Handbook

Conduct legal research and legal writing tasks. For example: Professional research skills, including formulating research strategies to address complex legal problems and/or legal policy tasks; Academic research skills, including formulating independent research strategies for critical and/or theoretical writing; Concise writing; Extended writing, including the completion of substantial research assessment tasks; and Professional writing, including writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Engage in reform-oriented analysis of law and policy. For example: Ability to critique existing law in light of broader perspectives, current legal impact and future needs; Ability to contribute to reform processes; and Ability to analyse and evaluate recent developments in professional practice, broadly defined.

Demonstrate advanced professional communication skills. For example: Oral communication across a range of contexts, including adversarial and non-adversarial dispute resolution, client/advice focused contexts and professional forums; Written communication in various formats and styles, including writing for specialist and non-specialist audiences; General presentation capacities; Legal presentation capacities; Empathetic listening skills; and Cross-cultural communication, including with Indigenous people.

Apply interdisciplinary perspectives to legal issues, in particular, the ability to bring perspectives from appropriate prior disciplinary experience to bear on responding to legal problems, legal policy questions, and/or critical/theoretical analysis of law and legal institutions.

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of historical and contemporary indigenous legal issues. For example: Colonial dispossession; Historical and continuing impact of the law on Indigenous Australians; Indigenous rights, sovereignty and recognition in the Constitution; Native title; Interactions with legal professionals and enforcement officers; Indigenous laws and justice mechanisms; and Cross-cultural communication issues.

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of legal knowledge in its broader contexts. For example: An integrated understanding of fundamental areas of legal knowledge for practice in NSW; An advanced understanding of the Australian legal system, including influential theories of law and justice; Contextual disciplinary understanding informed by interdisciplinary and theoretical perspectives, including those provided through prior tertiary learning; Theoretical perspectives underlying principles, concepts and professional practice; International and comparative approaches to law; Awareness of other jurisdictions and legal systems and understanding of their impact on local jurisdictions; Awareness of global legal practice broadly defined; Broader context of, and contemporary developments in legal practice broadly defined; An understanding of the historical development and contemporary manifestations of ethical and professional responsibilities and rules; Relationship between law and ethics, and theories of ethics applicable to legal practice broadly defined; Environmental issues; Race and diversity based issues; Poverty and social inequity/class based issues; Commercial issues; Employer/employee power imbalances; Gender and sexuality based issues; and Disability awareness.

Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of principles of justice and the rule of law. For example: Tensions between law and morality and justice (as expanded below), both historically and in a contemporary context; Distributive justice, including social justice; Corrective justice; Justice as desert and retributive justice; Restorative justice; Justice through (Alternative) Dispute Resolution; Legal protection of rights, including by the Constitution; Obligations of the legal profession, broadly defined, including legal practitioners' duties to clients, the court and society; Due process and natural justice; The maintenance and operation of the rule of law; Constraints upon government power and the review and correction of government decisions; and The rule of law in context.

Interpret and analyse statutes. For example: Navigating and applying statutory enactments to novel problems in accordance with contemporary modes of statutory interpretation; Applying knowledge of the difference between interpretation of ordinary statutes and constitutions; Applying knowledge and ability to use extrinsic materials in the interpretation of statutes and resolution of and/or advice on novel problems; Developing a coherent body of knowledge and skills about the rules of statutory interpretation; The application of statutory interpretation techniques in the context of problem-solving to generate appropriate analytical responses to statutory issues; and Analysing the relationship between statutory interpretation and human rights instruments in different jurisdictions.

Engage in advanced legal reasoning. For example: Case analysis; Problem-solving skills; Identifying and articulating legal issues; Applying legal reasoning and research, and synthesised legal knowledge to generate appropriate and independent responses to legal issues or problems; Engaging in critical analysis and making a reasoned choice amongst alternatives, drawing on a integrated knowledge of legal categories, the legal system and institutions; Evaluating the appropriateness and effectiveness of either a specific course of action or a legal response more broadly, taking into account theoretical and/or critical perspectives; and Thinking creatively and independently in approaching legal issues or problems, generating appropriate responses that take into account both doctrinal and broader legal policy principles.

Demonstrate advanced professional interpersonal skills. For example: Collaboration skills; Ability to work as a member of a team; Respect for diversity; Dispute resolution; Understanding of formal legal rules; Appreciation of alternative and non-adversarial philosophies and practices; Understanding of lawyers' roles in disputes; and Understanding of power dynamics.

Demonstrate and adopt professional and ethical dispositions and values. For example: Professional disposition and values; Developing ability to exercise professional judgment; Ability to reflect on professional responsibilities of lawyers in promoting justice; Understanding the law's role in serving society; Understanding the value of community engagement; Ethical practice; Understanding of ethical approaches to decision-making; Developing ability to respond to ethical issues arising in legal practice; Working sensitively with clients from diverse backgrounds and with a range of needs; and Understanding prosecutors' and advocates' obligations both to the court and to the client, and judicial obligations to ensure a fair trial.

Demonstrate advanced professional capacity for self-management and autonomy. For example: Ability to engage in independent learning; Time management skills; Personal and professional development Reflective practice; Ability to reflect on and assess own capabilities and performance, including through self-assessment; Ability to use feedback; and Reflection on personal values in the professional role. This can be achieved in particular through the planning and execution of a substantial research-based project (including a research essay and/or a policy oriented research project) and/or capstone experience (including an internship, journal editorship and/or a competitive mooting course) and/or professionally focused project (including a clinical placement or practice oriented internship).