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Welcome to the fourth 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.
want to have your say on the LLB?
Next week Melbourne Law School will launch an LLB student survey to find out what students think about the LLB experience. The purpose of the survey will be to find out what the Law School can do to make the LLB degree, and the time you spend in the Law School, the best experience possible, particularly during this period of change for the Law School. Information about the survey and how to access it will be available on the LLB homepage early next week.
meetings with associate dean (undergraduate)
Associate Professor Maureen Tehan, Associate Dean (Undergraduate), will be available to answer questions and discuss any issues students may have in relation to any aspect of the LLB at informal meetings to be held every fortnight during Semester 1, 2009.
You are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain information on your course, discuss difficulties, make suggestions, and generally contribute to ensuring the LLB program works well and meets your needs.
The next meeting will be on Thursday 23 April 2009 and they will be held every two weeks. The meetings will be very informal and you can come along at any time between 1:00 and 2:00pm. The venue is Room 108, Melbourne Law School. Details of further meetings can be found on the online LLB calendar of events.
The Developing Law of Climate Change
Speaker: Ms Elisa de Wit, Partner, Climate Change, Deacons
When: Tuesday 28 April 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
ISP Responsibility and P2P Filesharing
Speaker: Mr Cheng Lim, Partner, Mallesons Stephen Jacques
When: Tuesday 5 May 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
International Law, Market Regulation and Financial Crisis
Speaker: Mr Jürgen Kurtz, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Law School
When: Tuesday 12 May 2009 at 12:45 to 1:45pm
Where: GM15, Melbourne Law School
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 1, 2009, are available online.
the australian law of restitution: has the high court lost its way?
W E Hearn Lecture
Speaker: Professor Andrew Burrows, The University of Oxford
The Australian High Court’s rejection of unjust enrichment thinking as unwanted ‘top-down reasoning’ will be scrutinized and Professor Burrows will compare the law of restitution in Australia and England.
When: Thursday 23 April 2009 at 6.00pm
Where: Melbourne Law School
More details and registration are available online.
the constitution and a human rights act
The Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies together with the Australian Human Rights Commission is pleased to invite you to a public seminar on The Constitution and a Human Rights Act.
In late 2008, the Commonwealth Government established the National Human Rights Consultation to consider the following:
Though the terms of reference rule out an entrenched constitutional bill of rights, the possibility of a National Human Rights Act remains open.
This seminar considers how such an Act would relate to the existing Constitution, whether the Constitution provides any obstacles to the enactment of such an Act and how any potential constitutional problems might be overcome.
Chair: The Hon Catherine Branson QC, President, Australian Human Rights Commission
Speakers: Mark Moshinsky SC, Professor Adrienne Stone, Associate Professor Kristen Walker
Further details are available in the flyer.
When: Tuesday 28 April 2009 at 5:30 to 7:00pm
Where: G08, Melbourne Law School
RSVP: Dr Madeline Grey by Friday 24 April 2009 by tel 03 8344 1011 or email at law-cccs@unimelb.edu.au
animal protection law: why it’s everyone’s business
Voiceless and Melbourne Law School are pleased to invite you to a free public lecture in connection with Voiceless’s 2009 Animal Law Lecture Series. The lecture will be delivered by leading US animal protection litigator, Bruce Wagman, who will share his experiences seeking justice for animals in the courtroom.
Bruce Wagman is a partner in the San Francisco commercial law firm of Schiff Hardin, whose esteemed career has included litigating some of America’s most significant animal law cases affecting animals in farming, entertainment, biomedical research and more. He has taught animal law at UC Berkeley and Stanford Law Schools and is also co-editor of America’s first animal law casebook.
This lecture, which will include an introduction by Dr Michelle Sharpe, Secretary of the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel (Victoria) and lecturer at Melbourne Law School, will be chaired by Katrina Sharman, Corporate Counsel of Voiceless. It will also be an opportunity to find out more about Australia’s first animal law textbook, Animal Law in Australasia, edited by Peter Sankoff and Steven White.
When: Thursday 14 May 2009 at 1:00 to 2:00pm
Where: Room 102, Melbourne Law School
RSVP online at Voiceless.
key thinkers seminar series 2009
Key Thinkers is a series of public lectures held every Thursday evening during the teaching semester. Academics from the University of Melbourne, with occasional guests, will give an hour-long talk on internationally well-known thinkers whose works have inspired their own. This will be followed by thirty minutes of questions and discussion. This is a cross-faculty initiative and the thinkers are chosen from very diverse fields and disciplines. The lecturers are all highly experienced presenters and the content of the lectures will be aimed at a lay audience but with enough complexity to also appeal to more specialized listeners.
Further details and a schedule are available in the flyer.
melbourne conversation (professor peer zumbansen)
Join a discussion with a prominent lecturer and author from York University, Canada. Professor Peer Zumbansen holds the Chair for the Transnational and Comparative Law of Corporate Governance at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Canada. He is founder and Director of the Comparative Research in Law and Political Economy Network at Osgoode Hall and of the collaborative urban research laboratory. Professor Zumbansen is also the Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Studies and Institutional Relations. He has authored books and articles on private and corporate law, international law and legal theory. His current research focuses on comparative corporate governance, comparative law, and legal education reform, and he is co-founder and co-editor in chief of the German Law Journal.
When: Wednesday 27 May 2009 at 5:00pm
Where: Graduate Lounge, Level 6, Melbourne Law School
Associate Professor Cally Jordan will host the discussion.
Places are limited. If you wish to attend, please RSVP Helen Green.
Conversations are open to Melbourne Law School students only.
Call for Nominees
Held annually at Universitas 21 partner campuses around the world, the Summer School brings together undergraduates and academics from across the U21 network. This year the host is the University of Queensland and the School will run from 13 to 24 July 2009, looking at the theme of Climate Change Adaptation. As well as sending six student delegates, Melbourne University will support the participation of one to two academic staff with expertise in climate change adaptation, or in the key themes for impacts and response planning.
Enquiries: Jessie Anne Mitchell, tel 03 8344 6104 or email jessiem@unimelb.edu.au
Further details are available online and application details are in the flyer. Applications close on 24 April 2009.
renewing overdue library books online
The Library system is now allowing students to renew most overdue books online. You can now extend the due date of your overdue library books, as long as:
Please note that when overdue items are renewed, fines are added to your library record. Fines must be paid in full once you reach the $15 limit.
Further details are available online.
You can view your library record online, including due dates and outstanding fines.
If you have any questions regarding your library borrowing record, please call the Law Library loans desk on 8344 6177 or email law-library@unimelb.edu.au
From Monday 6 April 2009, the Law Library will open on Mondays to Thursdays from 8:30am to 11:00pm (unless extended hours apply in June or November, or Winter and Summer Recess hours apply in July and December).
From Saturday, 18 April 2009, the library will be open from 10:00am to 6:00pm on all Saturdays and Sundays (except University holidays) for the remainder of the year.
connecting with law short film competition
The Oxford University Press Connecting with Law Short Film Competition is now starting Take 2.
Submit a 2 to 5 minute film about law or the study of law. This competition is open to all students currently enrolled in an Australian law school.
The winners will be those judged to be the most creative, instructive and original - anything that helps other students connect to the law!
First prize is $1,000, the first runner-up wins $250, and the second runner-up wins $150.
Entries close 31 July 2009.
More information is available online.
the DLA phillips fox geoff masel prize
Melbourne Law School
For Significant Academic Achievement in the Face of Adversity – $2,000 Prize
The DLA Phillips Fox Geoff Masel Prize for significant academic achievement in the face of adversity is given by the partners of DLA Phillips Fox in honour of Geoff Masel’s 50 years in practice with the firm and in recognition of his commitment to legal education and support of those with disadvantages. As well as being a brilliant lawyer, Geoff was also a great educator and made an enormous contribution to the law in outside teaching roles as well as with the firm. Geoff was a former Chairman of Victorian Legal Aid. The Masel legacy is of inestimable value to DLA Phillips Fox and it was with great pleasure and pride that the partners of the firm established this prize in Geoff’s honour in 2002.
The DLA Phillips Fox Geoff Masel Prize is awarded to either an LLB or JD student based on significant academic achievement in the face of adversity (i.e. health issues, disability, personal problems, trauma, etc). To be eligible for the prize you must have completed at least one year of either the LLB or JD, and you must be enrolled for the whole of 2009.
Applications outlining your significant academic achievement (and including a transcript of your results) as well as explaining the adverse circumstances you have faced should be submitted in writing (not electronically) to the Law Student Centre, and addressed to:
Roger Nelson
Advancement Officer
c/o Melbourne Law School Student Centre
Tel: 8344 4498
Email: renelson@unimelb.edu.au
The closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 24 April 2009.
applications for cultural and community relations funds
Applications are now invited for funding assistance from the University's Cultural and Community Relations Advisory Group (CCRAG) during 2009.
The CCRAG is an advisory group to the Vice Chancellor on cultural and community relations matters, making recommendations for funding for University cultural and community activities and events. Funds are available to individuals and groups within the University and its community for projects of University-wide or broader public interest. Activities assisted in 2008 included conferences and seminars, athletic events, lunchtime concerts, student theatre, art exhibitions, community forums, public lectures, and student debating competitions.
For more information about the CCRAG and its activities, including application guidelines and application forms, please visit the CCRAG website.
Applications should be made on either the PDF application form or MS Word application form available on the CCRAG website.
The first round of applications for 2009 closes at 5:00pm on Friday 24 April 2009.
Further information can be obtained from the Secretary of the CCRAG, Lynda Gilbert, at l.gilbert@unimelb.edu.au or on 8344 9333.
discover research, discover careers (research-powered careers series 2009)
Find out what a PhD can do for your career - and our future
Meet a panel of research students, graduates, academics, and industry representatives who will show how their graduate research has led to careers tackling the big challenges of our time.
Event details:
27 April 2009 at 6:30pm Facing a Hot, Dry Future
How your research-driven career in environmental, sustainability or water management will help us adapt to climate change.
28 April 2009 at 6:30pm Healthy Futures: Medical Research Careers
How your research-driven career in medical or health research will improve the health outlook for current and future generations.
30 April 2009 at 6:30pm A Fair Go for All: Improving Equity and Opportunity
How your research-driven career in policy, social or economic development will improve well-being for a range of populations in Australia and internationally.
5 May 2009 at 6:30pm Unlock your Electric Potential
How your research-driven career in engineering, physics, and earth sciences can ensure safe, reliable, and environmentally-friendly supply of energy for generations to come.
Further information, venue details, and registrations.
get ready for work series 2009 - more dates available
Not sure whether the legal research skills you’ve developed through your degree will be good enough for practice?
The Law School’s Legal Research Skills Adviser, Natalie Wieland, 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 four workshops you will receive certification that you have successfully attended and completed the tasks.
Dates: Friday 29 May 2009 and Friday 26 June 2009
(new additional dates)
Time: 9:30am to 4:30pm
Where: Large Computer Lab, Law Library
Session 1 – Understanding Legal Resources
This session will take you through legal research resources, ensuring that you
are aware of what exists in and beyond Melbourne University. This session will
help you:
Session 2 – Understanding Authority, Currency and Developing
Methodologies
This session will take you through the importance of having sound methodologies
that apply to all resources, whether they are paper-based or electronic. This
session will help you:
Session 3 – How to Refine the Task
In practice you will be asked to do a variety of research tasks for different
purposes. This session will help you ask the right questions so you can spend
your time effectively. This session will help you:
Session 4 – How to Create a Research Trail
In practice all research you conduct needs to be charged out so you need to
be accountable. This session will help you:
How to Book:
You can register
for the series online.
Please note places are limited.
instructions for submitting assignments online
From 2009 all assignments will be submitted online only via the Assignment Tool unless advised otherwise.
A link to the Assignment Tool is available in the left-hand menu on LMS/Blackboard subject pages for all subjects. Detailed submission instructions are provided on the subject pages. A step-by-step guide for submitting assignments online is also available.
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.
