HopgoodGanim First Year Guide 2016

2 0 1 6 FIRST YEAR Law School

SURVIVAL GUIDE

The QUT Law Society would like to sincerely thank HopgoodGanim for their ongoing support of the QUTLS First Year Program in 2016.

Contents

IMPORTANT CONTACTS 1 LAW DEGREE BASICS 2 LEGAL INDUSTRY BASICS 4 TRANSITIONING TO UNI 6 TUTORIALS AND LECTURES 8 TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL STUDY 10 SPORTS, HEALTH & FITNESS 11 EVENTS & ACTIVITES 12 COMPETITIONS 14 PUBLICATIONS 16

Important Contacts QUT LAW SOCIETY Room C-402: Level 4, Faculty of Law (C Block) QUT Gardens Point Campus President // Harriette Watson - president@qutlawsociety.com Executive Vice President // Rosie Kirby - vicepresident@qutlawsociety.com Secretary // Sarah Nyugen - secretary@qutlawsociety.com Treasurer // Radha Aku - treasurer@qutlawsociety.com VP Education // Bianca Parmar - vp.education@qutlawsociety.com VP Competitions // Shona Fitzgerald - vp.competitions@qutlawsociety.com Director of Moot Club // Ethan Hyde - director.mootclub@qutlawsociety.com VP Sports & Health // Elizabeth Singleton - vp.sportandhealth@qutlawsociety.com VP Media & Communication // – vp.mediacommunication@qutlawsociety.com

FACULTY OF LAW Level 4 Reception, Faculty of Law (C Block) QUT Gardens Point Campus Phone // 07 3138 2839 Email // law_enquiries@qut.edu.au The Faculty of Law can assist you with administrative enquiries about things like timetabling and enrolments. If you need assistance with the academic curriculum you’ll need to contact your tutor or lecturer (normally your tutor).

To find contact details for academic staff, visit www.qut.edu.au/about/contact to search by tutor name or Faculty area.

OTHER IMPORTANT CONTACTS QUT Law Library // 07 3138 2842 Study & General Enquiries // 07 3138 2000 // askqut@qut.edu.au Careers and Employment // 07 3138 2649 // careers@qut.edu.au Disability & Injury Support // 07 3138 2699

Law Degree Basics CLASSES: LECTURES & TUTORIALS For every subject you enrol into (also called a ‘unit’) you’ll have a few different types of classes: •

Lectures – Formal instruction on course content. Lectures are usually delivered as a

combination of face-to-face classes and online recordings;

•

Tutorials – Less formal instruction, typically delivered in a smaller classroom setting. You

will have set tasks to complete before each tutorial, usually involving the application of

principles from lectures and weekly readings, which you tutor will discuss with the class.

Tutorial participation often contributes to your final grade;

•

Workshops – Some units combine lectures and tutorials into a single workshop, sometimes

called a ‘lectorial’.

External students do not typically have tutorials. Instead, there is a compulsory ‘External Attendance School’ held during the mid-semester break. An ‘external exercise’ assessment item may be set in place of tutorial participation marks.

RESOURCE MATERIALS A variety of resource materials will come in handy for study: •

Textbooks – Each unit has a list of textbooks. Some are compulsory (the ‘main’ textbook)

and others only recommended. The compulsory text is usually enough;

•

Study Guides – Available from the ‘Blackboard’ website, some are written like a mini-

textbook, others provide a basic outline and tutorial questions;

•

And More – There are a lot of other useful resources at your disposal, including legal

databases and encyclopaedia.

Pro Tip: ‘Q&A’ textbooks are available for most subjects, with practice exam questions and model answers. Many are written by your lecturers, and these lecturers set your exams. Not every Q&A book is useful, but paying close attention can give you an inside edge.

ASSESSMENT Different units will have different assessments. The main types of assessment are: •

Tutorial Participation – Marks for actively participating in tutorials (up to 10%);

•

Assignments – Lots of different assignment formats are used in the Law School.

Most assignments involve analysis of a legal problem, providing advice regarding parties’ legal positions in response to a fact-based scenario (usually 30-40%); •

Exams – End of semester exams, usually worth 50-60% of your total grade. Most

exam questions will be scenario-based legal problems, with short essay questions

occasionally thrown in for variety.

There are no ‘fail’ marks for individual assessment items. Your final grade is cumulative, so if you get below 50% for an assessment you may still pass that subject on balance (with a bit of work).

Being cumulative, every mark counts!

Pro Tip: Practise for exams by completing hand-written responses to past exam questions (which you usually find on the Blackboard site for each subject). Identifying legal issues arising from a set of facts can be deceptively difficult. Exams won’t identify a particular topic area like in tutorials and often multiple topics from different areas, so practice identifying issues, too!

NOTES QUT Law exams are open book. You can bring any written material you’d like, and it’s generally advisable to compile a set of notes to bring along. Notes are helpful in three ways: 1.

Writing notes is a very effective way of studying course content;

2.

Organising content in your preferred way provides a personalised reference tool; and

3.

Personalised notes are invaluable in an exam.

You’ll eventually find your preferred method of structuring and compiling notes. Try outlining a structure for your response and then a step-by-step procedure for analysing each sub-issue.

Some students post their exam notes online. Approach these notes with caution – they have not been vetted by content experts (i.e. lecturers) and often contain errors. Lecturers also set exam questions to exploit known errors in online notes, and markers can pick when you’ve used them.

Legal Industry Basics TYPES OF LAWYERS In Queensland (and most jurisdictions), there are two types of ‘lawyer’: solicitors and barristers.

Solicitors can appear in court from time-to-time, but most of their time is spent in an office working with clients to provide legal advice in response to instructions. Because there are lots of different areas of law, solicitors will often branch-out to specialise in just one practice area – you can choose elective subjects at university to help with this, but you’ll study all the major areas of law as part of your degree. Most lawyers practice as solicitors.

Barristers spend most of their time in court, advocating on behalf of their client in a courtroom setting and/or working with an instructing solicitor to provide highly targeted, specialist advice regarding legal matters. Because going to court is very expensive and time-consuming, many barristers also specialise in ‘alternative dispute resolution’ (‘ADR’), which is a blanket term for things like negotiation. In Queensland, barristers are ‘sole practitioners’. They work alone, but from premises shared with other barristers called ‘chambers’.

LAW FIRMS A ‘law firm’ is essentially a group of lawyers working for one business. They come in all shapes and sizes, commonly divided into three categories – boutique (very small), mid-tier and top-tier. While this division is fairly arbitrary, law firms are often ranked according to their number of ‘fee earners’ – the number of partners and lawyers employed by the business.

You’ll sometimes hear people refer to ‘big six’ law firms. These are the top six law firms by size, historically being Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, Clayton Utz, Minter Ellison, Ashurst and Allens. With more competition in the legal service market, these distinctions matter less over time and many more lawyers work in mid-tier or boutique firms than in the ‘big six’.

A growing practice area, ‘in house’ lawyers work outside the firm system, employed directly by companies to perform day-to-day legal work and assist with common legal matters.

ORGANISATION STRUCTURES In its most basic form, a law firm is a partnership of one or more legal practitioners. Like every business, different firms work differently and have different ways of doing business.

There are several common legal roles which you’ll find in most law firms. Smaller businesses will have a more limited range of role types, while larger businesses will often have very targeted role classifications. Firms tend to be very hierarchical, generally in the order of: 1. Partner 2.

Senior / Special Counsel

3.

Senior Lawyer

4. Lawyer 5.

Junior Lawyer / Trainee

6. Paralegal 7.

Vacation Clerks

The main difference between these roles is the type and complexity of work and level of remuneration.

You may be able to find work as a ‘paralegal’ while you study – paralegals perform basic legal and admin tasks, which is invaluable experience when applying for jobs.

CLERKSHIPS & GRADUATE POSITIONS Clerkships are a big deal for both students and firms. A clerkship can be the first step in working for a major firm. Firms recruit in March for the following year, and generally want penultimate (thirdyear) students – if you’re a Bachelor of Laws (Graduate) student, that’s next year!

Firms will often place successful clerks into graduate recruitment programs, using clerkships as an opportunity to check you out and see if you’re a good fit for their business with a view to employing you! A clerkship is an important opportunity to get your foot in the door at a major firm, and gives you a chance to experience real legal work and the culture of a firm while seeing which practice area(s) you’re best suited to.

Though a lot of emphasis is placed on getting a clerkship, don’t stress too much if it doesn’t happen for you – it’s a big deal if you get one, but lots of very successful lawyers didn’t clerk.

For more information, keep an eye out for the QUT

Law Society Careers Guide in March!

Transitioning to University QUT’s Bachelor of Laws attracts a wide range of students; some have just finished school, while others have completed another degree, travelled overseas, or worked for many years. Some students live at home, some work, some have children and a mortgage.

Each of these scenarios present different challenges and your personal circumstances will impact your transition into law school. No matter what your personal circumstances are, there are a few things that it pays to keep in mind when you’re starting out.

ATTENDANCE Here’s the thing: it’s hard to find the time for everything you’re supposed to do. You’ll have lectures, tutorials and assignments to keep you busy, but things like extracurricular activities and having a life are really important, too.

Unlike work or school, at university you’ll be expected to make your own choices when it comes to attendance. Some students find this freedom tempting, but if you want to perform at your best (and/ or pass) you’ll need to attend classes.

Non-attendance of even a few classes can put you in a difficult position. Everyone misses a class here and there – just don’t make it a habit and have a plan to catch-up! You’ll start to feel more comfortable with what you’re doing by second semester, too – this is a good thing, but it can breed complacency and not turning up to classes is often a recipe for disaster. Turning up to your tutorial having done your tutorial work is the best and easiest thing you can do to get decent grades!

GET ORGANISED So you don’t end up a quivering mess by the end of semester: 1.

Schedule time for readings, tutorial work, assignments, study and end of semester

revision, not just lectures and tutorials;

2.

Keep up with lectures, go to tutorials and do your tutorial work; and

3.

Start your assignments early!

HIGH SCHOOL TO LAW SCHOOL At school you have a teacher who is responsible for your learning. At university that responsibility rests with you. Lecturers and tutors are a really great learning resource, but they won’t be chasing you for your homework.

Each academic staff member will place different demands on you and have different expectations of the work they’d like to see. It’s up to you to work out how to exact the best grade from them and the easiest way of doing this is to ask! Don’t be afraid to approach your lecturers and tutors with questions – they’re here to help!

At uni, you’re expected to be self-directed when it comes to your learning. You’ll be told what you have to read, but a big part of studying law is to read as widely as possible to gain an in-depth understanding of the subject matter.

With a whole library just for law, you’re never going to be able to read it all. How do you know what is enough? Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer: some students read every prescribed and optional textbook reading and every legal case in full, others will do nothing all semester and spend study week holed-up in the Law Library smelling like old sweatpants and coffee.

Option A is probably better and definitely a good way of improving your grades, but won’t be feasible for everyone. Try to find a balance and, most importantly, find an approach that works for you. Good results and having a life don’t need to be mutually exclusive.

REAL SKILLS While content knowledge is important, your degree is really about acquiring practical legal skills.

The QUT School of Law is all about practical skills and your assessments are based on what real lawyers do.

The law changes all the time; taking an effective approach to resolving a legal problem is far more important than knowing the state of the law.

Life experience and knowledge of topics outside the law are also invaluable. They help you think practically and creatively about the law. You’ll never be asked to read unrelated materials, but pursuing your non-legal interests and learning new things is surprisingly useful.

Tutorials & Lectures If you haven’t studied at uni before, finding your feet with lectures and tutorials can be difficult. Just turning up isn’t usually enough – they’re the heart and soul of your degree, so it pays to get them right!

LECTURES Lectures go for two hours and may be face-to-face and/or online. Either way, a recording will be made available via the Blackboard site. They provide the basis of what you should know about the topic, using slides that you can acquire prior to the lecture.

Different students approach lectures differently and no one method is necessarily better than another. Some students: •

write down what the lecturer says word-for-word;

•

listen to the lecturer and jot down an occasional note; or

•

acquire the slides before the lecture, use these in conjunction with study guide and only

write down the information that is not already provided.

All of these are fine. Do whatever works for you, but always read lecture and study guide materials beforehand. Start with a general understanding of the material and the lecture will help you place everything in proper context.

It can be difficult to maintain your concentration in lectures. Some students have even been known to fall asleep... If this happens, ask yourself questions as the lecturer talks and try to answer them before they do. If you are really finding it difficult to concentrate, begin to write what the lecturer has stated word for word until you regain concentration. If all else fails, grab a coffee during the break.

Be mindful that if you’re not physically attending the lecture at a set time, you’ll need to schedule time to listen to the online recording. Schedule this well in advance and remember that while it can be tough to stick to a set time, it’s easier than mainlining over dozens of hours of lecture recordings in the week before exams! It’s a good idea to schedule more time than the length of the recording as you’ll regularly need to pause to take notes or re-listen to something you missed.

TUTORIALS Unless you study externally, every unit has a tutorial component and tutorial ‘homework’ to complete in the time between the lecture and your tutorial. You’ll be asked to use the principles discussed in lectures and in your readings, applying those principles to ‘solve’ a legal problem.

Tutorials are the core element of your studies. You learn how to apply the law to practical situations (which is what you’ll have to do in the exam) and an opportunity to clarify any questions you have about a topic. Different tutors have different approaches, but generally they will walk the class through that week’s tutorial questions asking for input from the class.

‘Participation’ and ‘attendance’ are different things. Some tutors may give you a small number of marks for being there, but most won’t; you need to actively participate to get a good mark. It’s worth noting that being wrong about something doesn’t usually matter in terms of your grade – the main thing is to put your hand up and offer input.

Most tutorials have participation marks that are worth 10% of your final grade. This may not sound like a lot, but 10% is a full grade. It could be the difference between getting a credit or a distinction, or even the difference between passing and failing!

Pro Tip: Aim to answer at least two questions per class, even if you’re not 100% sure you’re correct. Asking questions is also a great way to get good marks and is especially important if you had difficulties answering that week’s problem. No-one expects you to be a genius!

QUT LAW SOCIETY WORKSHOP PROGRAM Outside of your regular classes, QUT Law Society hosts must-attend workshops across the year, presented by industry representatives from top law firms. Our workshops cover everything from working at the courts, to working a room, insider’s advice from employers on getting that dream job, and more!

We appreciate it’s sometimes difficult to fit everything in and throwing a bunch of workshops into the mix won’t work for everyone, so we will be holding a series of workshops devoted to career essentials throughout the year. Sessions include resume writing, interviewing and networking skills, delivered by representatives from top Brisbane law firms.

Successful Study Tips GROUP STUDY Studying in a group can be helpful. While your lecturers and tutors only have a certain amount of time to devote to helping you (remember: there’ll be 700+ students in most first year subjects), having people you can meet with on a regular basis can be very helpful.

Sometimes students will work as a group to compile notes for a subject so they only have a few topics to complete. Feel free to do this if it works for you, but be aware that this approach can be problematic – sometimes you’ll end up only understanding the work you’ve done, and it can be difficult to know whether or not other people’s work is correct.

Pro Tip: Having people to talk to is very important. In fact, developing a good support network among your peers is so important it’s often cited as the number one factor in whether a person will finish their degree. A lot of people find it difficult to make these connections to begin with and it can take some time, but making the effort is worth it – on both a personal and academic level!

STUDY WEEK ‘Study Week’ (aka ‘SWOTVAC’) falls between the last week of classes and the exam block. If you’ve left everything to the last minute, you’ll quickly realise that one week is not enough. Time will continue to pass normally during this week; don’t pretend it will somehow stretch to cover thirteen weeks of lectures and readings, with time left over to write notes and do practise exams.

PRACTICE EXAMS Law exams at QUT are open book. While it’s comforting to walk in with a library’s worth of reference materials, you’ll very quickly find that there’s no time in the exam to pour over books or notes.

Get your hands on past exam papers and do as many as you can under exam conditions, using paper and pen. Try to finish your notes early so you can test them out!

Sports, Health & Fitness SOCIAL SPORTS QUT Law Society fields social teams in Netball, Soccer and Touch Rugby League.

Social sport is a great way to meet new people while keeping fit and healthy. Keep an eye on the QUT Law Society Facebook page and your email for registration details, and be sure to get in quick. There are limited positions and teams fill up fast!

HEALTH & FITNESS PROGRAMS The health and wellbeing of our members is one of our primary concerns. We are offer a number of opportunities which encourage students to stay active, to promote physical and mental wellbeing, and help maintain a positive work/life/study balance.

With the support of the Law Faculty, QUT Law Society runs several Mental Health Awareness days throughout the year as well as offering you ways to de-stress during Exam Block. Getting a selfie with Alphie the Alpaca is the best de-stress method around.

GRUDGE MATCHES Run by the QUT Law Society, annual football (aka ‘soccer’) and rugby Grudge Matches between the two universities take place in second semester. These are not ‘just’ games. These are the latest battles in a never-ending war. These are athletic adventures of such magnitude that the Olympics of ancient Greece pale in comparison.

The cause of such intense rivalry is lost to the mists of time, only to become the stuff of myths and legends. In a battle for university supremacy, the might of QUT Law is pitched against our old foe UQ. QUT has won the Soccer Grudge Match for 3 years straight, however UQ holds an even longer winning streak in the Rugby Grudge Match (we suspect bias refs). If you think you can help out with either of these battles, please contact the Sport and Health VP.

Events & Activities L CARD LAUNCH The L Card is the best student discount card around! For just $10, L Card holders have access to awesome hospitality and retail discounts, and free entry and specials at dozens of venues including Alhambra, Friday’s, Birdees, Oh Hello!, Fringe Bar, X&Y and many more.

If this isn’t already enough to convince you, this card pays you back immediately with free entry to the annual L Card launch, hosted jointly by QUT, UQ and Griffith Law Societies. If you miss us selling them at O Week, drop by the QUT Law Society Office to pick yours up! See www.thelcard. com for a full list of specials.

This years Launch party will be held on Sunday 13 March from 2:30pm at Fridays Riverside, L Cards can be purchased at the door.

MEET THE PROFESSION The most important networking event of the season, students are invited to attend the ‘QUT Law Society Meet The Profession’ evening in Semester 1. This event offers you the chance to meet and network with representatives from top legal firms over drinks and canapés.

LAW BALL The Law Ball is the social highlight of the year for QUT Law students. Held in April, the Law Ball gives you the chance to get dressed up and party! This is a sell-out event and this year’s event will be bigger and better than ever!

LAW DINNER Held in September, the annual Law Dinner is the formal event of the year, featuring keynote addresses from highly accomplished members of the legal fraternity. Past speakers include former High Court Justice Kirby, former Chief Justice French, and Justice McMurdo, President of the Queensland Court of Appeal.

LAW REVUE The annual Law Revue is a live, satirical, law-themed musical production, giving students the chance to let their hair down and express themselves creatively.

Produced for the first time in 2013, the Law Revue was an outstanding success since its inception and is one of our most popular community engagement events. Keep an eye out for sign up via our Facebook page!

Law Revue is independently produced by a highly-motivated subcommittee, who are always looking for people to lend a hand – not only creative-types like writers, actors, singers, and musicians, but anyone who’s keen to help out in the production! If you’re keen to help out, contact the production team at lawrevue@qutlawsociety.com.

Tickets will be available in the lead up to the performance. There’ll be lots of law firms coming along for a bit of post-performance networking, too!

RECONCILIATION BREAKFAST The QUT Law Society Reconciliation Breakfast brings together students from across the university to meet with prominent indigenous and business leaders.

Always a memorable event, the distinguished guests in attendance make this something you should add to your calendar early!

WOMEN IN LAW EVENING The Women in Law cocktail evening highlights the contributions of women as members of the legal fraternity and celebrates the achievements of women in law, featuring cocktails, canapés and speeches from inspirational female leaders.

This evening acknowledges that there is a growing role for women in the legal industry, especially with women representing over 60% of law graduates. A great opportunity to support the standing of women in law and in leadership positions, this is an opportunity not to be missed!

Competitions Our competitions schedule has grown extensively over the last few years, with QUT Law Society now offering a total of nine competitions from junior to senior levels: •

Junior Competitions:

First Year Moot, Junior Moot, Junior Negotiation, and Client Interviewing;

•

Senior Competitions:

Paper Presentation, Constitutional Law Moot, Witness Examination, Commercial

Arbitration, and, finally, Senior Moot.

By participating in our program, you’ll develop important legal and advocacy skills in a courtroom setting as you progress from junior to senior levels. Our competitions complement the academic curriculum, focussing on essential practical skills introduced through your studies.

Competition winners are invited to compete at a national level, providing further opportunities to enhance their skills and develop professional networks. Many competitors continue to enter external competitions facilitated by the Law School in places like Oxford and The Hague!

Registrations open about one month prior to competition rounds.

MOOTING Mooting is a head-to-head contest of legal arguments in a mock courtroom setting, similar to debating. Working in pairs, you’ll research and formulate a legal argument by applying legal principles to the given facts and present your arguments before a judge.

Simple, right?

STARTING OUT You should start competing in first year. As many later-year students can attest, missing out on these early opportunities limits your potential. Competing is a must for future barristers!

QUT Law Society offers a number of internal mooting opportunities that are suited to first year students, including the First Year Moot which is (unsurprisingly) only open to first year students, as well as Junior Negotiation and Client Interviewing competitions. The First Year Moot (August) is based on content from Torts, which most students study in Semester 1. Junior Negotiation (April) and Client Interviewing (July) don’t require any particular legal knowledge and are perfect for first year students, too.

If you’re really confident, you can try your hand at the Junior Moot. A word of warning: it’s held in May and assumes knowledge from all of first year – you’re welcome to have a go and it’s definitely do-able, but we’d suggest you take on the First Year Moot if you’re new to the sport.

2016 JUNIOR COMPETITIONS FIRST YEAR MOOT First held in 2010, the First Year Moot draws the largest number of competitors of all moots. This competition is open to students in their first year of studies, competing in teams of two to argue their side of a tort-based problem.

JUNIOR NEGOTIATION

The Junior Negotiation is suitable for students of all years and, for many, is their first competitive experience. Employing interest-based negotiation skills emphasised in the academic curriculum, competitors are given a fact-based conflict scenario and are challenged to represent the interests of their client while coming to a mutually-beneficial outcome for all parties.

CLIENT INTERVIEWING

Effective client interviewing practices are critical in properly defining a legal issue to provide sound legal advice. Our Client Interviewing competition tests competitors’ legal analytical skills and, most importantly, the effectiveness of their communication skills and interview techniques. Working in pairs, this competition tests your ability to effectively question a client and to provide sound, tailored legal advice.

JUNIOR MOOT One of our more popular moots, this competition is aimed at students from all years of their degree with limited mooting experience. The Junior Moot challenges competitors with more complex problems, testing their legal research and advocacy skills, providing an opportunity to apply legal skills from the academic curriculum in a real-world context.

Publications CAREERS GUIDE The QUT Law Society Careers Guide is as an all-encompassing resource for students looking at their career options. Available from early March in time for clerkship applications and to coincide with our annual Meet The Profession networking event, the Careers Guide is your go-to resource when applying for clerkships and graduate jobs.

The Guide features a comprehensive guide to vacation and graduate positions, profiles of all major public and private-sector employers, application and interview techniques and tips, and a huge range of other important information you need when looking forward to life after uni.

TORTS ILLUSTRATED Torts Illustrated is the quarterly publication put out by the QUT Law Society. A nice reprieve from cases and text books, the magazine offers stories that range from human interest through to topical comments on the legal industry. Each edition will have reports from society VPs so that you are upto-date with everything happening on campus. Copies will be sent to your QUT inbox and there will be hard-copy versions available in the Law Library in C-Block.

Contributions are also welcome. If you have an interest in writing or are studying journalism and are eager to get published, feel free to send an email to: publications.officer@qutlawsociety.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA To stay up to date with events, be alerted to job/experience opportunities or simply to network with your peers, it is a great idea to join the various QUT Law groups on Facebook. A few of the key ones are: QUT Law Students, Fellow Suicidal Law Students, QUT and Law. Most subjects also usually have a student-created Facebook group that you can join. This is a good way to connect with people studying your course and to get answers to general questions before going to your lecturer. Importantly however , these groups are unofficial and you should be mindful of the Academic Integrity rules - something you should check out via QUT Virutal.

2 0 1 6 FIRST YEAR Law School

SURVIVAL GUIDE