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Welcome to the tenth edition of the Melbourne LLB Newsletter for 2009. 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.
important changes to the law institute of victoria's seasonal clerkship and traineeship guidelines
There have recently been significant changes to the LIV Guidelines for Seasonal clerkship and Traineeship recruitment, in particular to the key dates. This change was initiated by law firms who are signatories to the Guidelines. Victorian Law Student Society representatives were involved in the consultations and also support the changes.
Ultimately, the changes will benefit students and make the process a lot more transparent. One of the key benefits to students is that they will no longer have to apply blindly to firms unsure of whether firms are actually offering any places over and above priority offers. Under the new Guidelines, priority offers will be made first, and firms will then open applications to the open market – a significantly more transparent process. Students will also have one more semester of marks to present to employers.
The new Guidelines push back the recruitment by 6 months. Under the current system penultimate year students apply for seasonal clerkships in March and undertake them in July (Winter) and December of their penultimate year and January of their final year. Under the new system, they will apply in July/August of their penultimate year and undertake the clerkships in December (of their penultimate year), January and July of their FINAL year. Applications for Traineeships will follow after the July (Winter) clerkship in the final year. Offers will be made around October to begin a Traineeship in the following February/March.
Next year will be a transition year and as a consequence there will not be any Winter clerkships. There has been some anxiety among students that throughout the transition they will have reduced opportunities to undertake clerkships. This, however, is not the case. While there will not be a Winter clerkship offered in 2010, those penultimate year students will have the opportunity to do a Winter clerkship in 2011, their final year.
2009 penultimate year students undertake their Winter clerkship in July 2009 (of their penultimate year)
2010 penultimate year students will undertake their Winter clerkship in July 2011 (of their final year)
So going forward, even through the transition period, students will still have 3 opportunities to do a seasonal clerkship.
Current schedule (2009 LIV Guidelines):
2009 Penultimate year students applied for seasonal clerkships in March 2009
They can do a clerkship in July 2009, December 2009 and January 2010
They apply for a Traineeship over the December 2009/January 2010 holiday period
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2011
Transition schedule (2010 LIV Guidelines):
Student who will be in their final year in 2010 will apply for Traineeships for 2011 over the December 2009/January 2010 period
2010 Penultimate year students will apply for seasonal clerkships in August/September (offers made on 13 September 2010)
Students can do a clerkship in December 2010, January 2011 and July 2011 (final year)
They apply for Traineeships in August 2011 (directly after completing their Winter clerkship)
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2012
New Schedule (2011 LIV Guidelines):
2011 Penultimate year students will apply for seasonal clerkships in August/September
Students can do a clerkship in December 2011, January 2012 and July 2012 (final year)
They apply for Traineeships in August 2012 (directly after completing their Winter clerkship)
They undertake a Traineeship in February/March 2013
The Careers Office has arranged for the Law Institute of Victoria to visit the Law School on Thursday 20 August at 1pm in G08 to present a seminar on the Guidelines and the new schedule. Please make an effort to attend this session so that you are clear how the changes may affect you. The seminar will be iLectured and will be available from the Careers Office website.
The changes may affect some students’ course plans, particularly if you are planning to do an exchange. The Student Centre is able to help students if they need to check their course plan or make changes. You are also welcome to meet with a careers consultant to discuss your particular situation in detail.
guaranteed transfers: australian fee to commonwealth supported place
LLB students enrolled in Australian Fee places in Semester 1, 2009 have all been considered for transfer to a Commonwealth Supported Place in Semester 2, 2009. Eligible students have been notified by email to their University email addresses and their enrolment records updated accordingly. Students were considered under the Guaranteed Transfer Scheme as detailed online. Continuing Australian Fee students will be reconsidered at the commencement of Semester 1, 2010.
melbourne law school and right now internship
Right Now is a volunteer, not-for-profit media organization led by young people focused on human rights issues.
Right Now is committed to covering human rights issues through free, accessible, creative and engaging print, online and radio media. Its members believe that creating a positive, rights-respecting culture in Australia begins with the flow of information.
Right Now aims to broaden the human rights conversation in Australia to include the diverse voices and experiences of our communities.
Current Right Now projects include:
Right Now is currently seeking applications from law students for an unpaid internship position. Interns will work closely with Right Now’s Editor-in-Chief along with the rest of the team and will be involved in:
Interns must be passionate about human rights and social justice. They must have excellent communication and research skills and be able to meet deadlines. Web-based skills, especially website design, will be looked upon favourably. Successful applicants will be expected to show initiative and resourcefulness. They must be able to work very closely in a small team while also being able to work independently at times. Although experience with a human rights or media organization is preferred, Right Now would welcome applications from all law students who are innovative, hard-working, and interested in communicating human rights issues to the wider community.
Interns will be required to work one day a week during semester, with the possibility of full-time work over the mid-semester break. Students seeking credit towards the JD or LLB internship subjects should consult the Melbourne Law School Internship Coordinator.
If you are interested in applying for an internship position, please send your cover letter, CV (including all academic transcripts) to Andre Dao, Editor-in-Chief, Right Now. Your application should include your availability during semester and during the mid-semester break. Please submit your applications by Monday 10 August 2009.
Applicants must also register their interest with Helen Green at the Melbourne Law School Careers Office, email h.green@unimelb.edu.au.
For further information about the position, please contact Andre Dao at Right Now, email andre@rightnow.org.au. All other enquiries should be directed to Helen Green in the first instance.
aurora native title internship program
The Aurora Native Title Internship Program introduces law students to career opportunities in native title, policy, social justice, and Indigenous affairs and aims to provide assistance to under-resourced and over-worked Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs) as well as to various other organizations working in these areas including Indigenous corporations, government bodies, community groups, not-for-profit, policy organizations, and others.
There are two intakes for interns annually, during the summer and winter university breaks, for 5 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. Internships are offered Australia-wide and applicants are sought who have a keen interest in some or all of the above mentioned areas.
Applications for summer 2009/10 internships will be accepted online via the Aurora Project website between 10 August and 4 September 2009.
For more information and to apply, please visit the Aurora Project website.
new student wellbeing and welfare coordinator
The Melbourne Law School Student Centre has a new Student Wellbeing and Welfare Coordinator. Sarah Anthony will be delivering responsive student services in areas such as Special Consideration, Student Progress and Alternative Examination Arrangements, and is acting as the Student Equity Coordinator. Sarah is the key contact for the Student Centre in relation to welfare and wellbeing services offered by the University and can be contacted via email or telephone 03 9035 5948.
Life with a Law Degree – In and Out of the Law
Speaker: Mrs Catherine Walter AM, Company Director
When: Tuesday 11 August 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: G08, Melbourne Law School (please note change of venue)
Topic to be Advised
Speaker: The Honourable Robert Hulls MP, Victorian Attorney-General
When: Tuesday 18 August 2009 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where: G08, Melbourne Law School (please note change of venue)
How does BHP Billiton Approach Executive Remuneration - Is There a Need for Legislative Intervention?
Speaker: Ms Karen Wood, Group Executive and Chief People Officer, BHP Billiton
When: Tuesday 25 August 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: G08, Melbourne Law School (please note change of venue)
The Guest Lecture Series is a series of weekly lectures in law and legal practice for Melbourne Law School students. All LLB students are invited and strongly encouraged to attend all lectures in the Melbourne Guest Lecture Series.
Details of all forthcoming Guest Lectures for Semester 2, 2009, are available online.
enforcement problem in the wto - success, limitations and possible improvement (seminar)
The Asian Law Centre and the Institute for International Law and Humanities (IILAH) will host an ALC Occasional Seminar on Monday 10 August 2009.
Professor Yasuhei Taniguchi, Counsel, Matsuo and Kosugi (Tokyo), Distinguished Visitor, University of Sydney, will speak on Enforcement Problem in the WTO - Success, Limitations and Possible Improvement.
Further details are available in the seminar flyer.
When: Monday 10 August 2009 at 6:00pm
Where: Room 920, Level 9, Melbourne Law School
RSVP: Please register online.
This year, Entrepreneurs Week is proud to introduce a new event - an intellectual property seminar presented and sponsored by prominent intellectual property firm, Griffith Hack. The seminar will comprise an overview on the topic of intellectual property from Byron Bowman, a Senior Associate and patent attorney from Griffith Hack, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and network afterwards.
When: Wednesday 12 August 2009 at 4:00 to 5:00pm
Where: Brown Theatre, Electrical Engineering Building
Further details and registration are available online.
Entrepreneurs Week 2009 takes place at Melbourne University from 7 to 14 August 2009. The event is an initiative of Student Entrepreneurs, a student organization at the University of Melbourne, in partnership with other organizations committed to promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.
Events will include workshops, panel discussions and presentations by prominent speakers and entrepreneurs on topics such as IT, intellectual property, innovation, social entrepreneurship, marketing, and sustainability.
All the events are open to everyone and attendance is free. More details about Entrepreneurs Week as well as a complete event calendar can be found online.
international youth day - sustainability: our challenge, our future (climate change forum)
As part of UN International Youth Day celebrations, this major event has been organized by the Kwong Lee Dow First Year Program to provide students with a great opportunity to hear about the real issues and what they can do to make a difference.
We all say we want to go green, but do we all see the same kinds of change when we imagine an eco-friendly economy? Speakers and workshops will focus on exploring some of the questions and local, national and international issues around establishing the Green Economy. Participants will also take part in an interactive workshop facilitated by students already involved in climate change and sustainability initiatives. The focus will be to share ideas and learning among the group and explore some of the strategies presented by the key note speakers, including:
Nic Frances, CEO Coolnrg
David Toovey, Climate Ambassador
Linh Do, Change and Switch
When: Wednesday 12 August 2009 at 5:30 to 8:30pm
Where: Melbourne Law School
Further details are available online.
To register, please email Zoe Dauth, Student Leadership Programs or call 03 8344 4691.
politics and islamization in aceh (seminar)
The Asian Law Centre and the Indonesia Forum, as part of the University of Melbourne’s Asia Week, will host an ALC Occasional Seminar on Tuesday 18 August 2009.
Dr Arskal Salim, Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Germany, will speak on Politics and Islamization in Aceh: An Update.
Further details are available in the seminar flyer.
When: Tuesday 18 August 2009 at 6:00pm (refreshments), 6:30pm (seminar), 8:00pm (dinner)
Where: Room 102, Melbourne Law School
RSVP: Please register online by 10 August. Bookings essential for catering purposes. There is no charge for the seminar or the dinner.
multilateralism as terror: international law, haiti and imperialism (IILAH seminar)
Speaker: Dr China Miéville
(Convenor: Professor Anne Orford)
Dr China Miéville is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Law, Birkbeck College, University of London, and is on the editorial board of the journal Historical Materialism. He is the author of Between Equal Rights: A Marxist Theory of International Law, and various essays on international law, politics and theory. Dr Miéville appears courtesy of the Melbourne Writers Festival.
Due to venue constraints, participants are asked to register their interest in attending this event.
Further details are available in the event flyer.
When: Thursday 20 August 2009 at 5:30pm (refreshments), 6:00 to 7:30pm (seminar)
Where: Room 920, Level 9, Melbourne Law School
RSVP: law-iilah@unimelb.edu.au, tel (03) 8344 6589
breeding asian tigers: the shifting regulation of wildlife trade in southeast asia (seminar)
The Centre for Resources, Energy and Environmental Law and the Office for Environmental Programs are very pleased to present this lunchtime seminar by Chris Turton of TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring organization established as a joint project of WWF and the IUCN.
Chris will talk about the recently passed Biodiversity Law in Vietnam as a starting point for understanding the Convention on Biological Diversity's historical failure to protect the region’s unique biodiversity.
Further details are available in the flyer.
When: Tuesday 25 August 2009 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where:
G29, Melbourne Law School
A series of seminars on Thursdays at 1:00 to 2:00pm in Theatre A, Old Arts Building.
13 August 2009: What can I do with an Arts Degree?
20 August 2009: Does this Career Look Good on Me?
27 August 2009: Don’t be Shy – Expose Yourself!
3 September 2009: First Thursday Career Club
Guest speakers will include various Alumni and a panel of Arts graduates.
Further details and registration are available at Careers Online.
melbourne graduate school of humanities and social sciences information session
Information Session for Final Year LLB Students
Combine your LLB with a masters program from the new Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences in the Faculty of Arts and maximize your career potential.
When: Monday 7 September 2009 at 12:30 to 1:30pm
Where:
GM16, Melbourne Law School
To register, email ceblake@unimelb.edu.au
Programs include:
preparing for practice: a forum for international and ESL students
International and local ESL students are invited to a forum on preparing for work. The panel discussion will emphasize and explore the pressing issue of the role of communication skills in securing professional placements after law school, and the kinds of communication skills required for the workplace.
The forum will also introduce a range of new programs: Guest Speaker series featuring speakers from various law firms speaking about professional practice and communication skills; Communication Skills workshops on Practical Speaking and Writing Skills aimed at International and ESL students; as well as new Online resources for preparing for work after law school.
Panel:
Anthony McCosker, Office for Teaching and Learning in Law
Amy Harrington, Careers Officer
Sunita Jogarajan, Lecturer and Academic Liaison for International and ESL students
Guest Graduate students
When: Wednesday 19 August 2009 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where: Room 108, Melbourne Law School
The Law School’s Legal Research Skills Adviser is providing a four part series to help get you ready to work in a firm. This will provide you with the skills you need to be both effective and efficient when taking on research tasks. When completing a clerkship or traineeship, you will be required to complete numerous research tasks. By having the necessary skills you will become a highly valued employee and will be called on regularly to participate in client matters. Each session will consist of a one hour lecture and a research task to be completed in class working in groups. At the completion of the workshop you will receive certification that you have successfully attended and completed the tasks.
When: Friday 14 August 2009 at 9:30am to 4:00pm
Where: Large PC Lab, Law Library
Instructor: Natalie Wieland
Please book online.
human rights mooting competition - reminder
The annual Castan Centre Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act Moot will be held again this year in late August and early September. Each law school in Victoria is entitled to submit two teams of 3 persons each playing the roles of senior counsel, junior counsel, and instructing solicitor.
Students in both the LLB and JD programs are encouraged to apply for selection and place themselves in the running to receive $3,000 for the winning team and $1,000 for the runners-up . Significantly last year both the teams from Melbourne Law School made it through to the grand final.
Application forms are available from John Tobin electronically at j.tobin@unimelb.edu.au and must be submitted in hard copy to John Tobin, Room 941, Melbourne Law School by Tuesday 11 August 2009 . Some prior knowledge of the Victorian Charter is helpful but not essential and applications will assessed on a range of criteria including prior mooting experience.
All general enquiries should be directed to John Tobin via email or tel 03 8344 7679. Students are also encouraged to visit the moot website.
2010 sir john templeton fellowships essay contest
The Sir John M Templeton Fellowships Essay Contest encourages students and young teaching staff around the world to study the meaning and significance of economic and personal liberty. Further details are available online.
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.
