly
6 x 1-hour on-line lectures per semester
Prerequisites
1 Admission into BLAWLPR-Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice
1a Admission into BLAWLPRG-Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Graduate Entry)
1b Admission into BLAWLPRH-Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Honours)
1c Admission into BLAWLPRGH-Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Graduate Entry) (Honours)
1d Admission into BLAWS-Bachelor of Laws
1e Admission into BLAWSH-Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
1f Admission into BLLAW-Bachelor of Laws
1g Admission into BLLAWH-Bachelor of Laws (Honours)
1h Admission into BLLAWFP-Bachelor of Laws - City Campus
1i Admission into BLLAWHFP-Bachelor of Laws (Honours) - City Campus
2 27 units of Level 1 LLAW topics
Must Satisfy: ((1 or 1a or 1b or 1c or 1d or 1e or 1f or 1g or 1h or 1i) and 2)
Enrolment not permitted
1 of LLAW3263, LLAW3337, LLAW3338 has been successfully completed
Assumed knowledge
No prior knowledge of coding or software programming is required.
Assessment
Assignments, oral presentation
Topic description
This topic introduces students to the potential and challenges posed by technology in legal practice.

Students will be engaged by real-world clients to use technology to solve a legal problem.

Students will be required to undertake advanced legal research and will be taught software coding skills necessary for legal application development.

Students will be responsible for the management of their legal software project and for interaction and communication with their clients.

At the end of Semester student groups will present their completed software applications to the clients for assessment.
Educational aims
This topic aims to:

  1. Provide students with an understanding of information technology in the context of disruption and transformation of access to the law
  2. Provide students with foundational software coding skills suitable for the development of legal applications
  3. Expose students to challenges associated with coding the law, including: undertaking appropriate legal research; appropriate application design; and expression of the law in plain language
  4. Provide students with project management and client communications and management skills
Expected learning outcomes
On completion of this topic students will be expected to be able to:

  1. Produce a functional legal software application that conforms with defined and documented requirements
  2. Undertake advanced legal research
  3. Identify and articulate complex legal and technological issues with a focus on using technology to improve access to justice or to increase the efficiency of legal practice
  4. Communicate in ways that are effective, appropriate and persuasive for legal and non-legal audiences; and collaborate effectively
  5. Learn and work with a high level of autonomy, accountability and professionalism