Course overview
The aim of this course are threefold: first, to ensure that students know the legal and ethical responsibilities of a professional lawyer; secondly, to ensure that students have an understanding of how to react to particular professional and ethical situations that might arise in the future; and thirdly, to facilitate legal career development planning. The focus of this course is on the professional conduct responsibilities of legal practitioners in South Australia and on preparing students for admission to the profession. This requires understanding of: Ethics and Lawyering; Personal virtues and values and legal professionalism; Regulation of the Legal Profession; Lawyers' fees and costs; Duties of Confidentiality and of Loyalty owed by lawyers to their clients; Ethics in Civil and Criminal Litigation; Ethics in Commercial and Corporate legal practice.
Course learning outcomes
- Examine the role of a professional in the discipline of law and the role of lawyers in society
- Critically evaluate the legal and statutory standards relevant to the legal profession particularly in South Australia
- Illustrate application of the ethical standards expected of the legal profession particularly in South Australia
- Critically evaluate the legal, statutory and ethical standards relevant to the legal profession particularly in South Australia
- Critique circumstances of legal and ethical risk, and be able to take the appropriate steps to avoid these risks
- Analyse and express the requirements for trust accounts