Overview
Law Practice Management prepares students for the transition from law school to legal practice. The unit’s content will advance your legal skills, practice competencies, and management capability. As part of your learning in this unit, you will undertake a professional placement. Subject to placement availability, you will undertake a domestic placement, social innovation project, independent applied research project, international study tour, or virtual simulated placement. This unit will enable you to apply your knowledge to legal problems in real-life environments. You will undertake legal and academic analysis, integrate reflective thinking into your work, and present your ideas orally and in writing. Alongside legal practice content, this unit’s content will introduce you to the management of legal practice in Australia, encompassing practice structures and business models, risk management, matter management, people management, financial management, technological innovation and legal futures.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
48 credit points of law units including LAWS11057.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
- Understand and articulate contemporary law practice management considerations, business models and leadership strategies
- Apply legal skills, understanding and ethical competence in a contemporary professional context
- Comprehend and critically reflect on the core skills of contemporary legal practice, including sustainability, social innovation and self-management
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Oral Examination - 50% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | |||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- SONIA
- Microsoft Teams
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th ed
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.price@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 13 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Practicum 1: Preparing for and getting the most from your placement
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 2
Begin Date: 20 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Practicum 2: Relationships and responsibilities in your placement
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 3
Begin Date: 27 Jul 2026Module/Topic
Skills 1: Lawyer-client relationship
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 4
Begin Date: 03 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Skills 2: Written communication
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 5
Begin Date: 10 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Skills 3: Oral communication
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 17 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 24 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 1: practice structures in Australia
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 7
Begin Date: 31 Aug 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 2: risk management in legal practice
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 8
Begin Date: 07 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 3: managing matters in legal practice
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 9
Begin Date: 14 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 4: managing people in legal practice
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 10
Begin Date: 21 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 5: strategic management in legal practice
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Placement Logbook Due: Week 10 Friday (25 Sept 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 11
Begin Date: 28 Sep 2026Module/Topic
Practice Management 6: financial management in legal practice
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Week 12
Begin Date: 05 Oct 2026Module/Topic
The future of the legal profession
Chapter
Please refer to the reading list in the Study Guide
Events and Submissions/Topic
Zoom Workshop
Exam Week
Begin Date: 12 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation/Exam Week
Begin Date: 19 Oct 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Select three tasks you completed as part of your placement. These tasks may include, but are not limited to:
- Interview note;
- Letter;
- Memorandum of advice;
- File note;
- Affidavit;
- Brief;
- Other drafting.
For each task, critically reflect on your experience and what you learned:
- Briefly summarise the task you completed;
- Explore and evaluate your experience of undertaking the task;
- Critically analyse the task, its context and outcomes; and
- Based on your experience of the task, propose lessons for the future or an action plan.
Students undertaking clinical placements will receive a Supervisor Evaluation of their practicum work via SONIA or via email, which should be appended to your logbook submission. Students undertaking simulated placements will not receive a supervisor evaluation and should append a Self-Evaluation form (available on Moodle) to their logbook submission.
The word limit for this assessment is 2000 words (total, excluding references, and excluding supervisor evaluation or self-evaluation).
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. This is a Level 1 assessment; no Generative AI use is permitted. You are permitted to use technology or tools that assist with spelling, grammar or formatting.
Week 10 Friday (25 Sept 2026) 11:59 pm AEST
The Due Date will be adjusted as necessary to accomodate students' placement schedules.
Exam Week Monday (12 Oct 2026)
Expected return of results is 2 weeks following the due date.
- Knowledge and understanding;
- Critical analysis, reasoning and reflection;
- Research and use of sources;
- Written expression and referencing in accordance with AGLC4.
The rubric will be uploaded to Moodle.
- Understand and articulate contemporary law practice management considerations, business models and leadership strategies
- Apply legal skills, understanding and ethical competence in a contemporary professional context
- Comprehend and critically reflect on the core skills of contemporary legal practice, including sustainability, social innovation and self-management
2 Oral Examination
You will answer questions on unseen practical scenarios:
- Testing your understanding and application of legal skills; and
- Testing your practice management knowledge and competence.
The oral examination has a total duration of 15 minutes. It will be conducted online via Zoom.
This assessment requires students to adhere to the guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence tools as specified in the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale (AIAS). Any misuse or lack of disclosure regarding the use of AI tools will be considered a breach of academic integrity. This is a Level 1 assessment; no Generative AI use is permitted.
This assessment must be submitted by the specified due date and time. Due to the nature of this task, the standard 72-hour grace period does not apply.
Extensions of more than 14 days are not available for this assessment. Due to the need to provide prompt feedback to students and the content of feedback provided, submissions received after the assessment has been returned to students cannot be accepted for academic integrity reasons. Students seeking extensions beyond this timeframe will be required to undertake a different version of the assessment task.
Students will be invited to book an oral examination time in Week 12 or Exam Week via an online calendar system.
Expected return of results is 2 weeks following the due date.
- Knowledge and understanding;
- Critical analysis and reasoning;
- Practical understanding and competence;
- Oral expression and communication.
The rubric will be uploaded to Moodle.
- Understand and articulate contemporary law practice management considerations, business models and leadership strategies
- Apply legal skills, understanding and ethical competence in a contemporary professional context
- Comprehend and critically reflect on the core skills of contemporary legal practice, including sustainability, social innovation and self-management
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
