This unit of study aims to introduce students to civil and criminal procedure. It is concerned with the procedures relating to civil dispute resolution and criminal justice which are separate to the substantive hearing. The unit will consider the features of an adversarial system of justice and its impact on process. Recent reforms to the adversarial system of litigation will be explored. The civil dispute resolution part of the unit will cover alternative dispute resolution, the procedures for commencing a civil action, case management, gathering evidence and the rules of privilege. Criminal process will be explored by reference to police powers, bail and sentencing. The course focuses on practical examples with consideration of the applicable legislation, ethics, and contextual and theoretical perspectives.

This subject is definitely useful for legal practice and paralegal work etc. However the majority of the course was very dry, boring, and legislation-heavy, which is probably inevitable. Tutorials were generally more engaging and interesting.

So incredibly boring.

Very procedurally dense and is less about the application of the law, and more about being able to shift through sheer amounts of legislation. It's an important unit to cover as a foundational subject but it is very dry, and lecturers do not assist you with what is relevant.

This course is useful and relevant for anyone who is considering working in any legal capacity. Unfortunately, it's also utterly boring.

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