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Course Outline

LAW402 Professional Conduct

Course Coordinator:Simone Pearce (spearce@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Trimester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

In this course you will study ethical decision-making and rules of professional conduct regulating the way legal practitioners deal with the courts, their clients and other lawyers. You will examine critically the way in which entry to and membership of the legal profession is regulated by the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), including the concepts of ‘unsatisfactory professional conduct’ and ‘professional misconduct’. You will study and apply the rules dealing with receipt of trust monies, administration of trust accounts and the consequences of a breach of trust.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online Learning Materials 1.5hrs Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – On-Campus Tutorial 2hrs Week 2 9 times
Tutorial/Workshop 2 – Specialty Tutorial 3hrs Week 5 Once Only
Online
Learning materials – Online Learning Materials 1.5hrs Week 1 12 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Online Tutorial 2hrs Week 2 9 times
Tutorial/Workshop 2 – Specialty Tutorial 3hrs Week 5 Once Only

Course Topics

  • The concept of professional responsibility;
  • An overview of the regulatory regime for lawyers;
  • Admission to practice;
  • The lawyer/client relationship;
  • The business of conducting a legal practice;
  • Costs/ Billing; Client Agreements and disclosure;
  • Trust Accounting, the Duty to Account; the set up (and conduct) of a Trust Account
  • Duties to the Client: Identifying and responding to conflicts of interest
  • Duties to the client: Confidentiality
  • Ethics;
  • Dealing with Difficult Clients;
  • Disciplinary proceedings—what, how and why?
  • Legal Professional Privilege
  • Duties to the administration of justice; Fidelity to the Law
  • Access to Justice;
  • The moulding of a Professional Identity

What level is this course?

400 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Synthesise, interpret and apply relevant legal, ethical and factual matters. Knowledgeable
Ethical
2 Apply critical analysis to generate appropriate and practical responses to complex problems with accountability and professionalism. Creative and critical thinker
Sustainability-focussed
3 Communicate persuasively and effectively. Empowered
Engaged

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

(LAW106 or LAW202) and (LAW208 or LAW204)

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

In the first 4 weeks of the trimester, students prepare policies and practice guides for the conduct of a Law firm, which are to inform the assessment. Those policies and practice guides will be peer reviewed and formative feedback provided by the tutor, as to their adequacy and the progress of your understanding and learning.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Oral Individual 50% 
20 minutes oral advice with short preparation time.
 Week 9 In Class
All 2 Written Piece Individual 30% 
2500 words
 Refer to Format Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All 3 Oral Individual 20% 
15 minutes
 Week 12 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 1:Oral with Short Preparation
Goal: 
To demonstrate your independent knowledge of the content of the course to that point.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
The oral will consist of advice in response to a client's instructions, without notice over a total period of 20 minutes.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Critically analyse contemporary legal developments with reference to broader contexts
 2
2 
Identify and articulate relevant legal and ethical issues
 1
3 
Research, interpret and synthesise relevant legal principles
 1 2
4 
Analyse legal and factual matters to reach a conclusion
 2
5 
Communicate effectively in an oral format
 3
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Collaboration, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Submission
Goal: 
The task will enable you to: 

demonstrate knowledge of the rules and practices related to the professional obligations and duties of legal practitioners; 

demonstrate analytic reasoning to interpret statutes and evaluate judicial conclusions 

communicate effectively, appropriately and persuasively.
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Written piece.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
​​​​​Knowledge and understanding of the topic
 1
2 
Analysis and argument
 2
3 
Structure and writing​​​​​
 3
4 
Effective communication
 3
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 3:Oral
Goal: 
The task will enable you to: 

demonstrate knowledge of the rules and practices related to the professional obligations and duties of legal practitioners; 

demonstrate analytic reasoning to interpret statutes and evaluate judicial conclusions 

communicate effectively, appropriately and persuasively.
Product: Oral
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Oral in person
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Knowledge and understanding of the topic
 1 2
2 
Analysis and argument
 1 2
3 
Effective communication
 3
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Paula Baron,Lillian Corbin 0 Ethics and Legal Professionalism in Australia Third Edition Oxford

Specific requirements

This course meets the necessary content requirements for Professional Conduct under the Prescribed Areas of Knowledge of Schedule 1 of the LACC Uniform Admission Rules 2015 (the ‘Priestley 11’).

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: 

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