DEF Paralegal Services

Project scope

 

The project involves the revision of the Certificate IV and Diploma in Defence Paralegal Services, including 13 Units of Competency in the Defence Training Package to enable Defence paralegal staff to meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.

 

Defence paralegals perform administrative legal tasks and communicate with clients to provide legal advice, under the supervision of fully qualified senior lawyers. Paralegals are often delegated tasks to assist with the progress of a legal matter such as analysing and summarising documents, filing at court, legal research and drafting correspondence.

 

With the ever-changing legal environment, the role of a paralegal is also constantly evolving. Moreover, Defence paralegal staff require the skills and knowledge to deal with the increased use of technology involving electronic documents and records management systems, cloud computing, online generation of legal documents, virtual courtrooms, and online dispute resolution.

 

VIEW CASE FOR CHANGE

 

The Public Safety Industry Reference Committee (IRC) will have oversight of this project, which will be facilitated by Australian Industry Standards (AIS) in consultation with industry stakeholders. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will be formed to provide subject matter expertise for the development of Training Package materials.

 

If you have any questions about this project or are a subject matter expert and would like to be considered for the TAC for this project, please contact the Industry Skills Manager.

 

Timeline

 

The Case for Endorsement and draft materials are due to be submitted by 30 June 2022.

 

Deliverables

 

The full list of products included in this project:

 

Qualifications

  • DEF40717Y Certificate IV in Defence Paralegal Services
  • DEF50417Y Diploma of Defence Paralegal Services

 

Units of Competency

  • DEFDPL006Y Provide support in legal assistance matters
  • DEFDPL012Y Work in a public service legal environment
  • DEFDPL013Y Conduct legal research
  • DEFDPL004Y Provide support in Defence administrative law matters
  • DEFDPL008Y Obtain information from a client
  • DEFDPL010Y Provide support in service discipline law matters
  • DEFDPL011Y Provide support in criminal law matters
  • DEFDPL014Y Address complex legal and ethical issues in a Defence environment
  • DEFDPL001Y Provide high-level support on service discipline matters
  • DEFDPL009Y Manage and analyse a legal file
  • DEFDPL002Y Provide high-level support on criminal law matters
  • DEFDPL003Y Provide high-level support on administrative law matters
  • DEFDPL005Y Provide high-level support on operations law matters

 

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

 

A Technical Advisory Committee will be formed to provide expertise for this work. If you are a subject matter expert and would like to be considered for the TAC please contact the Industry Skills Manager.

 

Stakeholder feedback on draft training materials will be sought as part of the development phase of work.

TAC Established

10 SEPTEMBER 2021

 

The Public Safety Industry Reference Committee has established a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for this project.

 

Comprising four subject matter experts with Paralegal Services experience, the TAC has been tasked with:

  • Providing specialist industry subject-matter knowledge to help review and develop Training Package materials in the revision of Certificate IV and Diploma in Defence Paralegal Services, including 13 Units of Competency in the Defence Training Package to ensure Defence paralegal staff can meet the updated demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.
  • Validating the technical content of the Training Package products
  • Identifying relevant qualitative and quantitative data sources to inform the development of draft materials
  • Reviewing feedback from stakeholders through public consultations
  • Assisting in identifying and engaging broader industry networks to participate in consultation and/or validation activities during the duration of the project
  • Offering advice and guidance to assist in informing the direction of the project throughout its duration
  • Making recommendations on the developed Training Package materials to the relevant IRC, which has the final decision-making authority.

 

The first meeting of the TAC is scheduled for October.

 

Technical advisory committee

 

7 JULY 2021

SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS NEEDED

 

Work on this project has commenced and the Public Safety Industry Reference Committee (IRC) is forming a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).

 

Your industry expertise and insight is welcome to help review and develop Training Package materials in the revision of Certificate IV and Diploma in Defence Paralegal Services including 13 Units of Competency in the Defence Training Package to ensure Defence paralegal staff can meet the updated demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.

 

A background in the Defence force, legal practice or public administration would be advantageous.

 

Registrations closed Wednesday, 21 July 2021.

Consultation

31 JANUARY 2022

DRAFT MATERIAL

 

On behalf of the Public Safety Industry Reference Committee, in consultation with subject matter experts on the Technical Advisory Committee, please find attached draft Training Package materials for the Defence Paralegal Services project.

 

The project involves the revision of the Certificate IV and Diploma in Paralegal Services, including 14 Units of Competency.

 

These draft products will address changes to ensure Defence paralegal staff meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements. This material will not be made available publicly during consultation, and access to this material will be authorised by contacting the Industry Skills Specialist and approved by Defence Education, Learning and Training Authority (DELTA).

 

Please submit your feedback by close of business Monday 28 February 2022.

 

Feedback will be collated and discussed at the next TAC meeting.

 

If you would like to know more about this project, or request access to the materials please contact the Industry Skills Specialist.

Quality Assurance

10 JUNE 2022

FINAL DRAFT CASE FOR ENDORSEMENT

 

Development work has been completed on draft materials for the Defence Training Package (Release 5.0), addressing priority skills needs of the industry.

 

The Certificate IV and Diploma in Paralegal Services, including 14 Units of Competency have been revised to enable Defence paralegal staff to meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.

 

This material will not be made publicly available and access to the proposed products need to be authorised by contacting the Industry Skills Specialist and approved by Defence Education, Learning and Training Authority (DELTA).

 

The Case for Endorsement is scheduled to be submitted to the AISC in June 2022.

 

 

Validation

15 MARCH 2022

FINAL DRAFT MATERIAL

 

On behalf of the Public Safety Industry Reference Committee, the Technical Advisory Committee has considered all stakeholder feedback and is now seeking validation of revised draft materials including the revision of the Certificate IV and Diploma in Paralegal Services, including 14 Units of Competency.

 

These draft products will address changes to ensure Defence paralegal staff meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements. This material will not be made available publicly during consultation, and access to this material will be authorised by contacting the Industry Skills Specialist and approved by Defence Education, Learning and Training Authority (DELTA).

 

Please submit your feedback by close of business Tuesday, 29 March, 2022.

 

Feedback will be collated and discussed at the next TAC meeting.

 

Endorsement

26 OCTOBER 2022

 

The Defence Training Package Release 5.0 has been endorsed by the Skills Ministers for implementation.

 

The Public Safety Industry Reference Committee has led the development of new and revised materials through the projects below to address priority skills needs for Defence.

 

This project resulted in updates to the Certificate IV and Diploma in Paralegal Services, including 14 associated Units of Competency, to enable Defence paralegal staff to meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.

 

A Defence paralegal is a professional in legal sciences and supports or assist professionals related to the legal area of a consultative or judicial litigation nature.

 

They perform administrative legal tasks and communicate with clients to provide legal advice, under the supervision of fully qualified senior lawyers. Paralegals are often delegated tasks to assist with the progress of a legal matter such as analysing and summarising documents, filing at court, legal research and drafting correspondence. With the ever-changing legal environment, the role of a paralegal is also constantly evolving.

 

Defence paralegal staff are also dealing with the increased use of technology such as electronic documents and records management systems, cloud computing, online generation of legal documents, virtual court rooms, and online dispute resolution.

 

The revised Training Package products will enable workforce development aimed at:

  • Removing barriers to the mobility of workers transitioning from Defence to civilian life
  • Addressing difficulties in meeting Defence legal standards
  • Removing delays in developing new procedures for legal matters
  • Reducing operating costs based on inefficiencies associated with cases
  • Addressing difficulties and meeting required Defence protocols in legal.

 

To support the delivery of the Training Package, a Companion Volume Implementation Guide (CVIG) has been developed to assist assessors, trainers, Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and enterprises. The CVIG contains a comprehensive list of all products in the Training Package; mapping information which details the changes that have been made to the materials; regulation and licensing implications; and useful links to other information.

 

The endorsed Defence Training Package Release 5.0 is now available on training.gov.au

 

This release also includes the following projects:

 

The following materials were approved:

Qualifications

  • DEF40722 Certificate IV in Defence Paralegal Services
  • DEF50422 Diploma of Defence Paralegal Services

 

New/Revised Units

  • DEFDPL015 Address complex legal and ethical issues in a Defence environment
  • DEFDPL016 Conduct legal research
  • DEFDPL018 Manage and analyse a legal matter file
  • DEFDPL019 Obtain information from a client
  • DEFDPL023 Provide high-level support on administrative law matters
  • DEFDPL024 Provide high-level support on criminal law matters
  • DEFDPL025 Provide high-level support on legal assistance matters
  • DEFDPL026 Provide high-level support on operations law matters
  • DEFDPL027 Provide high-level support on service discipline matters
  • DEFDPL028 Provide paralegal support across Defence Legal matters and tasks
  • DEFDPL029 Provide support in criminal law matters
  • DEFDPL030 Provide support in Defence administrative law matters
  • DEFDPL031 Provide support in service discipline law matters
  • DEFDPL032 Work in a public service legal environment

 

 

Approval

1 SEPTEMBER 2022

 

At its meeting on August 19, the AISC approved the DEF Defence Training Package Release 5.0 for referral to Skills Ministers for endorsement.

 

Training Package materials developed through the projects below address priority skills needs for the Defence Industry.

  • Digital Forensics
  • Moral Injury
  • Paralegal Services
  • Range Control
  • Test and Evaluation
  • Work Diving

 

For more information on this project, please contact the Industry Skills Specialist.

 

 

Submission

7 JULY 2022
CASE FOR ENDORSEMENT SUBMITTED TO AISC

 

The Public Safety Industry Reference Committee has submitted the Case for Endorsement and draft materials for the Defence Training Package (Release 5.0) to the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) for consideration at its meeting on 17 August 2022.

The proposed materials address priority skills needs for the Defence Industry.

 

The Certificate IV and Diploma in Paralegal Services, including 14 Units of Competency have been revised to enable Defence paralegal staff to meet the demands of current legal requirements and technological advancements.

 

VIEW CASE FOR ENDORSEMENT

personal

Vincent Panozzo

Industry Skills Specialist - Defence

 

 

 

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0427 479 669