Connecting Research and Teaching: A Case Study from the School of Law, University of Canberra

Abstract

Teaching legal ethics is a requirement for Australian law schools, and has recently also become compulsory at the University of the South Pacific (USP). As there are no South Pacific law texts on this topic, it is tempting to model the course on those taught elsewhere. However, based on the author’s experience teaching legal ethics at USP, and research into the legal profession in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, this article identifies a number of additional features which must be taken into account to make such a course appropriate to the South Pacific context. The article concludes by offering suggestions for improving the ethical and professional training of South Pacific lawyers, both at university and later in their professional lives.