Legal Internship

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Taught on campus and through a practical placement at an internship host organisation.

178 hours (including 20 days internship placement, completion of hurdle requirements plus research and writing for the written assessment task).

Permission is required from the subject coordinator to enrol in this subject.

Some internship host organisations may have specific requirements regarding prerequisite subjects.

At a minimum, students will need to have completed the following subjects to be eligible for enrolment in the Legal Internship subject:

The Melbourne Law School welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and Law School policy to take all reasonable steps to enable the participation of students with disabilities, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the School’s programs.

The inherent academic requirements for the study in the Melbourne Law School are:

1. The ability to attend classes and actively engage in the analysis of complex materials and debate;
2. The ability to read, analyse and comprehend complex written legal materials and complex interdisciplinary materials;
3. The ability to clearly and independently communicate in writing a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
4. The ability to clearly and independently communicate orally a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
5. The ability to work independently and as a part of a group;
6. The ability to present orally and in writing legal analysis to a professional standard.

Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. Students are required to take responsibility for their own participation and learning. They also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative learning environments, demonstrating interpersonal skills and an understanding of the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.

Students who feel their disability will prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit: www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/.

The aim of this subject is to provide students with the opportunity to gain practical legal experience and a public interest / community-focused legal workplace experience that complements and deepens their coursework learning in the Melbourne JD.

Internships can be hosted by any public interest organisation that will facilitate the student undertaking legally-oriented work, including government departments, regulatory and statutory bodies, courts and tribunals, legal assistance sector organisations such as legal aid or community legal centres, and non-government or not-for-profit organisations. Host organisations can be locally based, national / interstate or international. The proposed internship must be approved by the Subject Coordinator – the internship experience should build on the students' studies to date in the Melbourne JD, and be of an appropriately demanding standard to model professional legal work or practice.

Students must complete at least 20 days of unsalaried internship. Students are also required to participate in pre-internship induction, and a post-internship debriefing session that provides a structure for reflection on, and learning from, the internship experience itself. Students are also required to complete a short internship debrief written report.

Student who successfully completes this subject will have:

• Strengthened their ability to understand professional legal work or practice, derived from doing challenging legal work in a practical setting;
• An enhanced capacity to identify, develop, employ and reflect upon appropriate legal skills for the workplace;
• An enhanced knowledge of a particular legal area relevant to the internship;
• Increased capacity to engage with public discussion about law and policy;
• Experienced a range of new opportunities and contacts through doing an internship in a field in which they are interested;
• Have contributed to the University of Melbourne's commitment to community engagement.

January 2015:

• Attendance at a pre-internship orientation session or online equivalent (hurdle);
• Attendance at a post-internship debrief session (hurdle);
• Post-internship report of approximately 500 words, due 2 weeks after completion of the internship placement (hurdle);
• 6,000 words of legal research, with the format to be approved by the supervisor in consultation with the student, due 2 months after the completion of the internship placement (100%).

The assessed research work may take a variety of forms, including substantial research memoranda or advice, briefs or written submissions, legal policy advocacy, or a research essay. It may include work carried out during the internship (subject to agreement with the host organisation) or after the internship but directly connected with the internship.

Summer 2015:

• Attendance at a pre-internship orientation session or online equivalent (hurdle);
• Attendance at a post-internship debrief session (hurdle);
• Post-internship report of approximately 500 words, due 2 weeks after completion of the internship placement (hurdle);
• 6,000 words of legal research, with the format to be approved by the supervisor in consultation with the student, due 2 months after the completion of the internship placement (100%).

The assessed research work may take a variety of forms, including substantial research memoranda or advice, briefs or written submissions, legal policy advocacy, or a research essay. It may include work carried out during the internship (subject to agreement with the host organisation) or after the internship but directly connected with the internship.

Semester 1, Winter, Semester 2, 2015:

• Attendance at pre-internship orientation session or online equivalent (hurdle requirement);
• 500 word description of host organisation. Due 2 weeks after commencing the internship (10%);
• 1,500 word journal. Due 2 weeks after completion of internship placement (30%);
• Legal writing (3,000 words). Due 2 months after completion of internship placement (60%).

The assessed research work may take a variety of forms, including substantial research memoranda or advice, briefs or written submissions, legal policy advocacy, or a research essay. It may include work carried out during the internship (subject to agreement with the host organisation) or after the internship but directly connected with the internship.

November 2015:

• Attendance at pre-internship orientation session or online equivalent (hurdle requirement);
• 1,500 word reflective journal (1500 words). Due 2 weeks after completion of internship placement (30%);
• Legal Internship Activity Log. Due 2 weeks after completion of internship placement (hurdle requirement);
• Legal writing (4,000 words). Due 2 months after completion of internship placement (70%).

The assessed research work may take a variety of forms, including substantial research memoranda or advice, briefs or written submissions, legal policy advocacy, or a research essay. It may include work carried out during the internship (subject to agreement with the host organisation) or after the internship but directly connected with the internship.

Prior to November 2015:

Specialist printed materials will be made available from Melbourne Law School.

November 2015 onward:

None.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

A student who successfully completes this subject will have the capacity to:

• Research, select, apply for and organise an appropriate internship for credit;
• Establish and maintain professional working relationships throughout the duration of the internship;
• Identify, acquire and reflect upon specific professional skills relevant to work undertaken at their host organisation;
• Contribute constructively and productively to the projects underway at the organisation hosting the internship;
• Formulate or refine their own topical and relevant research question related to or arising from either the nature of the organisation hosting the intern or an issue with which the organisation has to deal;
• Refresh, reinforce and develop research and writing skills they have acquired during their undergraduate degree and law studies.

Details on quota subject selection are available on the JD website.