Bachelor of Laws : learning and teaching academic standards statement : December 2010 [Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Project]

The Learning and Teaching Academic Standards (LTAS) project in Law has developed a set of six Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for the Bachelor of Laws degree, a program of study recognised by Australian admitting authorities as meeting the academic requirements specified for the purposes of admission to practise as a legal practitioner. In the language of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the TLOs represent what a Bachelor of Laws graduate is expected “to know, understand and be able to do as a result of learning”. The TLOs for the Bachelor of Laws were developed during 2010 by way of a broad, iterative consultation process and with the assistance of the judiciary, admitting authorities, legal profession, regulators, academics, students and recent graduates. The discipline community provided advice and feedback through the project’s Expert Advisory and Discipline Reference Groups, an extensive local consultation process, and liaison with peak organisations, including the Council of Australian Law Deans and its Associate Deans’ Network, the Law Admissions Consultative Committee, the Law Council of Australia, the Legal Services Commissioners, the Australasian Law Teachers Association, the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council, and the Australian Law Students’ Association. The drafting process was also informed by national and international experts and the work of similar projects both within and outside Australia. The TLOs were developed according to a set of drafting principles agreed to by the Expert Advisory and Discipline Reference Groups for Law, and have been designed to work in concert with other standards that govern the work of Australian law schools. The Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement for the Bachelor of Laws covers the areas of: knowledge; ethics and professional responsibility; thinking skills; research skills; communication and collaboration; and self-management. The TLOs are accompanied by a set of explanatory Notes that offer guidance on interpretation. The project has also begun gathering resources to aid the implementation of the TLOs by law schools. The TLOs were endorsed by the Council of Australian Law Deans in November 2010. The endorsed TLOs represent the efforts and engagement of many members of the broad legal community. Their final form has been the product of genuine collaboration between the academy and peak professional, accrediting and student organisations. The Discipline Scholars in Law, on behalf of LTAS project, acknowledge and are grateful for the extraordinary degree of encouragement, help and support that has been provided by the discipline community and the Australian Learning and Teaching Council throughout the year to bring this project to completion.