COMMUNITY
FREE MODELS
HOW TO STUDY LAW
CAREERS GUIDE
CHARITY
FREE MODELS
'cause lawskool gives a damn!
The following are excellent examples to help new students learn techniques of legal writing and analysis. All model answers are of Distinction quality or higher. They are to be used as guides only.
LAWSKOOL DOES NOT ENCOURAGE PLAGIARISM. IT IS DISHONEST, UNETHICAL AND CAN BE ILLEGAL!
How to Guide #1 – Write a Better Law Essay Introduction
How to Guide #2 – Use Commentary and Sources
How to Guide #3 – Prepare For An Open Book Exam
How to Guide #4 – Format Your Assignment
How to Guide #5 – Avoid Common Problem Solving Mistakes
How to Guide #6 – Begin Researching Your Assignment
Want more? Check out Lawskool's summaries, model exams and mind maps.
HOW TO STUDY LAW
By M & M
Introduction
Work in spurts
Teamwork
Become well-rounded
Lectures
Exams
'cause lawskool gives a damn!
Introduction
You don't have to be born brilliant to succeed at law school. It helps, but it's not mandatory. M & M were the 'Jamaican bob-sled team' of their law school. They started at the back of the pack, not very sure of themselves to begin with. But with a lot of determination and teamwork they built momentum, powered home and finished the race, having a lot of fun along the way. M & M graduated and scored interesting jobs where they are well-valued by their team.
First year at law school can be a stressful and demoralising experience for students straight out of college or high school, with a substantial dropout rate being a feature of many law schools around the country. lawskool is committed to helping early year law students’ benefit from our five years of ups and downs at law school.
Perhaps this is you. You worked hard at school and have ambition to succeed in a challenging and rewarding career. You may not know exactly what you want to do career-wise. You have the marks to study law and decide to enroll in law because 'what the hey, it sounds kinda cool'. Is it for me you may be asking yourself?
The job market in the early 21st century is as tough as it has ever been. For a young person who is not all together sure where he or she is going career-wise, securing a solid, well-rounded tertiary qualification is a wise path to follow. A law degree, combined with another undergraduate degree (Arts, Economics, Commerce, Sciences, Asian Studies) is arguably as valuable a degree as one could attain. A law degree will give you the reading, writing, problem solving, and teamwork skills that today's employers hold in high regard. In other words, there are definitely worse ways to spend 4-5 years of your life. A law degree will open doors. It's as simple as that.
Of course in order to secure that valuable piece of paper you have to go some serious 'hard-yards.' Full-time tertiary studies are far more onerous than they were in your parents' era. Due to job insecurity there's much more pressure these days to go to uni, work hard and get a solid degree so you can secure a good job. The vast majority of students have to work part-time to support themselves, some even working up to 20hrs a week. Many academics either don't seem to realise this or don't care and pile on the assignments regardless. On the whole, law is a strict, traditional discipline where there is a great bulk of work to get through and extensions for assignments are rarely granted. Students must learn to work hard and prioritise tasks.
Have a read of the following points. Think about them, put them into practice and keep coming back to them to refresh your memory. Consciously acting on the principles below will make your law degree a rewarding and pleasurable experience and you will come out the other end well rounded and highly employable. In essence, you must work hard and smart.
Work in spurts
While student life can be stressful, lets face it - who can complain when you have 3 months of holidays each summer?! Don't become one of those latte-sipping law students who sit around all day whining about their lives. Get in there and work hard. Once those exams are over you'll have 3 months to do whatever takes your fancy. Go traveling, work an interesting summer job, bum around. The choice is yours!
Teamwork
Developing a network of good friends is vital to success at law school. Going it alone for five years straight will just stress you out. It's so much easier to have a group of like-minded peers who you can draw strength from and share the ups and downs with. We always found end of semester study groups to be indispensable and even lots of fun. Discussing the law and solving problem questions together really is the best way to learn it. There are good people everywhere. You just have to seek them out. Go to the social events in your first year, be open and friendly and you'll have no problems. If you have moved to uni from interstate and are living in a college on campus, try not to just hang around your non-law college friends. In the end, employers are looking for graduates who are well rounded and who can communicate with a wide variety of people.
Become well-rounded
Most employers would favour a well-rounded graduate with teamwork skills and a strong work ethic over an unsociable person with a comprehensive knowledge of the law. There's plenty of time to learn the nuts and bolts of the law once you start full-time work. Don't spend all your time studying because any employer will tell you that marks aren't everything. It’s important to work part-time jobs throughout your degree so you can show employers that you can balance your workload. You can play sport for your uni and go to your uni gym between classes. There are always plenty of clubs and societies on campus as well. Volunteer work is a great idea. Most cities have some sort of community legal project that is often staffed by law students. You really should make the most of your uni years.
Lectures
A law lecture is an hour of your life that you will never get back. Some win in that hour and some lose. Spend that time wisely. You don't want to get into the habit of 'attending' lectures and walking out having achieved nothing. It’s best to concentrate fully and take comprehensive notes that you can synthesise into study notes later on. It is very important to do at least some reading before class so you know what to expect. It’s usually impractical to read everything that the lecturers expect you to read but reading the relevant section of your lawskool.com.au summary before class will be greatly beneficial to you. Read the summary before class, listen attentively in class and then do your set class reading after class, focusing on the key points that were emphasised in class. Most students learn best by repetition, which wears 'grooves' of knowledge in the brain. Thus, it's a good idea to read through your summary regularly throughout the semester. Come exam time you will have a broader conceptual understanding of the course and be well prepared to start tackling problem questions.
Exams
Exams cannot be avoided at law school, but don't let them get you down. There are three crucial steps for exam preparation:
Keep up with the work during the semester i.e go to all classes and do the relevant reading.
Revise and synthesize your class notes and notes from other texts with a lawskool summary, to create your own summary.
Do lots and lots of practice exams!
This third step is the real key. Before you sit your exam you must be confident that you can apply the law to any question your lecturer might throw at you.
Lawyers solve people's problems so law exams are designed to test your ability to apply the law you have learnt to a hypothetical fact situation and come up with a solution for your hypothetical client. As such, legal analysis is very pedantic. In an exam you will have to answer questions in order and focus on the significant issues. There are often multiple answers to problems and to get the best marks you will have to tease out the best possible solution to your client's problem. Above all make sure you answer the question and don't waffle on about irrelevant things. Markers will look favorably upon short concise answers that cover the major points.
We sincerely hope that the above guide helps you to get the most out of your time at university. We welcome feedback from current and former students so that we can add more hints and tips. Right now you're probably more concerned about partying up your first year and rightly so. As long as you come back and re-read this guide occasionally, you'll be in good stead to cruise through your degree with ease.
Best of luck!
CAREER GUIDE
'Your legal future'Other options
Summer Clerkships
Law Graduate Employment Scheme
Other Graduate Programs
Job-hunting skills
Recruitment firms
Useful contacts
Useful web links
Recommended Reading
Your legal future
By MG
Law students are discovering that the traditional route of landing a summer clerkship and practicing as a solicitor, is only one of numerous ways to begin an exciting and rewarding career in the law. A law degree, combined with another undergraduate degree is arguably as valuable a degree as you could attain. Employers hold in high regard the reading, writing, problem solving, and teamwork skills that law graduates can offer. A law degree will open doors.
Private practice is a popular traditional career for law graduates. The work of a solicitor is quite varied. Solicitors provide legal advice, conduct negotiations, draft legal documents and represent clients in court proceedings. Solicitors deal with the public so excellent communication skills are essential. Being able to explain the law to clients and advocate on their behalf are valuable skills that an aspiring solicitor should be prepared to master.
Working as a solicitor for local, state or federal government is another option. Government lawyers provide advice to government departments, draft legislation, prosecute on behalf of the Department of Public Prosecutions, and assist in the administration of courts. The regular work hours of government work are conducive to the work-life balance and there is usually no requirement for excessive billable hours for government legal work.
Barristers are lawyers who argue cases before courts and tribunals. They are typically people who love to win an argument and who are energised by litigation. Gradates who are quick thinkers and are capable of attaining a firm understanding of the rules of evidence may make excellent barrister. Public speaking skills are integral for this line of work. Aspiring barristers will generally have to prove themselves as a solicitors first.
Corporate law is an attractive option for detail-focused graduates with an aptitude for technical legal work. There are many jobs available for corporate lawyers in major companies and banks. Lawyers who succeed in the corporate world are typically ambitious and extroverted and can work well under pressure. Billable hours make corporate law a high pressure career option.
Working in a community legal centre is a pathway for lawyers interested in using their knowledge and skills to help people directly. Community lawyers assist members of the public who are in trouble with the police, their landlords, or their employers. Postgraduate qualifications in social work can make lawyers attractive to welfare rights employers.
Similarly, Legal Aid work can also be a very rewarding field of work for graduates with a passion for social justice. Legal aid lawyers guide disadvantaged people through the justice system. Patience and highly developed communication skills are essential for this line of work.
Policy work is suited to law graduates who are interested in contributing to the improvement of the legal system. Policy work involves research, writing and assisting in directing the implementation of important activities which government departments carry out. Policy professionals can find work in law reform, in government, as ministerial advisers, in universities and in industry or commercial or community lobby groups.
Alternative dispute resolution is an interesting option for creative law graduates with outstanding communication skills, who prefer to work in a non-traditional environment. Lawyers with minds that can easily see two sides of an argument and who enjoy resolving disputes and seeing paths for others, may be natural mediators or conciliators.
Graduates who love research and study may be well suited to a career in academia. Academics enjoy flexible working hours and, compared to the demands of private practice or corporate law, a relatively relaxed working environment. The demands of lecturing and publishing articles can be quite stressful however.
Strong written and analytical skills and the ability to work well to deadlines are essential for a career in legal publishing. Legal editors often specialise in a particular areas of law. Also, employers recognise that the skills that the research, investigative and writing skills that a student acquires studying law can make them excellent journalists.
Law and justice courses run by high schools, colleges and TAFEs are becoming increasingly popular. Teaching is a particularly rewarding career for law graduates with high level communication skills and a genuine interest in imparting their knowledge onto young people and being a positive influence.
A career as a law librarian may suit well organised graduates who thrive on legal research and assisting others find information.
Finally, graduates with a curious and creative mind may enjoy working as a professional legal researcher. Legal researchers provide specialist legal research, writing, and analysis support to practicing lawyers and government legal departments. They search cases, statutes, and other sources of law; draft legal memoranda, briefs, and submissions. They research and analyse legal policy options and research facts relevant to litigation, such as information on products, litigants, companies, and expert witnesses. Being a professional legal researcher requires much more than a knowledge of modern research tools and techniques. Most legal research is about thinking creatively, drawing relationships, and being persistent. For an example of a company that specialises in providing legal research and writing support, see Research One.
This non-exhaustive list of career options is a useful reference point for students who are wondering where to begin the job hunt. Students who have neared completion of their studies have probably narrowed down their interests and discovered their strengths. This self-analysis will help guide career decisions. It's comforting to know that legal skills are highly transferable. The directions that a career in the law can take graduates are really only limited by their imagination, persistence and the willingness to work harmoniously with others.
Other options
Advocacy Aus AID Youth Ambassadors
ESL Teaching Social Entrepreneurship
Overseas aid
Graduate study
Small Business
Summer Clerkships
Summer clerkships are open to students currently undertaking their penultimate year of study. They usually run from early December to mid-February. Most firms prefer candidates to apply through cvMail.
FirmAreas of practice Allens Arthur Robinson Corporate and Commercial; Energy, Resources & Infrastructure; IP; Communication and Technology; Banking and Finance; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Taxation Baker & McKenzie Anti-trust and Trade; Banking and Finance; Corporate; Dispute Resolution; Employment; Insurance; Intellectual property; International / Commercial; IT/Communications; Project Finance; Real Estate, Construction, Environment and Tourism; Tax Blakes Dawson Corporate Advisory; Financial Services; Industrial Relations & Employment; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Projects & Property; Tax; Technology Corrs Chambers Westgarth Corporate; Financial Services; Organisational Advisory and International; Property and Development; Communications; Technology; Competition and Intellectual Property; Litigation Clayton Utz Corporate, Banking and Financial Services; Litigation/Dispute Resolution; Property & Construction Deacons Construction and Engineering; Energy; Financial Services; Government; Health, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; Infrastructure; Insurance; Manufacturing; Media and entertainment; Property; Resources; Retail, Distribution and franchising; Tourism and hospitality Dibbs, Barker, Gosling Administrative Law; Aviation; Construction; Corporate Advisory ; Corporate Governance; Employment Benefits; Employment Law; Equipment Finance; Equity Finance; European Desk; Finance Services; Financial Services Reform; Franchising; Government ;Insolvency; Insurance ;Intellectual Property; Life Sciences; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Mergers and Acquisitions; Privacy; Property; Superannuation;
Taxation Services; Technology; Trade Marks;
Trade Practices; Freehills Banking and Finance; Corporate; Employee Relations; Litigation; Projects; Taxation Gilbert + Tobin Corporate Advisory; Intellectual Property; Competition Law and Utilities Regulation; Property, infrastructure and Projects; Communications; Outsourcing and Technology; Media and Content; Litigation; Tax; Pro bono Mallesons Stephen Jaques M&A; resources; corporate advisory; capital markets; banking and finance; IT/IP; construction; property; communications Minter Ellison Finance; Dispute Resolution; Competition law; Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure; Corporate; Human Resources and Industrial Relations; Government; Insurance; Intellectual Property; Investment and Financial Service; Environment and Planning; Real Estate; Resources and Energy; Tax; Technology and Communications; Tourism and Leisure DLA Phillips Fox Banking, Finance, Funds Management and Superannuation; Business and Corporate; Commercial Dispute Resolution; Employment & Industrial Relations; Insurance Claims and Risk Management; Intellectual Property & Information Technology; Property, Construction, Planing & Environment Pricewaterhouse Coopers Legal Commercial and Regulatory Litigation; Construction & transport; Corporate & commercial; Employment; Environment; Information; Communications and Technology; Insurance; Real Estate; Tax Litigation; Workers Compensation and Claims Management Sparke Helmore Business & Corporate Services; Commercial Dispute Resolution; Compulsory Third Party; Construction, Engineering & Projects; Dust Diseases ; Energy & Resources; Federal Litigation; Government Business; Major Claims; Planning Environment & Local Government; Professional Indemnity / General Liability; Property, Development & Infrastructure; State Compensation; Technology & Intellectual Property Law; Workplace Relations, Safety & Environment
Law Graduate Employment Scheme
A number of law firms secure summer clerks and graduates through the Graduate Employment Scheme. To apply for positions at participating firms, students must submit a 'Law Employment Application form', available at cvMail.
Other Graduate Programs
Click on the Commonwealth Department / Company name to go to their web site:
Department/Company
Accenture ACCCACT Government Australian Customs Service Common wealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Attorney-General's Department Aus Aid Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Government Solicitors Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Common wealth Department of Defence Common wealth Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources Common wealth Department of Family and Community Services Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs Defence Signals Directorate
Job hunting skills
In today's competitive job market law graduates are in a prime position. Employers value that analytical, research and writing skills that law graduates can bring to the workplace.
The key to landing a great job is your ability to sell yourself to potential employers. In essence employers are looking for graduates who are adaptable, hard-working and who have well-developed people skills and a desire for life-long learning. The following web sites provide information about the skills that employers are looking for in graduates:
UTS Bell Program
Australian Law Students'Association Employer satisfaction with graduate skills
O*Net Online Occupational Information Network
The Conference Board of Canada
Recruitment firms
Legalease is an excellent website to that put you in touch with legal recruitment firms.
The following list helps you to narrow down recruitment firms in your local area:
CityRecruitment FirmsBrisbane
Bond Recruitment
Focus Legal Recruitment
Hamilton, James and Bruce
JD Legal
Law Solutions
Legal Eagles
Management Recruiters Australia
Canberra
Careers Unlimited
Professional Careers Australia
Melbourne
Allied Personnel
Carmichael Fisher
Cherry Solutions
Hamilton, James and Bruce
Just Legal
Law Solutions
Legal Eagles
Legal People
Link Recruitment
Mahlab Recruitment
Perth
Shelton Forrester Manns
Sydney
Carmichael Fisher
Dolman
Dyanne Gerard Personnel
e-Jobs
Elias Recruitment
Enigma HR Pty Ltd
Hamilton, James and Bruce
Law Personnel Pty Ltd
Law Solutions
Law at Work
Learned Friends
Legal Eagles
Legal Personnel Pty Ltd
Link Recruitment
Mahlab Recruitment
Naiman Clarke
Warnecke Consulting
The following recruitment firms specialise in overseas legal positions:
Hays Personnel Services Hughes-Castell
Legal Personnel
Michael Page
TMP/Hudson Global Resources
Drake International
Warnecke Consulting
EVP
Useful contacts
Legal Aid
Legal Aid Office of QLD - (07) 3238 3444
Legal Aid Commission of NSW - (02) 9219 5000
Legal Aid Commission (ACT) - (02) 6243 3411
Victoria Legal Aid - (03) 9269 0234
Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania - (03) 6230 0900
Legal Services Commission of South Australia - (08) 8463 3555
Legal Aid Western Australia - (08) 9261 6200
Northern Territory Legal Aid - (08) 8999 3000
Community legal centres
axton Legal Centre (QLD) - (07) 3254 1811
New South Wales CLC Secretariat - (02) 9318 2355
Australian Capital Territory Association of CLCs - (02) 6247 2177
Victorian Federation of CLCs - (03) 9602 4949
Tasmanian Association of CLCs - (03) 6223 2500
Norwood Community Legal Centre (South Australia) - (03) 9221 9322
Darwin CLC Inc - (08) 8982 1111
Useful web links
Legal career advice from Lexis Nexis Career One
Australian Jobsearch Global Careers Go Abroad Gradlink
Graduate Opportunities
Job Guide Labour Mobility Legal Profile Legal Career info from Nexis Nexis My Career
My Future
O*Net Online Occupational Information Network Law Council of Australia Council of Australian Law Deans New Zealand Law Society
Family Law Express
Open Colleges - Australia leader in open learning.
Recommended Reading
Richard N Bolles, What Color is your Parachute?- A practical manual for job-hunters
& career-changers, Ten Speed Press, 2002.
Barbara Barron-Tieger and Paul D Tieger, Do What You Are: Discovering the Perfect Career For You Through the Secrets of Personality Type, 2001.
Sources used
Careers Introduction, Australian Law Student's Society
Careers Guide 2003, Australian National University Law Student's Society
A Guide To Careers in Law, The Law Society of South AustraliaMediation: Lawyers, inequity and the meaning of 'alternative'
CHARITY
Lawskool sponsors a Cambodian child named Rout Ruon via Plan Australia. Lawskool encourages students to get involved and sponsor a child as well. Visit the Plan Australia website for more info.
Plan is an international, child-focused, aid organisation with staff and volunteers working out of national offices in 16 countries, to help children, their families and communities in 45 developing countries, to reach their potential.
Lawskool chose Plan Australia to facilitate our sponsorship because we believe that Plan is fully committed to its mission. We are guaranteed that 80% of the money raised by lawskool.com.au will go directly to Rout (the remaining 20% goes towards fundraising for special Plan Australia projects).
Some Background on Rout
Eight year old Rout Ruon lives with his mother, father, two brothers and a sister in the Cambodian township of Peak Sneng, close to the awe-inspiring ruins of Angkor Wat at Siem Reap. Children like Rout in the developing world grow up fast and must play a part in the family's progress and survival. Although he still has time to play, Rout must also help with the daily chores. He helps to take care of his younger siblings, to look after domestic animals and to fetch firewood for the house. In his spare time, Rout enjoys dancing and playing with cars.
Rout enjoys school and always looks forward to reading, drawing, and arts and crafts. Rout aspires to study hard and become a government worker when he grows up. lawskool.com.au's contribution will help provide Rout with the educational opportunities necessary to assist him realise his potential. Cambodia is in desperate need of dedicated workers to help it rebuild after decades of civil war. With Plan's help, Rout may one day make a vital contribution to his country's development.
Plan Australia is working with Rout's family and all families within Peak Sneg to identify their most basic needs which may be in health, education, housing or income. Each individual will play a role and contribute what they can in terms of manual labour, local materials, technical expertise or financial contributions to ensure a brighter future for Rout and other children like him.
Some Background on Plan Australia:
Plan raises money from donations and child sponsorships from within Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Thailand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and applies it to projects to benefit children, their families and communities in developing countries;
Money raised through child sponsorship benefits whole communities, not individual children;
Plan 's work is based around five key areas - health, learning, habitat, livelihood and building relationships (between a child and their family, a community and its region, Plan and its partners and sponsors and their sponsored child);
Plan works with communities to identify their needs - such as safe housing, accessible schools, reliable income and health care - then sets about fulfilling them. Examples of projects include building schools, building wells, building health clinics, provision of life skills and work training and vaccination programs, just to name some (see separate list of projects);
Plan conducts special projects dealing with complex and sensitive social and cultural issues including female infanticide, the dowry system, birth registrations, female genital mutilation, child labour, trafficking and prostitution, paedophilia, exploitation of women forced into overseas labour contracts, violence against women, HIV-AIDS;
Once Plan's work is done in a community - sometimes after as long as 10 years or so (sometimes longer) - and the community is considered to have the skills and knowledge to be able to sustain itself and the desire to build a better life for their children, Plan withdraws and moves to a new area;
Plan employs more than 150 field officers who liaise between the organisation and the communities. Most have been employed out of the communities in which they work; and
Plan helps children by helping their families and communities.
Plan's income is used in three ways:
80 per cent on running programs to improve the health, education, homes and livelihoods of children and families and the costs of providing smooth communication between sponsored children and their sponsors and running child rights projects. This includes the cost of management, vehicles for reaching communities and staff to manage and co-ordinate work in the field;
10 per cent on fundraising and other costs associated with attracting new sponsors and other supporters;
10 per cent on operational costs - staff, office, building and management costs not directly related to the communities such as finance and information technology.