LAW4310 Trial practice and advocacy
Faculty of Law
LAW4310 Trial practice and advocacy is a level 4, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Law, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- Exam 40%
- and 3 other tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before LAW4310
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After LAW4310
No unit lists LAW4310 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must have completed at least 60 credit points of law study.
Overview
The presentation of a court trial requires a broad, complex and diverse range of skills, including the ability to develop and then present a persuasive case theory. This unit focuses on the development of those specialised skills and expert judgement needed for this aspect of legal practice. You will learn to evaluate how the factual and evidentiary foundations of a case relate to the legal result. The theory covered and skills practised in this unit include case analysis, development of strategy, trial preparation, presentation skills, ethics, evidence and legal argument.
Following a series of introductory lectures, you will participate in small group workshops. During the workshops, you will perform as part of a mock trial; you will present an opening statement, conduct an examination in chief, cross-examine a witness and present a closing address. During these workshops, individualised feedback is provided. These workshops are also ideal as examination preparation as they mirror the assessment tasks set for this unit.
This unit will be of benefit not only to students who are contemplating practice at the Bar, or as solicitor advocates, but also to those who want to build confidence in their public speaking.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Bld blk |
Assessment
- Case Theory for the Opposing PartyDemonstration20%
- Opening statementDemonstration20%
- Examination in ChiefDemonstration20%
- Cross examinationDemonstration20%
- Closing addressDemonstration20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
demonstrate knowledge of the role of the advocate in the adversarial system of justice including some of the ethical duties of an advocate;
- 2
construct a comprehensive and persuasive case theory and be able to communicate it verbally;
- 3
apply some fundamental rules of evidence and fairness;
- 4
demonstrate a basic understanding of advocacy skills and techniques;
- 5
confidently present the facts and oral arguments to a court.
Workload and teaching
- Seminars36 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. The unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
Learning resources
Required resources
See the Moodle unit page for prescribed and recommended resources. Prescribed texts are usually available for purchase through the University Bookstore and are sometimes available for short-term loan or as eBooks through the library.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Jacqui Horan
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for LAW4310?
LAW4310 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is LAW4310 offered?
In 2025, LAW4310 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is LAW4310?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does LAW4310 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 40% of the final mark, alongside 4 other tasks.