|
|
Welcome to the first edition of the Melbourne LLB Newsletter for 2008. The purpose of this publication is to inform you of key issues and events related to your studies. If you need any further clarification on anything, please contact the Melbourne Law School Student Centre on 8344 4475, or the contact listed.
welcome back to the melbourne law school from maureen tehan, associate dean (undergraduate)
A Year of Change
2008 is a landmark year for the Law School and one of transition and change. We are now officially known as The Melbourne Law School. After 18 years under the stewardship of Professor Michael Crommelin, we have a new Dean, Professor James Hathaway. We also commence teaching the new JD. For probably the first time in its history, the Law School has no first year LLB students. In addition, there are University-wide changes associated with the introduction of the Melbourne Model which will affect the Law School.
One major change is the new Melbourne Law School Student Centre. The Student Centre now provides all the services and assistance previously undertaken by the Undergraduate Studies Office in line with University-wide changes to student support. The Student Centre is located on the Mezzanine Floor where the UGS office was previously located.
The Office for Teaching and Learning in Law is now located in new offices in the Law Library.
I and my colleagues who teach in the LLB and the staff of the Student Centre, are committed to ensuring that the teaching and learning environment at the Law School continues to be intellectually challenging, interesting, engaging and supportive. We hope that this year of transition is seamless and that any changes to teaching or support in 2008 only improve the quality of your experience at the Law School. For example, the revised Guest Speakers Series offers new opportunities for LLB students and I hope that this is the first of many benefits that you will experience as a result of the commencement of the JD.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries or concerns with your studies or the LLB program.
The Melbourne Law School Student Centre
With a new name and renovated premises, student support will now be provided under the University-wide scheme of Student Centres. The Melbourne Law School Student Centre will provide all of the services previously provided by the UGS Office. Anthony Manahan is the new manager of the Student Centre (and the LLB program). There are some changes to personnel and responsibilities so you may be dealing with different staff this year.
We want the services provided by the Student Centre to meet the needs of students and to only improve on the good work of the UGS office in 2007.
Lunchtime Speakers Forum
The Guest Speakers Series will continue this year but, with the commencement of the new JD, the lecture series will take a slightly different form.
Lectures will be compulsory for JD students but they will be available for all LLB students. The series will be held on Tuesdays at lunch-time in each week of each semester. The Guest Speakers Series program for Semester 1, 2008 is available here.
Final year LLB students will have an opportunity to attend the lunches with a guest speaker throughout the year. No student can attend more than two lunches. We will contact you by email shortly with information about signing up for the lunches.
The aim of the Guest Speakers Series is to enable you to engage with a variety of professionals regarding a range of issues about the study, operation and practice of law. The Series aims to provide you with some food for thought with respect to professional experiences of law and to bring the richness and diversity of those experiences to you in a familiar and encouraging environment.
Fascinating Legal Issues: Confronting Reality in Litigating Them
Speaker: Ms Debbie Mortimer SC, Victorian Bar
When: Tuesday 4 March 2008 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
The Doctor as Meat in the Legal Sandwich: Conflict between State and Federal Legislation
Speaker: Dr John McBain, Director, Melbourne IVF, Royal Women’s Hospital
When: Tuesday 11 March 2008 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where:
GM15, Melbourne Law School
twenty-five years under the canadian charter of rights: problematic dialogue and an unfinished rights revolution
Speaker: Associate Professor James Kelly
The Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies is pleased to invite you to a seminar by Associate Professor James Kelly.
James Kelly is an Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec. Dr Kelly’s research involves the judicialization of politics associated with the introduction of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and its impact on parliamentary and bureaucratic institutions. He has published Governing with the Charter: Legislative and Judicial Activism and Framers Intent (University of British Columbia Press, 2005).
The seminar will explore the impact of a constitutional bill of rights in Canada and whether dialogue between Parliament and the court is possible under a Charter of Rights, either in statutory or constitutional form. Important trends in the judicial approach to remedies and reasonable limits will be explored and relevant lessons for the Victoria Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities will be considered.
When: Thursday 28 February 2008 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where: Room 0920, Melbourne Law School
Enquiries:
Madeline Grey, tel 03 8344 1011, email law-cccs@unimelb.edu.au
RSVP:
law-cccs@unimelb.edu.au
university of melbourne human rights forum: public lecture
Uganda: From Child Soldiers to Human Rights
Speaker: Archbishop John Odama
The University of Melbourne Human Rights Forum and Caritas Australia present a public lecture on the issue of human rights in Uganda.
Archbishop John Odama is renowned for his peace building efforts in the brutal conflict that has raged for over twenty years in northern Uganda. Child soldiers, sexual slavery and forced labour are all common occurrences in Uganda. The Archbishop has played an instrumental role negotiating between the two main warring parties; the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government forces.
Archbishop Odama is the President of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission and has briefed the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Uganda. Come and hear a unique insight into a brutal and seemingly intractable conflict that now appears to be on the path to resolution.
When: Thursday 28 February 2008 at 6:00pm (refreshments), 6:30pm to 7:30pm (lecture)
Where: Room G08, Melbourne Law School
All welcome. Please RSVP to human-rights@unimelb.edu.au by Thursday morning, 28 February 2008.
world trade organization exhibition moot
You are invited to attend an exhibition moot on the law of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on Thursday 6 March 2008 at 6:00pm in the Law School’s Moot Court Room (Level 5).
The judging panel will comprise Gavan Griffith QC (barrister and international arbitrator), Dr Peter Gallagher (Principal, Inquit Communications), Mr Will Irving (Group General Counsel, Telstra), Mr Peter Truswell (Executive Officer of the WTO Disputes Section, Trade Law Branch, DFAT) and our own Professor Anne Orford.
The moot will be conducted by four undergraduate students (pictured below) who are competing in a global moot court competition run by the European Law Students’ Association. If the Melbourne Law School team wins the regional round in Adelaide (from 12-15 March), it will progress to the final round in Geneva in May. You may recall that last year’s team, entering for the first time, prevailed over 64 law schools from around the world to win the entire competition.
The moot problem for this year concerns trade in telecommunications services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the dispute arises between a developed and a developing country. The topics considered include anti-competitive practices, universal service programs, the obligations of WTO Members to ensure that international call costings are reasonable and cost-oriented, access to telecommunications markets, and Members’ obligations to treat other Members’ services and service suppliers as favourably as their own. The case can be accessed online.
(L-R: Olaf Ciolek, Devon Whittle, Emily Long, Jessica Rae)
If you have any queries about the exhibition moot please contact Emily Long.
language and academic skills support
Dr Anthony McCosker
Welcome to the beginning of the new academic year. New years are the perfect opportunity to start afresh, turn over a new leaf, and get in shape for the year ahead. As the language and academic skills adviser in law, I’d like to offer a few tips for making a new and improved start to your law studies for 2008:
1. Now is the time to make use of hindsight. Review your last semester. What worked and what didn’t?
2. A good start means careful planning. Many successful students use three levels of planning:
3. It’s essential to stay active in your study. Don’t just let it all happen around you. Find strategies that work for you. Try some new things this semester.
Feel free to make an appointment to talk to me (book through the Student Centre on 8344 4475), especially if you feel you’re just hanging in there or think you can do much better but don’t know where you’re going wrong. For more information and resources, check the Language and Academic Skills Support page on the LLB website.
Also, check out the new Legal Academic Skills Centre next time you’re in the Law Library. It’s a new space to the right of the loans desk where we’ll soon have resources for you to peruse.
Clifford Chance, London, Visiting the Law School
Clifford Chance will be at the Law School to meet LLB, JD and LLM students who are interested in finding out more about career opportunities either after graduation or later in their career at any of their 27 offices worldwide.
There will be a presentation followed by a chance to meet with lawyers and recruiters over refreshments.
For more information please visit the Clifford Chance website.
When: Thursday 6 March 2008 at 12:00 to 2:00pm
Where: Woodward Conference Centre, Melbourne Law School. Access via lifts to Level 10
Register via email by 27 February 2008 by emailing c.liu@unimelb.edu.au (please write Clifford Chance in the subject heading).
Hong Kong Law Fair 2008
Who should attend:
Students who are interested in vacation work, qualifying as a solicitor or furthering legal studies in Hong Kong, with Chinese language skills who are in third year or above or equivalent.
Firms and universities attending:
Allen & Overy • Baker & McKenzie • Clifford Chance • Clyde & Co • DLA Piper • Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer • Heller Ehrman • Herbert Smith • Jones Day • Lovells • Mallesons Stephen Jaques • Orrick • Richards Butler in association with Reed Smith LLP • Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom • Simmons & Simmons • University of Hong Kong • The Chinese University of Hong Kong • City University of Hong Kong
Refreshments will be provided.
When: Thursday 10 April 2008 at 12:00 to 2:00pm
Where: Level 1 Function Space, Melbourne Law School
Register by email by 30 March 2008 by emailing c.liu@unimelb.edu.au (please write HK Law Fair in the subject heading).
aurora project native title internship program
The Program introduces law students to career opportunities in native title and Indigenous affairs, and primarily provides assistance to under-resourced and over-worked Native Title Representative Body (NTRB) lawyers. There are two intakes for interns annually, during the summer and winter university breaks, for 4 to 6 weeks. Applications open in March and August of each year. Applications are open to law students who have completed, or are currently completing, the property law component of their legal studies. We seek students who are interested in working in native title and Indigenous affairs. Internships are offered at NTRBs and other Indigenous policy organizations as well as other organizations working in native title and related areas Australia wide. |
 |
Applications for the winter 2008 internships open on Monday 3 March and close on Friday 28 March 2008.
For more information and to apply please visit the Aurora Project website.
A full account of the research into NTRBs and recommendations that led to the establishment of the Program can be found online.
Locations of organizations that have participated in the Program include Adelaide, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Broome, Bundaberg, Cairns, Darwin, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Mackay, Melbourne, Perth, Port Hedland, Sydney, and Thursday Island.
Longer Term Contract Locum Placements
Applications are open to law students as well as qualified solicitors. Placements can start at 3 months and may continue for 6 months or longer. Duties, conditions and remuneration vary from position to position.
peter nygh hague conference internship
Call for Applications for an Internship in the Netherlands
The Australian Institute of International Affairs and the Australian Branch of the International Law Association are proud to open applications for the 2008 Peter Nygh Hague Conference Internship. This prize will enable an Australian student or graduate of law to complete an internship with the Hague Conference on Private International Law in the Netherlands. The internship is an award in the memory of the late Hon Dr Peter Nygh AM, a leading international lawyer, former judge of the Family Court of Australia and an Australian delegate to, and a rapporteur of, the Hague Conference.
Interested graduates and students are encouraged to apply as early as possible since applications will close on 31 March 2008.
For more information on how to apply, please visit the Australian Institute of International Affairs website, the International Law Association website, or contact Caitlin Boyce. The winning applicant of this year’s award will be announced at a special celebration after 15 May 2008.
Further details regarding the selection criteria are available in the attached flyer.
right now human rights law in australia magazine: call for submissions
Submissions are now open for the May 2008 edition of Right Now. Right Now welcomes student articles and is a great opportunity to have your work published alongside some of the greatest modern legal scholars. Students who were published in the December 2007 edition had articles appear next to those of Justice Michael Kirby, and in the previous edition, Julian Burnside and Hilary Charlesworth. |
 |
Articles:
Right Now welcomes articles of up to 800 words. Articles should focus on current domestic human rights law issues and should not contain footnotes. Articles should be written in an informal, non-academic tone. Legal essays are not suitable! Submissions should be emailed to info@rightnow.org.au as a Microsoft Word document.
Art work:
Right Now publishes artwork that responds to human rights and social justice issues. Please email images of your work and a statement about the human rights aspect to info@rightnow.org.au
Submissions close 15 March 2008.
For more information visit the Right Now website or email info@rightnow.org.au
opportunity to be involved in human rights law publication
Right Now: Human Rights Law in Australia magazine has a Secretary position available. This is an excellent opportunity for law students interested in forging networks and gaining experience with professionals at the forefront of human rights in Australia. Postgraduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply. Please see the position description below.
Right Now is a student driven publication that focuses on the domestic implementation of human rights law in Australia. Right Now has recently published its second edition, available online and in hard copy at the Law School. We are a registered non-profit business with an ABN, bank account and have almost completed the incorporation process. We expect to soon get DGR status with the Australian Tax Office.
The Secretary works very closely with the Editor in Chief and is expected to be heavily involved with the running of the publication. This includes financial and administrative responsibilities, and maintaining close communication with the team and external stakeholders.
The Right Now team, particularly the Editors, liaise with very high profile people from the legal profession including lawyers, judges, politicians as well as members of the general public. It is expected that the Secretary will have excellent professional communication skills, both written and verbal, and an understanding of professional administration. This includes circulation of meeting agendas and accurate recording of minutes.
The Secretary will have the opportunity to develop a working relationship with our Advisory Group, made up of members of the human rights community and legal profession, our printers, and our distributors. The Secretary will also have the opportunity to manage relationships with Right Now partners such as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Public Interest law Clearing House, and Human Rights Resource Law Centre.
All portfolios, including the Secretary, are expected to present at meetings and are encouraged to contribute to the creative development of Right Now. The Right Now team is very close and we value each others education, expertise, and ideas. We all contribute ideas for article content, authors and artists, as well as potential sponsors, opportunities for marketing, etc.
Working on Right Now is very rewarding, an excellent way to develop skills and contacts, and lots of fun.
If you are interested in applying, please forward your CV and a covering letter to info@rightnow.org.au
Applications close on Monday 10 March 2008.
Please don't hesitate to contact Right Now with any questions.
Cecilia Mitchell
JD Student and Editor in Chief, Right Now
kirby cup law reform competition 2008
The Kirby Cup Law Reform Competition is a unique opportunity for Australian law students to gain recognition for their vision for law reform. The Kirby Cup is organized and sponsored by the Australian Law Reform Commission, in collaboration with the Australian Law Students Association (ALSA).
The competition is held annually as part of the ALSA Conference. Entries consist of a submission on an area of law reform currently under review.
Further details are available online.
Applications are now open for the following prizes:
The Geoff Masel Prize
For Significant Academic Achievement in the Face of Adversity
The Geoff Masel Prize for significant academic achievement in the face of adversity is given by the partners of Phillips Fox in honour of Geoff Masel’s 50 years in practice with the firm and in recognition of Geoff’s commitment to legal education and support of those with disadvantages. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 29 February 2008. Click here for an application form for this prize.
Melbourne Law School Scholarships
For LLB and JD Students Enrolled in 2007 and 2008
Melbourne Law School Scholarships are awarded to three law students based on academic performance in legal studies prior to 2008 and demonstrated financial need. These scholarships, valued at $4,000 each, will be awarded to students enrolled in the JD and/or the LLB. Further details are available by clicking here. The closing date for applications is 29 February 2008. Click here for an application form for this prize.
For enquiries, please contact Elena Goodey by email or by calling 03 8344 6169.
equal opportunity liaison officers
Diversity is a wonderful strength and asset from which we all benefit. In order to support and promote inclusivity in the Melbourne Law School community and ensure a positive learning environment for everyone, academic staff members are appointed to enhance the relationship between students and the Law School in order to promote equal opportunity.
You are invited to contact an Equal Opportunity Liaison Officer to discuss equal opportunity or diversity issues that may be of concern.
Indigenous Students EO Liaison Officer
Dr Matthew Harding, tel 03 8344 1080
International and Non-English Speaking Background Students' EO Liaison Officer
Ms Sunita Jogarajan, tel 03 8344 1092
Queer (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex) Students Liaison Officer
Ms Lisa Sarmas, tel 03 8344 7581
Mature Age Students EO Liaison Officer
Mr John Tobin, tel 03 8344 7679
Disabilities EO Liaison Officers
Associate Professor Christian Witting, tel 03 8344 8915 and Mr Glenn Patmore, tel 03 8344 6191
Gender EO Liaison Officer
Dr Ann Genovese, tel 03 8344 1018
Further details about the role of each officer can be found online.
Semester 1, 2008 materials will be available for sale from Room 0217 (opposite Room 0222) of the Law Building from Monday 25 February 2008. A price list is available here. Materials can be purchased Mondays to Fridays from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Regarding the Allen & Overy profile in the Law Students Society Careers Guide, the firm would like to make a change to their information regarding the Round of the Interviews. The information under this sub-heading is related to their selection process for their 2010 trainees.
Please send any feedback/comments or suggestions you have about this newsletter to Tom Hewitt-McManus.
previous editions of LLB newsletter
Previous editions of the newsletter are available on the Melbourne LLB website.
