LAW
STUDENT'S
HANDBOOK
DICTUM SOCIETY
CONTENTS
First-Year Law Student - FAQ Support at Victoria University Law Exam Preperation Tips Navigating Your First Semester Stress Management Mental Health Resources
Becoming a Qualified Lawyer Surviving & Thriving Law School Choosing Non-Law Electives Stay Up To Date The VU App Queen Street Campus Dictum Society
Acknowledgements of the Country
Dictum Society would like to acknowledge the Woiworung and the Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation, who are the Traditional owners of our University land. We extend our acknowledgements to the traditional custodians of Australian land and pay our respects to their culture, and their Elders past, present and emerging. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded, and pay our respects to the diversity of indigenous peoples , their communities and cultures, and the intrinsic connection to the land and waters as the Traditional Owners to Country.
First Year FAQ
Law books are expensive - do I have to buy a new book every block? Nope! Before buying books brand-new, check to see if there is an E-Book for your subject. Most units will have one. Alternatively, you can buy second hand books on Book Chat (see 'Stay Up To Date') What is the deadline for dropping a block? If you want to drop a block, you have to do it before 'census date'. Census date is the second Monday of each block period. After this date, you can still leave a block by applying for a 'remission' of your fees through VUHQ. What if i'm struggling to finish an assessment on time? Before the due date, you can ask your proffessor for an extension because of 'special conciderations'. Your proffessor can use their discretion in offering these extentions. How do I plan out my units? Victoria University offers course plans for each degree. However, you can find some assistance with LearningHub as well as contacting the College of Law and Justice Course and Unit Advisor (CUA) at cua.colj@vu.edu.au
Support at Victoria University
At Victoria University, there are also many places you can turn for academic support!
Peer-to-Peer Mentoring: Dictum Society
Dictum Society members are eligible to sign up to be a mentee, and be connected with a student in a later stage of their degree. Sign up to be a mentee through our website!
STUDENT Student Mentors MENTORS Victoria University provides a student mentor program. Student Mentors are knowledgeable in their area of study and can confidently provide assistance. They will help with your assessments, giving constructive feedback, and helping you improve your academic skills.
Learning Hub The Learning Hub offers numerous workshops to students throughout all stages of their degree. Essential Activities: These are a range of online activities designed to develop your skills to help you through your studies and beyond. Workshops: Learning Hub offers an array of workshops across to help with skills like communication, employability, literacy and numeracy!
Learning Hub Tutoring
Learning Hub Tutoring is a 24/7 service that allows you to submit assessments and career documents. These will be reviewed by professionals and retuned with feedback within 24 hours!
Law Exam Preparation Tips
For online exams- make sure your laptop is ready, finish any system updates you've been ignoring as they can slow down the performance of your device. Law exams at VU are predominantly open-book. Keep up with your notes as much as you can - your future self will thank you! Organise them with tabs to use them efficiently. Prepare some 'skeleton answers'. For each major topic, prepare a generic response with relevant sections and cases. In the exam, apply this to the facts you've been given. Application is vital! Law answers should be heavily focused on the facts or scenario you've been given. Refer back to the question regularly! Organise your study area before the exam: prepare your notes, pens and water bottle prior to starting and move any unnecessary distractions. Attend revision sessions in class as they usually go through a lot of relevant content for exam.
Stress Management
Being a student can be incredibly stressful! Too much stress, however, can impact your daily functioning, including your health, relationships and mental well-being. There are a few things you can adopt into your university life to help manage these negative feelings. Change the situation: Brain-storm solutions to the problem. Draw on your time-management and organization skills to make a task less daunting. Physical relaxation: It may help to practice relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing and muscle relaxation. Take a step back from the stressful thing. Cognitive relaxation: Recognise and challenge your negative thoughts. When you think 'I can't do this', think of a time in the past that you did cope. Breaks: Give your brain enough time to recover from the stress, take regular scheduled breaks. Reach out to friends or family.
Mental Health Resources
University life can take a toll on anyone. But you never have to do it alone! At VU, there are services to help you feel supported during times of hardship. VU's Counsellors provide a free professional and confidential service to enrolled students that are designed to support students in their personal, psychological, academic, and social development. For off-campus support, you can also reach out to: Headspace - 1800 650 890 Lifeline - 13 11 14 Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800 (for students aged 25 years and under).
Becoming a Qualified Lawyer
Your Bachelor degree at VU is just the first step in your journey. Dictum Society creates an annual Careers Guide for a more detailed careers pathway and career options, but here is a quick summary of the process!
TERTIARY EDUCATION The first step to becoming a qualified lawyer in Victoria is to complete a tertiary education in law. This can be either: Undergraduate: Bachelor Degree (LLB) Postgraduate: Juris Doctor (JD) Victoria University is among the institutions approved by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board. For a successful completion of tertiary study, the admissions board requires you to complete the "Preistley 11". These are mandatory units that you need to complete before graduating with a LLB
PRACTICAL OR SUPERVISED TRAINING After you graduate from your tertiary education course, the next step is to undertake either a: Practical Legal Training (PLT) or Supervised Legal Training (SLT)
ADMISSIONS The final step in this process is successful admission as a Victorian Lawyer. An application for admission is made to the Victorian Legal Admissions Board. If this application is successful, you can begin your legal journey as a practicing solicitor in Victoria!
The goal of legal training is to provide you with the necessary skills and values to be a capable and ethical practicing lawyer.
Choosing Non-Law Electives
As part of your Bachelor of Laws, you are required to undertake 48 credits of Non-Law electives. This may be different for other courses so please check your course requirements! Non Law Electives can be selected from any undergraduate VU unit for which all pre-requisites have been met. Here are a few suggestions from us from diffirent courses: ABA1003 Introduction to Sociology AEK1204 Aboriginal History and Political Movements APP1012 Psychology 1A ASL1003 Criminal Justice Systems ASA1024 Applied Human Rights ACO1011 Practical Music 1A ASW1001 Introduction to Social Work SCL1003 Exercise and Sport Psychology RBM1174 Human Physiology ABA1005 The Era of Controversy ABA1001 Reason and Revolution
Stay Up To Date
Stay in the loop with all law-student matters at Victoria University Law Chat is a Facebook group where VU law students across all year levels form study groups each block, discuss recent law topic and enquire about career or university related questions. Book Chat is a Facebook group created for VU law students to facilitate second-hand book sales. Join to sell or buy law textbooks at a cheaper price.
Law Jobs is a Facebook group for all Law students/alumni in Melbourne. There are posts about job opportunities for students and graduates including internships and graduate positions
Keep updated with Dictum Society's events and publications by following us on social media, or regularly checking our website!
The VU App
As a student, one of the most useful tools you will need in your time at VU is the VU app. It provides a useful one-stop-shop to all your essentials, all at your fingertips! This includes: Your unit content, assessments and results. Your timetable. Access to MyVU for your student details such as finances, enrolment, and exam information. Access to Learning Hub. Maps of all VU campuses with the interactive maps to find bathrooms, lifts and accessible entrances. Your digital ID student card which can be used in the VU Library to borrow books or laptops.
Queen Street Campus
Most of your CQ classes will be held in 295 Queen Street, but some will run in 300. You can tell the diffirence by the room numbers indicated on your timetable. Rooms starting with 'RO' such as RO101 are in 295 Rooms starting with 'Q' such as Q101 are in 300 The first number indicates what floor the room is in. 295 will also have classes running in the Basement Floor (BL) or the Ground Floor (GL) which are the three lecture halls to the left of the foyer. Some important locations to note in 295: Library: Level 2 (study spaces in level 3) Learning Hub: Level 2 (across elevator) Student Lounge: Basement Dictum Office: Basement (ROBL08) Moot Court: Level 3 Gender-Neutral Bathroom: Basement
Dictum Society
Dictum Society is the only student representative body for VU Law & Justice students. Established in 2012, the Society is run by a committee of students, and we are all excited to interact with you in 2021. We seek to improve the mental, social, academic and professional wellbeing of our society members. We also advocate for student needs and interests by acting as a bridge between law students and Victoria University’s College of Law & Justice.
Membership
In 2021, we have reduced our price for VIP membership from $20 due to COVID
$10
$15
Standard
VIP