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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

EDITORS

VICE-PRESIDENT (EDUCATION)

Lauren Chau

STUDENT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS

Rachel Gewargis

Julia Tan

Kabir Wankhede

DESIGNERS

VICE-PRESIDENT (PUBLICATIONS)

Joshua Lai

PUBLICATIONS DIRECTORS

Eva Baricevic

James Childs

Nathan Choi

Sienna Gunawan

Alex Lee

Ambeikaa Mishra

Moneesha Perera

Akshit Shrivastava

DEAN’S WELCOME

Starting your law degree is an intense and exciting experience - requiring you to get to grips with the language and structures of the law, deepen your skills in oral and written communication through the interactive classes that are the cornerstone of the Faculty's programs, and to stay on top of the substantial pre-class reading and revision that is a law student's lot in life! And there's a range of other new experiences and challenges that just come with being a university student.

Sometimes, the reality of legal study challenges preconceived ideas you may have had about what to expect. Don't be deterred should this be the caseinevitably, things are a bit different in practice than they seemed when considered in the abstract The key is to be open to what comes your way and to reach out to your fellow students and teachers. Law is a dynamic subject and understanding is driven by informed discussion and debate. In publishing Lawkipedia, the Law Society offers great assistance to those commencing the study of law at UNSW. The course reviews contained in this guide offer reassurance to those who might be feeling daunted by the workload or unsure about the subject matter.

More generally, Lawkipedia offers a wealth of good advice, tips and support for students as they navigate uni processes, transport routes, and everything else in the day to day existence of a UNSW law student.

The Faculty of Law & Justice is very appreciative and proud of the major contribution that the Law Society makes to our students' experience. Lawkipedia is a great example of this - and l am pleased to endorse the contents of this guide to you as you embark on study toward your degree. It is a terrific resource!

Professor Andrew Lynch Dean of Law & Justice

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

To our incoming UNSW Law students,

Congratulations on securing a place at one of the top law schools in the world Admission to UNSW Law is a remarkable achievement and one that opens the door to countless opportunities.

University will be one of the most challenging, rewarding, and transformative chapters of your life. As you start, you may question whether you belong, whether you will be able to keep up, or wonder how everyone else somehow seems to know more than you do. This is completely normal. Every law student, including us, has felt exactly the same way. Trust us when we say this: you do belong here. No matter how you may feel or what anyone else says, you’ve earned your place and you deserve it. Avoid comparing yourself to others. The only comparison that matters is who you are today compared to who you were yesterday. By the end of your law school journey, you will be a very different person, and a stronger one, than the person reading this now.

Our next piece of advice is to get involved in as many opportunities as you can. University is so much more than just lectures, tutorials and your WAM. Along the way, you will build some of the most valuable friendships, lessons, and memories that will stay with you long after your degree ends. LawSoc is here to support your university journey and make your experience richer, more connected, and more balanced

On behalf of the entire Law Society, we are so excited to welcome you into the UNSW Law community We wish you all the very best for your first year and look forward to meeting you soon.

Kind regards,

Samuel Luo and Yvonne Lin Co-Presidents UNSW Law Society

Pleasenotethatthesedatesaresubjecttopotentialchange.

ScantheQRcodetofollowLawSoc’sFacebookandInstagrampageformore

Moodle is where you will find your course content, assessments, lectures, grades and more.

Onceyou’veloggedin,youshouldbeabletoviewyour MoodledashboardwhichwilldisplayyourcoursesforT1 2026. 1.

To access your Moodle account, follow these simple steps: 4. 2. 3.

Once you are logged into Moodle, there are some features you should be aware of:

Readings most UNSW courses will have their readings located at the top of Moodle, providing information about which texts you need to buy and which readings need to be completed for each class

Your weekly content is also located in Moodle. This may be arranged in different ways depending on your course convenor and how they set up the page.

ScantheQRcodetolearnmoreaboutMoodle features,howtocustomiseyourMoodlehomepage andvariousaccessibilityfeatures.

HOWTOACCESSTEXTBOOKS

ScantheQRcodetopurchaseelectronicorphysical textbooksorvisitthebookshoponcampus.Ifyou visitinperson,we’dstronglyrecommendgrabbinga coffeeatPlumeCafenextdoor!

Ifyouwanttosavesomemoney,usingsecond-hand textbooksisagreatoption!ScantheQRcodetoaccess theUNSWLawTextbookExchangeFacebookpage.

Note: make sure you check if the UNSW Bookshop supplies your textbooks before the term starts. If something is out of stock, you can request for them to purchase it by emailing textbuyer@bookshop.unsw.edu.au.

VS SOFT TEXTBOOKS

Lessbluelight=lesseye strain

Maymakeiteasiertodigest content

Easiertobringmaterialsinto thefinalexam

Moreconvenientforuni Cancopyandpastecontent intonotes Cheaper

COURSE ENROLMENTAND

Steps to enrol in UNSW courses:

Once you’ve added your desired courses, tick the ‘select?’ boxes and then select the blue ‘Confirm Enrolment Request’ button in the bottom right corner 1. 2. 3. 4.

Startingyourfirstyearatlawschoolcanfeelintimidating,overwhelmingand confusingbutrestassuredthatLawSocwillprovideyouwiththeresourcesand supportyouneedtosucceed.

STUDYSKILLSWORKSHOPS(ONLINEANDIN-PERSONWEEK5) FINALSREVISIONWORKSHOPS(WEEK10OFEACHSEMESTER)

Runbothonlineandin-person,ourStudySkillsWorkshopshelpyou understandthefundamentalsoflawschoolandhowtobestadapttothis newenvironment.

Theseworkshopscover:

Howtocompletereadingsinpreparationforlectures

Howtoeffectivelytakeandsummarisenotes

Keyassessmenttypesandhowtoexcelineach ExpectationsofUNSWLawSchool

Tipsandadviceonhowtoanswerproblemscenarios,effectively study,anddevelopcriticalskillssuchastimemanagement,critical thinking,andcommunication.

Ourin-personworkshopwillruninWeek5.MakesuretocheckLawSoc’s InstagramandFacebookpageformoredetails.

OurRevisionWorkshopsarehostedbystudentswhohavepreviously excelledinacourse.

Theseworkshopsincludeasummaryofthecoursecontent,awalkthroughproblemscenario,highqualitynotes,orexamtips.

PEERLEADERPROGRAM

ThePeerLeaderProgramconnectsfirst-yearstudentstoseniorlaw studentsforonehouraweek.

Theprogramisdesignedto:

Helpyouadjusttolawschool

Reviseovercoursecontent

Clarifyanyquestionsorconfusionsyouhave Practicequestionsforfinalexams

Provideyoutheopportunityto:

Meetandsocialisewithotherfirst-yearstudents

Discussyourthoughtsorquestionsaboutthecourse

Helpyoubuildconfidenceinoralcommunication

RegistrationforthePeerMentoringProgramwillopenonyour course’sMoodlepage.

CAREERCOMPASSMENTORINGPROGRAM

The Career Compass Mentoring Program matches law students withexperiencedlegalprofessionalsaccordingtotheircareergoals andinterests.

Thisprogramprovidesaninvaluableopportunitytolearnabout potentialcareerpathways,developnetworkingskills,and understandhowtosucceedatinterviewsthroughpersonalised adviceandinsights.

ApplicationstobecomeamenteeopenMonday30March(Week 7)

Herearesometipsonhowyoucanpreparetocompleteyourreadingspriortolectures:

READINGS

Itisimportanttoprioritiseengagingcriticallywithyourreadingssoyou canbothunderstandthecoursecontentandcontributetoclassdiscussions Tofinishyourreadingsintime,herearesomestrategiesorhabitsyoucan adopt:

Splituponeclassofreadingsacrosstwodays.Forexample,ifyourclassis onMonday,trytodohalfyourreadingsonFridaythentheotherhalfon Saturday.Thishelpsyoumaintaingreaterfocusduringshorterreading sessions

Maximiseyouruseoftime.Formanystudents,thecommutingtimefrom hometouniversitycanaddupthroughouttheweek.Youcanmakethemost ofthistimebydoingyourreadingswhilstonthetrainorbus,orpreparing forclassbybrainstormingquestionstoaskyourlecturer.

Plantobeahead Aimtobeoneclassaheadofyourreadings Thatway,if youfallbehindduringmid-termweekorfinalsweek,youwillstillhave completedsomeofthereadings.

UNSWLawexamsareopenbook,onlineexams

UnliketheHSC,thismeansthatmemorisingthecoursecontentand handwritingasfastasyoucanisnolongerthekeytoscoringhigh marks.

Oneofthebestwaystoprepareformid-termsandfinalsistolook throughpastpapersfrompreviousyearstoobtainanunderstanding ofhowyourexamwillbestructuredandanypatternsthatyoucan pickup.

Forexample,ifallthepastpapershaveconsistentlytesteda particularareaofthecourse,itwouldbeusefultoensureyouhave asolidunderstandingofthattopic.

ASSESSMENTS IN LAW ASSESSMENTS IN LAW

CLASSPARTICIPATION(CP)

Why is it Important?

How to Prepare

PROBLEMQUESTIONS

What is it?

Studentsareposedwithasetoffactsrelatedtothecontentwhich youhavebeenstudyingduringlecturesandareaskedtoadvisea clientoncertainlegalissue/s

Thisassessmenttyperequiresyoutounderstandandevaluate relevantfacts,applythelegaltheorylearntthroughoutthecourse, andprovideasoundjudgment

Why is it Important?

Thisassessmenttypeisdesignedtomirrorreal-lifescenariosfacedby lawyerswhentheyareapproachedbyclientswhoarewantingto obtainlegaladvice

Problemquestionsarearguablythemostcommonassessmentform, usuallyappearinginbothmid-termsandthefinalexam,soitis importanttofamiliariseyourselfwithhowtoapproachandrespondto thesequestions.

How to Prepare

Itisimportantthatyouhaveathoroughunderstandingofthecourse contentwhichhasbeendiscussedinyourreadingsandlectures.Youcan stayuptodatewithcontentbymakingweeklysummarynotes. However,merelyknowingthecoursecontentisnotenough.Itisequally importanttopracticepastpapersorproblemscenariosthathavebeen providedbyyourlecturer.Thishelpsyoutounderstandhowdifferent partsofcoursecontentinteractwithoneanother,andrefinesyourability toprepareacohesiveandstructuredanswer.

TheLawFacultyoftenreleasesmid-termandfinalexamfeedback sheets,whichprovideanindicatorofwhattypeofanswerstheyare lookingforandidentifythemistakesthatstudentscommonlymake.

What is it?

Essaysareanotherassessmentformwhichasksyoutocritiqueaparticular areaoflaworprovideyouropinionsonthelaw,suchasbymakingan assessmentofitseffectiveness,utilityorthechangesyouwouldmake.

Why is it Important?

Essaysencourageyoutocriticallythinkaboutourlawandformulateyour ownopinionsandperspectives,ratherthanmerelyacceptingwhathas beensaidinthetextbookorpastjudgments.

Essayshelprefineyourabilitytoarguepersuasivelyandsuccinctly,whilst alsorequiringyoutopresentinnovativeanduniqueperspectivesbasedon thelegaltheorywhichhasbeenstudied

How to Prepare

Itisusefultoreviseandnotedownanyjournalarticlesoropinionsof certainscholarswhichwouldhavebeendiscussedorprovidedduring yourreadings.

Youmayconsiderhowtheiropinionsandinsightsinteractwithyour uniqueperspectiveofthelaw,andhowyoumayreferencetheirworksin ordertostrengthenyourargumentbyaddingcredibility

Youmayalsofinditusefultocriticallythinkaboutcontentiousor ambiguoustopics.Examinersareoftenlookingforstudentstosharetheir uniqueperspectiveontopicsoflawwhichareregularlydebatedinreal life.Todothis,itishelpfultocreateatablethatcontrastsscholars’ opinionswithyouropinionstodemonstratecriticalengagement.

FAQs FAQs

WHAT IS LAWSOC?

UNSWLawSocietyisthebodythatrepresentsalllawstudents.We runeventsallthroughtheyear:socialhangouts,first-yearlawcamp, academicworkshops,interviewpanelswithjudges,skills competitions,networkingopportunities,professionalphotoshoots, andmore!

Beingamembermeansthatyouhaveregisteredyourselfaspartof theUNSWLawstudentbodythroughArc.Arcmembersoftenget discountsatevents.

BeingintheExecutivemeansyouarepartoftheteamthatrunsthe society.TheExecutivechangeseachyearandweencourageyouto takeyourshotatmakingUNSWLawabetterplaceforeveryone!