LAW 458 : Legal Ethics
Law
2025 Semester Two (1255) (10 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
- An introduction to ethical analysis including an examination of various theories of ethics.
- The applicability of ethical analysis to legal practice.
- The principles of ethical conduct and the role and responsibilities of lawyers.
- The wider responsibilities of lawyers in the community.
- What is the ethical threshold that law graduates need to meet in order to enter the legal profession?
- What is appropriate ethical behaviour by lawyers towards their clients, opposing parties, other lawyers and judges?
- What is appropriate ethical behaviour in different contexts including the office, in court and outside work hours?
- What is the disciplinary process for lawyers who breach their ethical obligations?
- Do lawyers have wider ethical obligations to the New Zealand public to facilitate access to justice?
- What are the fundamental ethical issues facing the legal profession that have arisen in recent years and how are these being addressed?
Capabilities Developed in this Course
Capability 1: | People and Place |
Capability 2: | Sustainability |
Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
Capability 6: | Communication |
Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of of legal ethical theory (Capability 1.2, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 8.1)
- Explain, evaluate and apply the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act (Lawyers: Conduct and Client Care) Rules 2008 and related case law (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2 and 8.1)
- Identify and analyse ethical issues facing the legal profession and opportunities for innovation (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
- Identify and analyse the wider responsibilities of lawyers in the community (Capability 1.2, 2.1, 4.2 and 5.1)
- Demonstrate an understanding of the development of tikanga Māori in legal practice (Capability 1.1, 1.2 and 2.1)
Assessments
Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
---|---|---|
Assignments | 50% | Individual Coursework |
Final Exam | 50% | Individual Examination |
2 types | 100% |
Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
Assignments | ||||||||||
Final Exam |
Exam Mode
Information about exams can be found at https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/about-exams.html
Workload Expectations
- This is a 10-point course.
- There are 12 weekly lectures that are two hours long.
- As a general guide, you should expect to work three hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class.
- The guideline for the total workload for this course is 100 hours.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
- Lectures will be conducted live in-person and will include interaction between the lecturer and students, as well as small group discussions between students. In-person attendance at all lectures is necessary in order to fully understand and engage with the course content.
- Lectures will be recorded however since much of the learning will be student-led, small group and discussion-based the recordings will not be able to pick this up.
- Course work assessments will be conducted either both in person and by written assessment submitted online.
- You must be available to attend the final examination, which will be on campus and invigilated.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Students have suggested in their feedback that only those who have done both Parts II and III should attempt this course noting that the course content is more tailored to students who are close to completing their degree and are about to enter the legal profession.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
While undertaking this course you must comply with the Student Academic Conduct Statute 2020. Any dishonest behaviour, especially concerning assessments, will be taken very seriously. If you are found to have breached your obligations, the Law School must notify the New Zealand Law Society should you seek admission to the legal profession. The Law Society takes all notifications into account and you may be prevented from entering the legal profession.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course director, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a Student Academic and Support Adviser as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.