Graduate Diploma in Corporations and Securities Law

Melbourne Law School has considerable expertise in corporate law, having established the Centre for Corporate Law and Securities Regulation in 1996. The graduate program in corporations and securities law recognises the importance of corporate law and securities regulation nationally and internationally. The program is ideal for lawyers and other professionals engaged in securities regulation and issues relating to corporate law. The broad range of subjects available in this field will enable you to tailor your course to directly influence your career goals.

The Graduate Diploma in Corporations and Securities Law focuses on:

• A broad-based and reliable knowledge and understanding of Australian corporations law and securities regulation
• An elementary economic analysis of the law and its practical application
• Advanced skills and techniques in finding and using the law
• The articulation of knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations.

Students must complete four subjects from the prescribed list.

Students who do not have a law degree from a common law jurisdiction or any prior legal studies or experience are also expected to complete the two-day preliminary subject Australian Legal Process and Legal Institutions.

None.

# Offered in 2012

• Accounting for Commercial Lawyers
• Advanced International Tax: Offshore Entities (Formerly Taxation of Overseas Entities) #
• Banking and Finance Law: Principles and Transactions (Formerly Law of Secured Finance) #
• Commercial Law: Principles and Policies #
• Company Takeovers #
• Comparative Companies Law in Asia #
• Comparative Corporate Governance #
• Comparative Corporate Tax (Formerly Comparative Business Tax) #
• Contract Interpretation (Formerly Commercial Contracts) #
• Corporate and White Collar Criminal Law #
• Corporate Governance and Directors’ Duties #
• Corporate Insolvency and Reconstruction #
• Corporate Social Responsibility and the Law
• Corporate Tax A (Shareholders, Debt and Equity) #
• Corporate Tax B (Consolidation and Losses) Formerly Corporate Tax B (Companies and #
• Debt Capital Markets (Formerly Securitisation) #
• Derivatives Law and Practice
• Equity and Commerce #
• Financial Services Law #
• Insurance Law
• International Corporate Insolvency #
• International Financial System: Law and Practice #
• International Financial Transactions: Law and Practice #
• Managed Investments Law
• Not-for-Profit Organisations: Current Regulatory and Governance Issues #
• OTC Derivatives: US and International Practice, Regulation and Policy Issues
• Principles of Corporate Law
• Project Finance #
• Regulation of Securities Markets #
• Regulation of Securities Offerings
• Schemes of Arrangement
• Secured Transactions: The Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) (Formerly Secured Transactions) #
• Shareholders’ Rights and Remedies (formerly Shareholders’ Remedies)
• Sports Law: Entities and Governance #
• State Taxes and Duties
• Superannuation Law #
• Taxation of Business and Investment Income (Formerly Taxation of Business and Investment Income A) #
• Taxation of Financial Instruments
• Taxation of Mergers and Acquisitions #
• Taxation of Small and Medium Enterprises #
• The Law of Restitution (Formerly Restitution Law in Commercial Practice) #
• Trusts in Commerce

None.

Available Breadth Tracks

• A degree in a relevant discipline and the equivalent of at least one year of full-time, documented, relevant professional experience; or
• A degree in law leading to admission to legal practice (LLB, JD or equivalent), at honours standard or equivalent; or
• A degree in law leading to admission to legal practice (LLB, JD or equivalent) and the equivalent of at least one year of full-time, documented, relevant professional experience.

The Melbourne Law Masters welcomes applications from students with disabilities. The inherent academic requirements for study in the Melbourne Law Masters are:

• The ability to attend a minimum of 75% of classes and actively engage in the analysis of complex materials and debate;
• The ability to read, analyse and comprehend complex written legal materials and complex interdisciplinary materials;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate in writing a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
• The ability to clearly and independently communicate orally a knowledge and application of legal principles and interdisciplinary materials and critically evaluate these;
• The ability to work independently and as a part of a group;
• The ability to present orally and in writing legal analysis to a professional standard.

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

1. Advanced understanding of the changing knowledge base in the relevant area of law
   The specialist focus of the Melbourne Law Masters, the constant review and renewal of subjects and courses, the range and expertise of instructors from Australia and around the world, and regular advice from our advisory boards combine to ensure that courses and subjects reflect emerging knowledge and ideas
2. Ability to evaluate and synthesise existing knowledge in the area
   Small classes, a discussion-based environment and the emphasis on quality teaching and learning create an environment in which knowledge is exchanged, critically examined and adapted to current circumstances
3. Well-developed problem solving abilities, characterised by flexibility of approach
   Most subjects approach knowledge by reference to various issues or problems. Students are encouraged to critically analyse problems and identify and develop a range of appropriate solutions through class discussion, individual study and assessment tasks.
4. Advanced competencies in legal research and analysis
   Class preparation and class discussions are designed to enhance these skills, which are tested in all forms of assessment.
5. Capacity to communicate, orally and in writing
   Classroom discussion and formal presentations provide an opportunity to hone oral communication skills, and written assessment tasks are graded in part on written communication skills.
6. Appreciation of the design, conduct and reporting of original research
   Research papers and other research tasks are expected to attain a degree of originality and discovery that befits a quality postgraduate program, and students are encouraged and assisted to publish work of a high standard in refereed journals.
7. Capacity to manage competing demands on time
   The demanding nature of graduate study requires effective time-management skills from all students. The rigour of our programs, whether undertaken part-time or full-time, ensures that all successful graduates have enhanced time-management skills.
8. Profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, including the ethics of scholarship
   Some subjects have a substantive ethical component. All instructors have a respect for intellectual integrity and are skilled scholars or practitioners in their own right.
9. Appreciation of the way in which knowledge provides a foundation for leadership
   Instructors in the Melbourne Law Masters are leaders in their fields, and many subjects involve visiting academics, exposing students to a wider array of leaders in a range of legal fields. The Law School is committed to the significance of knowledge, which informs all regular programs and a wide range of additional activities.
10. Capacity to value and participate in teamwork
    Small class sizes and an intensive teaching format are valuable in encouraging group dynamics and teamwork.
11. Understanding of the significance and value of knowledge to the wider community
    Law and legal knowledge are a community resource. In some subjects, this perspective is covered explicitly by the syllabus and the manner in which issues are treated in class. In addition, our diverse student body ensures that a range of perspectives on the way law impacts on the community are identified and analysed.
12. Capacity to engage with issues in contemporary society
    Our programs focus on the most up-to-date legal knowledge, analysing current issues and problems through the curriculum design, classroom discussion and assessment tasks. International students are also invited to participate in extracurricular activities to aid understanding of Australian law and legal institutions.
13. Advanced working skills in the use of new technology
    The most advanced IT infrastructure is available to Melbourne Law Masters students in the Law Library, the Moot Court Room, classroom settings and for private study.