As my newest notes are now over 10 years old and are probably wildly out of date, please exercise an extreme degree of caution with using them.

These are my exam notes and study notes that I used to prepare for and complete open book exams during my Bachelor of Laws degree at QUT.  Couple of things:

 

Contracts A (LWB136)
Contracts B (LWB137)
Fundamentals of Torts (LWB138)
Select Issues in Torts (LWB139)
Legal Institutions and Method (LWB141)
Law, Society and Justice (LWB142)
Laws And Global Perspectives (LWB144)
Introduction To Public Law (LWB231)
Australian Federal Constitutional Law (LWB235)
Real Property A (LWB236)
Real Property B (LWB237)
Fundamentals of Criminal Law (LWB238)
Criminal Responsibility (LWB239)
Principles of Equity (LWB240)
Trusts (LWB241)
Commercial And Personal Property Law (LWB332)
Corporate Law (LWB334)
Administrative Law (LWB335)
Civil Procedure (LWB431)
Evidence (LWB432)
Professional Responsibility (LWB433)
Commercial And Consumer Law (LWB459)
Internet Law (LWB482)
Medico-Legal Issues (LWB483)
Electronic Commerce and Technology Contracts (LWB484)
Intellectual Property Law (LWB486)
Dispute Resolution and Non-Adversarial Practice (LWB498)

Frequently asked questions

CAN YOU JUST QUICKLY CHECK OVER MY ASSIGNMENT / ESSAY / PRACTICE EXAM ANSWER?

No.  But I do hope you do well.

DO YOU HAVE ANY NOTES FOR [RANDOM SUBJECT]?

All the notes I have are on the website.

WHY DO YOU PUT YOUR NOTES ONLINE?

I don’t really know. For some reason, I have always been willing to share my notes. My mantra has always been “sharing is caring.” As I once explained to one of my friends, “I don’t care what everyone else gets, as long as I get a 7.” That’s my thing. That’s why I put my notes online.

WHAT IS A ‘KNEECAPS’ DOCUMENT?

One of the things me and my friends find helpful to use when studying is to have a tabular document that is basically a hint sheet that says “if you see these kinds of facts in a question, talk about A, B and C.” We first used one of these documents most extensively in the 2nd-year subject Equity. One of the “look for this in the facts” things was something along the lines of… “If you leave this house I’ll break your kneecaps” (which, for your information, meant that we were supposed to talk about ‘Undue Influence’ in having the contract set aside in equity). We didn’t really have a short name for documents of this type. The next time we went to create one, it was colloquially referred to as “that kneecaps document” and this has stuck since. For subjects where the kneecaps document has proved actually helpful, I’ve always included it in the documents I have uploaded on this site.

WHAT’S THE TRICK FOR DOING WELL AT LAW SCHOOL?

I have written extensively about this.

My main tip would be to find out what the examiner wants. What are they looking for. I usually go and see the unit co-ordinator and say quite frankly to them “what do you want to see from me in my exam paper?” They’re usually more than happy to tell you. Make use of your tutor; tell them you want a 7 and what are they really looking for in your exam answers. Make links between topics in the subject. Don’t arrange your notes into “week” order. Put them into “thought process” order. My brain works best by following steps, flows: step 1, do this, step 2, do this. To get a 7 in a subject, the criteria is that you show:
“evidence of an exceptional level of achievement of unit learning outcomes, such as: thorough and well reasoned critical analysis and evaluation of concepts, theories and practice from the field of study, creative and insightful application of well integrated theoretical and practical knowledge to professional contexts.”

So you need to be able to MAKE LINKS between different weeks, and not treat the topics as distinct and separate, unless of course they totally are. And write like a lawyer. Make the examiner think you know what the hell you’re talking about. Don’t just blurt everything you have down onto the page. A lawyer’s tools are his/her words. On that point, make sure you’re able to spell words properly. Seriously.