Assignment Task
A. Objectives being tested
Upon successful completion of this assessment, students will be able to.
- Apply effective written communication techniques and use plain English to write clearly, concisely, and accurately;
- Use the principles of good profession-oriented letter writing to draft an accurateletter of advice;
- Reference properly using the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (MULR Assoc, 4th 2018) (‘AGLC4’);
- Demonstrate knowledge and application of academic integrity.
B. General Instructions
This assignment is designed to test the skills you have acquired from reading and understanding the first three (3) modules of Legal Research and Writing. You must complete all three tasks.
Tips on writing a summary
- First, extract the main idea(s) (along with vital names and details) from the most relevant paragraphs. Leave out the tangential and unimportant information.
- Then organise your main ideas into a logical order.
- Aim to match one main point to each paragraph of your summary. Do not split one idea across two paragraphs or lump together two different ideas in the same paragraph.
- Condense wherever possible. Confine yourself to describe what the most relevant paragraphs say as briefly and as accurately as possible.
- Write the summary in your own words (see tips for paraphrasing below). Do not simply copy or quote large chunks from the original.
- Always provide a reference for the ideas you source from elsewhere.
Instruction Notes for Task 1
You are not required to undertake research beyond the materials provided for this task, however, you may refer to any of the resources cited in the article, including the itspronoucedmetrosexual.com website to help write your summary. You must reference (using correctly inserted footnotes) all sources in accordance with the AGLC4 Please refer to the tips for summarising and paraphrasing at the end of these instructions. Also, refer back to Module 2-In particular, 2.3 Readability, 2.4 Writing for the audience, 2.5 Plain English and 2.6 Academic Integrity, for how to paraphrase, summarise and quote without plagiarising.
- Please read the High Court case attached to the memo and attend to the following matters, including them at Task 2 on the template:
- Prepare a draft case note of the Norrie case, addressing only the first five headings of the case note (I will refer to this as ‘the Task 2 case’).
2. Return to Module 3.4 for your case note structure. Address the first five headings of the case note. Please ensure that you list the first five headings according to the structure provided in Module 3.4. You must reference (using correctly inserted footnotes) all sources in accordance with the AGLC4.
- Draft a short letter to the client:
- Confirming their instructions;
- Identifying the key legal issues that you will need to look into; and
- Asking them to contact the office manager to make a time to come in for a further consultation.
3. Return to Module and Chapter of the Sanson and Anthony textbook-Correspondence- Orientated Writing. As this is a letter to a client, be sure to use plain language: be clear, accurate, and concise.
4. Letter. Please attach a Bibliography on a new page after the letter by following the example set out in I would like to see all the sources you consulted in preparing your summary, draft case note and the AGLCA Rule 1.13
Task Summary
- The main ideas have been correctly and accurately extracted There is one main idea presented per paragraph
- The main ideas are presented in a logical order
- The main ideas have been accurately and succinctly paraphrased
- The writing is clear, grammar and spelling are correct
- The summary is referenced using correctly inserted footnotes that conform to the AGLC4