Work Integrated Learning

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The QUT Law Faculty offers a number of work integrated learning (WIL) subjects which are designed to provide students with the experience of using and developing legal knowledge and skills in a real world context.  

These subjects provide QUT law students with a range of work based learning opportunities that combine work place activities with academic learning, assessment and support. WIL subjects will provide students with an authentic learning experience through a diverse range of real world legal environments. Through this experience students should be better placed for a smooth transition to the workplace and to develop life long learning skills. The WIL subjects offered by the Law Faculty include:

• JSB980 Professional Placement (School of Justice)
• LWB413 Parliamentary Internship
• LWB418 Competition Moots
• LWB419 Competition Moots
• LWB420 Internship
• LWB421 Learning in Professional Practice
• LWB422 Virtual Law Placement
• LWB456 Legal Clinic (Organised Program)

A legal placement subject (LPP118) is also incorporated into the Legal Practice Unit run by the faculty.

Further information is available on our web site for legal practitioners who would like to be involved as supervisors in this leading edge educational opportunity.

JSB980 Professional Placement

JSB980 Professional Placement offered in the School of Justice enables high achieving students (with a GPA of 5.0 or above) and in their final year of study, an opportunity to undertake work experience in a justice related organisation or government agency as a unit that counts towards the JS31 Bachelor of Justice program.  Students who meet the criteria for JSB980 Professional Placement should indicate their intention initially by enrolling in the unit.  As there are a limited number of work placements enrolments are closed following the first census date of Semester 1 and interested students should enrol as early as possible prior to this date. Before the commencement of Semester 2, the Academic Supervisor conducts interviews with potential students, discusses legal obligations, organises preferred workplace organisations, and negotiates the Professional Placement Contract between the student, Host organisation and the Unit Coordinator on behalf of QUT.   Interested students should contact the Unit Coordinator, Dr Sharon Hayes (s.hayes@qut.edu.au) or contact the School of Justice on Ph (07) 3138 7132 or email lawjs_enquries@qut.edu.au.

LWB413 Queensland Parliamentary Internship Program

LWB413 provides students with the opportunity to learn about the workings of the Queensland Parliament and to undertake a piece of research of interest and use to a member or senior officer of Parliament. This unit is for final year students only. Enrolment into this unit is subject to approval by the unit co-ordinator. LWB413 is offerend in semester two. Intending students should contact John Pyke (j.pyke@qut.edu.au).

LWB420 Internship

LWB420 provides students with the experience of working in a public sector legal office. A significant proportion of law graduates now enter the workforce as employees of government, government agencies, government owned corporations and non-government organisations as opposed to private practice. This unit therefore provides students with the opportunity to apply legal skills and knowledge in a real world public sector or public interest learning environment. Placements in LWB420 are organised by the QUT Law School. LWB420 is offered in semester one. Applications for enrolment in LWB420 should be made using the form available on the QUT Law Faculty web site at http://www.law.qut.edu.au/study/forms.jsp#law.

LWB421 Learning in Professional Practice

LWB421 enables law students to build on their studies through direct application of legal skills and knowledge in a real working environment in the legal sector. The unit will assist students in their transition to professional practice and in developing life long professional learning skills. Students who enrol in LWB421 will organise their own placement in a legal professional office. LWB421 is offered in semester two and over summer. Students should secure their own placement well before the commencement of semester. Enrolment in LWB421 is limited to final year students (students in last 96 credit points of their degree).

Students who need assistance to arrange a placement should consider the following options:

• Visit the QUOTALS webiste and review their careers information;
• Seach QUT CareerHub;
• If you are an international student consider QUT's International work placement scheme;
• If you are seeking a regional placement register with the Brolga Project;
• Contact the unit coordintator to discuss your options.

Students should use the placement plan template (available on the unit Blackboard site) as the basis for their agreement with the legal office. The placement plan forms part of the assessment in LWB421 and is due to be submitted by the end of the fourth week of semester.

To qualify as a legal professional placement, the following requirements must be satisfied:

• In semester two, the placement must take place between weeks four to thirteen of semester two;
• In summer, the placement must take place during the summer semester;
• The placement must be for a minimum of 60 hours;
• The placement must be in a legal office (such as a firm of solicitors, a legal division of a corporation or a community legal centre);
• The student must be performing legal work; and
• The student must be supervised by a lawyer who holds a current practising certificate and who is not a member of the student's family.

You can complete your placement for LWB421 in a firm at which you are already working. You need to negotiate with your employer a specific placement plan that defines the placement. During your placement, you must be engaged in legal work such as participating in client interviews, writing memoranda to partners and letters to clients and other practitioners, conducting research, interacting with other practitioners and stakeholders, attending in court, preparing briefs, drafting documents, lodging documents and attending settlements.

Students can provide the Supervisor's Guidelines booklet to potential supervisors to inform them of the extent of their obligations in deciding to be a supervisor.

LWB422 Virtual Law Placement (VLP)

LWB422 provides law students with an opportunity to work in one of the diverse range of working environments that are now available to law graduates, including international work placements. Students will apply legal knowledge and skills to complete a real world workplace project in a team, using online communication technologies to enable students to be virtually, rather than physically, present at the workplace and to engage with the other participants in the workplace, including the workplace supervisor of the virtual placement. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the most effective methods for applying for a professional legal position, including how to prepare a resume, write a covering letter and address selection criteria, where relevant given the nature of the workplace. LWB422 will be offered in semester two. More >>>

As places in LWB422 are limited, if you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please email law_enquiries@qut.edu.au to express your interest in enrolling and as to which proposed workplace you intend to apply for as your first preference. If it becomes necessary to apply the quota, places will generally be allocated on the basis of order of receipt of expressions of interest, so don't delay. (Please note: while all students accepted into the quota will be offered a placement, as applications for particular placements will be competitive there is a possibility that you may not be placed in your first preference).

LWB422 was profiled in Lawyer 2B in 2008, and you can read about our placements and projects for 2009, including comments from students who completed LWB422 last year.

LWB456 Legal Clinic (Organised Program)

LWB456 enables students to examine the interaction between the ‘legal system’ on the one hand and individuals and groups in the community on the other hand. The unit does this by providing students with a placement for a day a week over a semester with Legal Aid Queensland, Prisoners Legal Services of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (QEA) for Legal Services. Places are limited. LWB456 is offerend in semester two.

Any student wishing to undertake this unit must register their name with the Law School by emailing law_enquiries@qut.edu.au.