2. Monash Careers Expo (August 5-6)

3. Change Makers: Ethics in AI (Wednesday 12 August)

Join this enthralling discussion, moderated by Professor the Hon. Kevin Bell AM QC, on diverse aspects of AI ethics such as Australia’s AI Ethics Framework – released in 2019 by Data61 and underpinned by eight ethical AI principles.

The discussion will include Dr Stefan Hajkowicz, lead author of ‘Australia’s AI Ethics Framework’ and head of strategic foresight at Data61, Professor Liz Campbell from Monash Law, who has undertaken research in AI ethics and facial recognition technology, and Dr Campbell Wilson, the Associate Dean (International) of Monash Faculty of IT who will draw on his experience with AiLECS Lab, a partnership with the Australian Federal Police among others.

Date: Wednesday 12 August

Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register here

4.Your Future in Law (12-14 August)

Are you wondering whether it’s too early (or too late) to start taking the first steps in your career?

Now is the time to learn where your career could take you, how you can get yourself there and how you can manage your self-care on the journey.

Your Future in Law is a 3-part career series created by the Faculty of Law. It’s designed for all Monash Law students, no matter what stage you are at in your studies. The series is your opportunity to learn tangible skills from some of the industry’s best minds in career planning and recruitment.

Day 1: What career do I want after law school?

Date: Wednesday 12 August

Time: 4:00pm – 5:30pm

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register HERE

Get the inside word on how you can use your law degree in your career. You’ll hear firsthand from law graduates working as:

• In-house counsel at Toyota;
• Senior Associate commercial lawyer at Baker McKenzie; and
• Professional services Senior Consultant at KPMG.

Day 2: How can I ace the recruitment process?

Date: Thursday 13 August

Time: 12:00pm – 1:30pm

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register HERE

What’s the STAR technique? What’s my personal brand? Learn what employers are looking for in this Q&A featuring representatives from Gilbert + Tobin and Landers & Rogers. You’ll also learn how to improve your job prospects with tips and tricks from a current Monash JD student who has successfully gone through the clerkship process.

Day 3: Balancing your career and personal life

Date: Friday 14 August

Time: 10:00am – 11:30am

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register HERE

How do you successfully balance your clerkship, internship or graduate applications with your study and personal life? Learn from professionals from Herbert Smith Freehills and Ashurst, as well as a professional counsellor who will provide insights on resilience, finding your career, balancing your personal life, and how to optimise your mental health and wellbeing while studying.

5. Whither the Implied Freedom of Political Communication? (Thursday 27 August)

Monash Law is honoured to present the 2020 Lucinda Lecture, to be delivered by The Hon Justice Geoffrey Nettle AC, High Court of Australia.

Justice Nettle will explain why it might be thought that, despite such differences of judicial opinion and the difficulties and uncertainties that are said to have attended the doctrine’s application, the implied freedom of political communication is soundly based in accepted constitutional principle. His Honour will also explain how the recent invocation of structured proportionality analysis as a test of “appropriateness and adaptedness” is likely to result in increased certainty in the doctrine’s application.

Date: Thursday 27 August

Time: 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register here

6. The Role & Effectiveness of ASIC versus the SEC (Monday 31 August)

Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) regulatory oversight of securities and financial markets increased considerably over time. However, the wisdom of this model has most recently been challenged by the Hayne Royal Commission as ASIC’s enforcement activities were found to be relatively toothless.

What can ASIC learn from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s regulatory structure and enforcement trends since the Global Financial Crisis?

Date: Monday 31 August

Time: 4:30pm – 5:45pm

Location: Zoom

RSVP: Register here

1. Protecting Rights in the Pandemic

Presented by the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the Transnational Criminal Law Group, Faculty of Law, Monash University

For the protection of the life and health of the community from COVID-19, governments have introduced unprecedented controls over many aspects of our everyday lives. Never before in peacetime have so many measures interfered with human rights in such fundamental ways. This seminar series will critically examine the application of and justification for the measures from a human rights and criminal law perspective. Learn more

Dates: Every Wednesday evening at 5.30pm throughout July.

• 1 July – Session 1: Bail, Sentencing and Prisoners under COVID-19
• 8 July – Session 2: Temporary Migrants as a Vulnerable Group under COVID-19
• 15 July – Session 3: Protest and Policing under COVID-19
• 22 July – Session 4: Legislation, Governance and Accountability under COVID-19

1. COVID-19 v Your Rights to Privacy (Monday 1 June)

Old certainties about the balance between data protection and conflicting rights have been lost to the pandemic.

The community is accepting unprecedented restrictions on freedoms and closer surveillance in the name of public health. Trust in science and government has been critical to the community acceptance.

In this webinar, a privacy regulator, a legal practitioner, an IT and security expert, and a legal academic will consider what lessons can be learned from the sudden surge in the digitalisation of our lives and how regulation should adapt when we return to the new normal.

Date: Monday 1 June
Time: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Find out more and register here >

2. Responding to Family Violence during COVID-19 (Thursday 4 June)

Responding to family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic creates unique challenges.

Both victim/survivors of violence, including children and adolescents, and perpetrators who want to change their behaviour are likely to find it difficult to get access to appropriate and timely support. Police, courts, lawyers, and family violence service providers may have to modify their practices to ensure people get the help they need.

Join this panel of experts to be part of a wide-ranging exploration of emerging problems and possible solutions in the area of family violence.

Date: Thursday 4 June
Time: 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm
Find out more and register here >

3. A Trumpwork Orange: Fair Use and International Copyright Claims (Tuesday 9 June)

In 2016, Australian lawyer and online video maker, Hugh Atkin, was sued for copyright infringement by the composer of the score to A Clockwork Orange 

The claim related to a little-seen Donald Trump parody released during the 2016 US Presidential Election campaign.

Hugh will discuss the round-about route by which a university law revue led to his being sued in the District Court of New York, and his experiences with overzealous copyright holders along the way.

This session will be followed by a Q&A.

Date: Tuesday 9 June

Time:  1:00pm – 2:00pm

RSVP: Register here

1. [Live stream] The emergence of ‘comply or explain’ as a global model for corporate governance codes

The introduction of the Cadbury Code in the UK in the early 1990s marked an important turning point in the evolution of corporate governance around the world.

The ‘comply or explain’ approach pioneered by the Cadbury Code prioritised flexibility and the role of market discipline in its approach. These priorities can be linked clearly to earlier trends in the evolution of company law and capital market regulation in the UK. However, it is more difficult to explain why the Cadbury Code should have exerted so much influence over systems of corporate governance which differ from the UK in their approach and evolution.

We propose three explanations for the spread of ‘comply or explain’ codes around the world and undertake qualitative and quantitative (leximetric) analysis in order to test these propositions.

Date: Monday 30 March

Time: 5:00 pm – 6:15 pm AEDT

Live stream via Zoom: Register here

2. [Live stream] Building Blocks of a Startup

Deciding to create your own startup project is exciting at the same time as daunting but incredibly rewarding and can open up your world to vast opportunities.

The Generator is thrilled to announce that we will be running an online webinar presented by James Alexander, Co-founder of Galileo Ventures, which will dive into some of the building blocks of a startup that will move your company towards a trajectory of success.

Date: Tuesday 31 March

Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm AEDT

Live stream via Zoom: Register here

1. From Student to Professional (Tuesday 17 March)

Transitioning from your studies in law to a career in the field can be a daunting prospect.

The LSS has organised for legal professionals in a number of fields to speak about their journey and share some useful tips and tricks for making your way in the legal world. The panel discussion will be followed by Q&A from the audience and networking over canapés.

Details on the speakers will be released closer to the date of the event, look out for updates and registration form on the Facebook event page.

Date: Tuesday 17 March

Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm

Venue: Auditorium, Monash Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale St Melbourne 3000

Dress Code: Business casual

Register here

This event is open to all Monash LLB and JD students. Please feel free to contact careersofficer@monashlss.com for any queries.

2. Workplace Law Highlights Seminar (Thursday 19 March)

What do the new Industrial Manslaughter laws mean for companies and their officers? What are the latest developments in the general protections under the Fair Work Act (2009)?

New Industrial Manslaughter laws From 1 July this year, workplace manslaughter will be a jailable offence.

Under the recently passed amendments to Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers, self-employed persons and, in some cases, directors and officers of companies who, by their negligent conduct, cause the death of anyone who is owed a duty under the OHS Act face fines of up to $16.5 million for companies and up to 20 years in jail for individuals.

Dr Eric Windholz, Senior Lecturer and former General Counsel of WorkSafe Victoria, will explain the new laws, what led to their enactment, and what can be expected once they take effect.

Date: Thursday 19 March

Time: 5:45pm – 8:15pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

3. Are Royal Commissions Fit for Purpose? (Monday 23 March)

Governments are increasingly setting up Royal Commissions in areas that have a significant policy focus. In Victoria, Royal Commissions have in recent years been established into Family Violence and Mental Health. At a national level, Royal Commissions have been established into banking, aged care and disability. A National Royal Commission into the 2019-2020 bushfire season has recently been announced.

Given the frequency with which Royal Commissions are being used to address complex public policy challenges, it is timely to examine their utility and opportunities to maximise their potential. This panel discussion gathers experts with a range of perspectives on the Royal Commission process. Through a facilitated discussion and including opportunities for attendees to be part of the discussion, the panel will consider a range of questions relating to the efficacy of Royal Commissions and their role in policy making and reform.

Date: Monday 23 March

Time: 5:15pm – 8:00pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

4. The Emergence of ‘comply or explain’ as a global model for corporate governance codes

Speaker: Professor Iain MacNeil, Alexander Stone Chair of Commercial Law, University of Glasgow

The introduction of the Cadbury Code in the UK in the early 1990s marked an important turning point in the evolution of corporate governance around the world. The ‘comply or explain’ approach pioneered by the Cadbury Code prioritised flexibility and the role of market discipline in its approach. These priorities can be linked clearly to earlier trends in the evolution of company law and capital market regulation in the UK.

However, it is more difficult to explain why the Cadbury Code should have exerted so much influence over systems of corporate governance which differ from the UK in their approach and evolution. We propose three explanations for the spread of ‘comply or explain’ codes around the world and undertake qualitative and quantitative (leximetric) analysis in order to test these propositions.

Date: Monday 30 March

Time: 4:45pm – 6:15pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

5. Directors Duties: ABL Corporate Law Seminar Series (Thursday 2 April)

Monash University in partnership with leading Melbourne law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL) is proud to host the ABL Corporate Law Seminar Series. This is a great opportunity to understand how your classroom studies are put into action in a law firm setting.

This series of four seminars covers various aspects of the unit Corporations Law (LAW3112) for undergraduate and Principles of Company Law (LAW5011) for postgraduate students. Seminars are conducted by ABL partners and lawyers through a mixture of lectures, case studies and analysis of real life examples. Topics coincide with the delivery of your law units to maximise impact.

The first seminar in the ABL Corporate Law Seminar Series is on the topic Directors Duties. The seminar is presented by ABL Litigation Partners Leon Zwier and Elyse Hilton.

Date: Thursday 2 April
Time: 10:30am – 12:00pm
Venue: Clayton Campus, room TBC
Register here

You will have the opportunity to network with ABL partners and recruitment staff after the seminar over canapés (12:00pm – 12:30pm).

1. Corporate Culture and Director Accountability (Wednesday 4 March)

The Banking Royal Commission has served as a wake-up call for boards and advisers on corporate governance.

This panel will present perspectives from the profession and academia about the impact of the Royal Commission on corporate culture and director accountability.

Date: Wednesday 4 March

Time: 5.15pm – 6.15pm

Venue: Court 8A, Federal Court of Australia, Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

Chair

• Justice Jonathan Beach Judge, Federal Court of Australia

Panel

• Michael Borsky QC, Victorian Bar
• Professor Jennifer Hill, Bob Baxt AO Chair, Monash Law
• Michelle Bennett, Partner, Allens

2. Homicide by Overdose: Criminal Law in a Drug Crisis (Tuesday 10 March)

Around the world, the human, social and economic costs of illicit drugs are soaring. Overdose deaths in the USA and Canada have reached such a point that both nations have declared public health emergencies.

The numbers are also on the rise in Australia. In the USA, public authorities are increasingly turning to the criminal law to address the overdose crisis, treating overdose deaths as homicides, and prosecuting friends, family members and acquaintances.

What role should the criminal law play in addressing this public health crisis in the USA, Canada and Australia?

Date: Tuesday 10 March

Time: 5.45pm – 7.30pm

Venue:Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

3. Following Feeling: The Emotional Politics of LGBTI Rights & Law Reform (Wednesday 11 March)

Why do courts turn to love when dealing with relationship recognition?

Movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) justice and equality generate emotion, particularly among the scholars, activists, lawyers, and judges who participate in them. Drawing on his new book, Feeling Queer Jurisprudence (Routledge, 2020), Dr Senthorun Raj will speak about why we need to take emotion seriously in our pursuits of LGBTI rights.

Date: Wednesday 11 March

Time: 5:45pm – 7:00pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

4. Workplace Law Highlights Seminar (Thursday 19 March)

What do the new Industrial Manslaughter laws mean for companies and their officers? What are the latest developments in the general protections under the Fair Work Act (2009)?

New Industrial Manslaughter laws From 1 July this year, workplace manslaughter will be a jailable offence.

Under the recently passed amendments to Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers, self-employed persons and, in some cases, directors and officers of companies who, by their negligent conduct, cause the death of anyone who is owed a duty under the OHS Act face fines of up to $16.5 million for companies and up to 20 years in jail for individuals.

Dr Eric Windholz, Senior Lecturer and former General Counsel of WorkSafe Victoria, will explain the new laws, what led to their enactment, and what can be expected once they take effect.

Date: Thursday 19 March

Time: 5:45pm – 8:15pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

1. Corporate Criminal Responsibility (26 February)

The ALRC is holding a series of seminars in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to provide an update and to encourage additional feedback into the inquiry of Australia’s corporate criminal responsibility regime.

The seminars will be led by an expert panel focusing on the ALRC’s proposed model of corporate regulation, the attribution of criminal responsibility to corporations and individual liability for corporate fault, while also discussing other aspects of the proposals. Melbourne Seminar Panel:

• The Hon Justice SC Derrington, ALRC
• The Hon Justice RJ Bromwich, ALRC
• Professor Liz Campbell, Monash University
• Professor Jonathan Clough, Monash University
• Michael Wyles QC, Barrister

The interactive seminars present the opportunity to summarise the submissions received, indicate the ALRC’s potential direction following those submissions and to seek further feedback on the position the ALRC may adopt in its Final Report.

Learn more

2. Corporate Culture and Director Accountability (4 March)

The Banking Royal Commission has served as a wake-up call for boards and advisers on corporate governance.

This panel will present perspectives from the profession and academia about the impact of the Royal Commission on corporate culture and director accountability.

Date: Wednesday 4 March

Time: 5.15pm – 6.15pm

Venue: Court 8A, Federal Court of Australia, Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

Chair

• Justice Jonathan Beach Judge, Federal Court of Australia

Panel

• Michael Borsky QC, Victorian Bar
• Professor Jennifer Hill, Bob Baxt AO Chair, Monash Law
• Michelle Bennett, Partner, Allens

3. Following Feeling: The Emotional Politics of LGBTI Rights & Law Reform (11 March)

Why do courts turn to love when dealing with relationship recognition?

Movements for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) justice and equality generate emotion, particularly among the scholars, activists, lawyers, and judges who participate in them. Drawing on his new book, Feeling Queer Jurisprudence (Routledge, 2020), Dr Senthorun Raj will speak about why we need to take emotion seriously in our pursuits of LGBTI rights.

Date: Wednesday 11 March

Time: 5:45pm – 7:00pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

1. Corporate Criminal Responsibility

The ALRC is holding a series of seminars in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to provide an update and to encourage additional feedback into the inquiry of Australia’s corporate criminal responsibility regime.

The seminars will be led by an expert panel focusing on the ALRC’s proposed model of corporate regulation, the attribution of criminal responsibility to corporations and individual liability for corporate fault, while also discussing other aspects of the proposals. Melbourne Seminar Panel:

• The Hon Justice SC Derrington, ALRC
• The Hon Justice RJ Bromwich, ALRC
• Professor Liz Campbell, Monash University
• Professor Jonathan Clough, Monash University
• Michael Wyles QC, Barrister

The interactive seminars present the opportunity to summarise the submissions received, indicate the ALRC’s potential direction following those submissions and to seek further feedback on the position the ALRC may adopt in its Final Report.

Learn more

2. Corporate Culture and Director Accountability

The Banking Royal Commission has served as a wake-up call for boards and advisers on corporate governance.

This panel will present perspectives from the profession and academia about the impact of the Royal Commission on corporate culture and director accountability.

Date: Wednesday 4 March

Time: 5.15pm – 6.15pm

Venue: Court 8A, Federal Court of Australia, Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

Chair

• Justice Jonathan Beach Judge, Federal Court of Australia

Panel

• Michael Borsky QC, Victorian Bar
• Professor Jennifer Hill, Bob Baxt AO Chair, Monash Law
• Michelle Bennett, Partner, Allens

3. Reasonable Belief in Consent: Problems and Possibilities in Rape Law Reform

Join leading academics, legal practitioners and activists for an evening of rethinking sexual consent law in Australia.

Date: Tuesday 11 February

Time: 4.45pm – 7.30pm

Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

Cost: Free

Register here

Panellists

• Professor Jonathan Crowe, Bond University
• Dr Rachael Burgin, Swinburne Law School
• Katrina Marson, Churchill Fellow and Criminal Lawyer
• Lidia Thorpe, The first Aboriginal woman in Victorian Parliament and former Greens MP

The discussion will be facilitated by Associate Professor Jacqui Horan from Monash University.

Following the panel, we invite you to enjoy a drinks and canapés reception. Saxon Mullins will launch a research and advocacy initiative at the reception.

1. Nationalism in M&A Markets (Wednesday 29 January)

A rise in nationalism can be seen across multiple aspects of international economic law. Since 2016 major political events such as Brexit and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump have affected trade, monetary and financial regulation.The area of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is feeling the effects of nationalism. For example, in recent years countries have stepped up efforts to block mergers based on national security grounds. With little in the way of an international framework to combat emerging conflicts, Professor Robert B. Thompson explores what the future may hold for M&A markets in such volatile times.

Date: Wednesday 29 January

Time: 4:45 pm – 6:15 pm

Venue: Monash Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Free event, RSVP essential here

2. The Potential Virtues of the Self-Maximising Corporate Entity (Thursday 29 January)

What is a corporation? The dominant conception of the company since the 1980s is that it is a private and contractual mechanism for solving agency problems between managers and shareholders. In this Commercial Law Discussion Forum, Professor Watson examines the development of the corporate entity from an historical perspective, offering an alternative paradigm to the dominant theory of the company. Under Professor Watson’s alternative paradigm, the interests held by the corporate entity extend beyond mere financial value. The alternative paradigm also suggests that the board should be acutely sensitive to the social, environmental and economic contexts in which the company operates and its interaction with other persons. As societal expectations of the company shift, good corporate governance will increasingly require a similar shift in the operational norms of corporations.

Date: Thursday 30 January

Time: 12.45pm – 2.00pm

Venue: Monash Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Free event, RSVP essential here

1. Commercial CPD Seminar: Privacy Law in an Era of Disruption (Wednesday 20 November)

With no statutory or common law tort for invasion of privacy in Australia, this session will explore current privacy protections and causes of action in legislation and common law. It will also discuss law reform proposals to improve redress, such as a statutory tort and strengthened protections under existing privacy legislation, as most recently recommended by the ACCC’s Digital Platforms Report. Our panel will also highlight the growing tension between rapidly evolving technology and current notions of privacy.

Date: Wednesday 20 November 2019
Time: 5.15pm – 6.15pm
Venue: Monday University Law Chambers, 555 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

2. Culture as Key: The Hayne Banking Royal Commission and the Future of Enforcement for Australian Regulatory Agencies (Wednesday 27 November)

The Final Report of the Hayne Banking Royal Commission found that poor culture was a key contributor to much of the misconduct it examined, with a whole chapter dedicated to ‘Culture, Governance and Remuneration’. Principal amongst the recommendations made is the adoption of an attitude to enforcement amongst Australian regulators that takes, at its starting point, ‘Why not litigate?’ Commissioner Hayne implicitly argues that the culture of organisations will improve if the law is enforced.

This CLARS Law & Business Student Discussion Forum will assess the efficacy of a ‘Why not litigate?’ stance going forward, and its implications for ASIC’s previous enforcement practice, particularly the use of a ‘pyramid of enforcement’. Further, it will discuss some recent initiatives and ‘new’ regulatory tools that focus on culture as a key item of interest in the regulation of corporations. This event will be chaired by Professor Jennifer Hill, Bob Baxt AO Chair in Corporate and Commercial Law.

Date: Wednesday 27 November
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Venue: Moot Court, Level I, Monash Law School, 15 Ancora Imparo Way, Monash University (Clayton Campus)

RSVP here