The groupwork experience in civil procedure

In Western Australia the only means for graduates to qualify for admission as a legal practitioner are by the articles process or by going interstate to qualify at a college of laws. The expectation of the legal profession in WA is that graduating students will have done at least some court document drafting while studying Civil Procedure during their law degree. In 2002, 2004 and 2005, students enrolled in Civil Procedure at the Murdoch School of Law have been required to form and work in groups to complete drafting exercises involving preparation of court documents, memos to file and letters. The exercises are based on a single fact scenario that unfolds as the semester progresses. While an important graduate attribute is to work in a team environment, it seems that law students can find groupwork a challenge. Group disputes are not uncommon. From a coordinator's point of view, a significant degree of administration is required to manage groupwork. This paper discusses methods used to minimise and resolve group disputes and concludes with reflections on improving the groupwork experience