Law Student Gazette

1. Clinical Legal Education Applications

If you think you need hands-on practical experience of real clients with real cases – including court appearances – before you leave law school, please note that Clinical Legal Education applications are now being accepted for Clinical Period 3:
 2010 (July – November) until Friday 5 June, 2010.

For application forms and unit information please see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/cle.html
or at the Law Student Services counter.

Clinical Legal Education Programs Available:

LAW5216 Professional Practice (12pts)

LAW5217 Law Reform and Community Development (6pts)

LAW5128 Family Law Assistance Program (Professional Practice) (12pts)

LAW5149 Advanced Professional Practice LAW5149 (6pts)

Sexual Assault Clinic – SECASA

Criminal Defence Clinic – in conjunction with Rob Stary and Associates

Human Rights Clinic – in conjunction with the Castan Centre for Human Rights at Holding Redlich

Commercial Law Clinic – in conjunction with Moores Legal, solicitors

2. Jessup International Law Moot

The Jessup International Law Moot is the world’s largest and most prestigious International Law moot court competition, with participants from over 500 law schools in more than 80 countries.

The National Rounds for the 2011 moot will take place in January/February 2011 in Canberra.

Monash University Law students who participate in the 2011 Jessup moot will receive 6 credit points for their preparation and participation in the moot itself.

Dr Adam McBeth is coaching the Monash Law team for the 2010 competition and is calling for students who are interested in being a member of the Monash Law School team to attend a lunchtime discussion/information session on:
 
Date: Thursday 27 May, 2010
Time: 1 pm
Venue: L1

3. Worldwide Investigation of Student Chronotype

Are you interested in being involved in a worldwide project looking at student sleep habits?

For more information please visit:
www.med.monash.edu.au/psych/research/teams/csrt/quest.html

The study is not related in any way to your course at Monash University, nor will the choice to participate or not affect your relationship with Monash University.

1. Law Library Closed Sunday 30 May, 2010

The Law Library and Law building will be closed on Sunday 30 May, 2010 due to electrical works being carried out for the Menzies redevelopment project.

The Matheson and Hargrave-Andrew Libraries will be open from 10 am – 5 pm and Caulfield Library from 10 am – 10 pm.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience.

1. Seminar 3: Legal Citation and Referencing

Some of the questions addressed:
How do I incorporate others’ ideas appropriately through referencing in legal assessment tasks?
What is and how do I avoid plagiarism?

Dates: Friday May 14, Thursday May 20, Thursday May 27, 2010
Times: 2:30 pm – 4 pm, 4 pm-5:30 pm, 11:30 am-1 pm
Venues: Clayton, City Chambers, City Chambers

Use the my.monash booking system to book your place:
my.monash.edu.au/news-and-events/bookings/library/

Online language and learning resources are also available at:
www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/

2. Seminar 4: Reading Legal Texts and Writing in Legal Genres

Some of the questions addressed:

What are and how do I apply critical reading techniques when summarising cases and statutes?
What are some effective approaches to planning my writing task?
What are the predictable structures of legal essays?
How do I write clearly and effectively for my audience using plain English?

Dates: Thursday May 27, Friday May 28, 2010
Times: 4 pm – 5:30 pm, 2:30 pm – 4 pm
Venues: City Chambers, Clayton

Use the my.monash booking system to book your place:
my.monash.edu.au/news-and-events/bookings/library/

Online language and learning resources are also available at:
www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/

3. Units Cancelled in 2010 – Cancellation of PG Units

Due to unforeseen circumstances the following postgraduate units have been cancelled for 2010:

LAW7009 Commercial tenancy law
LAW7342 Legal aspects of the Israel/Palestine
LAW7345 Managing urban growth: legal planning issues

The Faculty apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. Students requiring course advice can contact the Course Convenor by email:
graduate@law.monash.edu.au
or telephone 9903 8500

END OF GAZETTE 24/5/10

1. Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship PhD Scholarship

Professor George Williams is seeking to appoint a PhD scholar to work with him on his Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship project ‘Anti-Terror Laws and the Democratic Challenge’.

The three year PhD scholarship (payable at $26,140 per year) is open to people who have an outstanding academic record and the potential to become a leading legal scholar.

The appointee will work closely with Professor Williams on the areas covered by the project. They will also have the opportunity to participate in the strong and supportive research culture at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law at UNSW Law School.

Applicants must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian Permanent Resident

Job Location: School of Law, University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia

For further information, application details contact Professor George Williams at:
george.williams@unsw.edu.au  

The closing date for applications is Monday 31 May, 2010.

2. Castan Centre In-House Internships – Applications Now Open

Position Title: Internship
Job Level: Law Student
Required Available: Part Time (one day a week)
Duration: Monday 19 July – Friday 15 October, 2010 (twelve weeks). 

Job Description:

The Castan Centre in-house internship program gives Monash Law students who are interested and passionate about human rights the opportunity to become involved in the work of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.

 Interns will have the opportunity to assist in a variety of programs. These could include; research and writing on human rights projects, writing articles for the Castan Centre newsletter, and assisting with public education events such as lectures and the annual human rights conference.

Applications Requirements:
There will not be interviews for the internships and students are expected to write a very brief cover letter only (no longer than 1 page).

The closing date for applications for second semester 2010 (part-time) is 5 pm Friday 21 May, 2010.

Details of selection criteria and the application process are available at:
www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/internships/in-house-internship.html

For queries please contact Erica Contini, Castan Centre Project Officer at:
erica.contini@law.monash.edu.au
or 9905 3318

1. National Youth Summit 2010

Date: Friday 29 October – Tuesday 2 November
Venue: University of Technology, Sydney

The theme of NYS 2010 is ‘Human Rights’, encompassing four thematic issues – Conflict, Gender Inequality, Good Governance and Minorities (Aboriginal Rights). It will consist of various programs of interaction and debate: workshops, discussion groups, guest speakers, and social events that will provide an opportunity for students to interact and build networks outside the conference.

For more information see:
vic.unya.org.au/conferences/conferences.html
National Youth Summit

2. The Rise and Rise of Targeted Assassinations, and the Implications for International Law

Date: Wednesday 19 May, 2010
Time: 6 pm – 7 pm
Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 
              472 Bourke Street, Melbourne
RSVP: castan.centre@law.monash.edu.au
             or 9905 3327

Free Public Lecture – All Welcome

A gentle reminder that the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and the Human Rights Law Resource Centre present Professor Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Special Adviser to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Millennium Development Goals, and the John Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University.  He co-chairs the NYU Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. 

For more information see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/events/2010/alston-lecture.html

1. Clinical Legal Education Applications

If you think you need hands-on practical experience of real clients with real cases – including court appearances – before you leave law school, please note that Clinical Legal Education applications are now being accepted for Clinical Period 3:
 2010 (July – November) until Friday 5 June, 2010.

For application forms and unit information please see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/cle.html
or at the Law Student Services counter.

Clinical Legal Education Programs Available:

LAW5216 Professional Practice (12pts)

LAW5217 Law Reform and Community Development (6pts)

LAW5128 Family Law Assistance Program (Professional Practice) (12pts)

LAW5149 Advanced Professional Practice LAW5149 (6pts)

Sexual Assault Clinic – SECASA

Criminal Defence Clinic – in conjunction with Rob Stary and Associates

Human Rights Clinic – in conjunction with the Castan Centre for Human Rights at Holding Redlich

Commercial Law Clinic – in conjunction with Moores Legal, solicitors

2. Disability Liaison Unit Services

The Faculty of Law is committed to promoting access and equity for students who have a disability or long term medical condition.

The University’s Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) may be able to provide a range of services to assist these students, including alternative arrangements for assessments/examinations (AAA’s).

To register with the DLU you must contact them directly, for more information and contact details please visit the website at:
www.adm.monash.edu.au/sss/equity-diversity/disability-liaison/

3. Research Project

We are looking for skilled and enthusiastic senior law students to participate in an online experiment!

Solve a fun and challenging contract law dispute. Knowledge of contract law is not needed, we supply the law, and you supply the skills to apply it!

You get a $50 Sanity Music gift card.

This experiment requires a minimum participation time of 30 minutes. On average, it requires 60 minutes to complete.

For queries contact:
Natalie.close@newcastle.edu.au

For more information see:
psych.newcastle.edu.au/contractlaw2ns/survey/
Research Project

4. Semester 1 Unit Evaluations

Semester 1 Unit Evaluations (UE) are now underway and we would really appreciate your participation in these evaluations (it is only 5 questions plus the opportunity to add some comments)  and let us know how you think the quality of our Units can be continually improved. 

We do care about your feedback and opinions and we do take what you say on board when redesigning our Units for next time – if you look in the Unit Guides you will see that there is a special section in there called ‘Continuous Improvement’ which explains how the student feedback from the previous group has led to improvements for the current Unit. 

We also try hard each Semester to improve on our previous performance on Unit Evaluations so in S1 we are trying to improve on our 2009 S1 UE performance of:

Average student response rate – the Law Faculty received 51.42% compared with the University’s response rate at 46.02%.

Average score on Q5 – the overall satisfaction question – the Law Faculty rated 4.09 out of a possible 5 compared with the University’s score of 3.94.

Number of Units scoring in the ‘Outstanding’ category on Q5 – the Law Faculty had 20 Units rate in this category which was an awesome result! To do this now Units have to get a score of 4.7 or more out of a possible 5. 

Thank you very much for the feedback which you provide to us about our units – we really do appreciate it and of course your participation in the unit evaluation process.

5. Warning Re Uploading Of University Materials On External Websites

It has come to the Faculty’s attention that some students have been downloading lecture slides from Blackboard and uploading them onto external commercial  websites.

We would like to remind students that the university owns the copyright for all lecture materials and that their misuse breaches copyright law and is treated as a disciplinary offence by the university.

Assoc Prof Moira Paterson Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies)

Professor Ann Monotti Associate Dean (Postgraduate Studies)

1. Upcoming Postgraduate Learning Skills Seminars and Workshops

Seminar 4: Reading legal texts and writing in legal genres

Dates: Thursday May 27, Friday May 28, 2010
Times: 4 pm – 5:30 pm, 2:30 pm – 4 pm
Venues: City Chambers, Clayton

Use the my.monash booking system to book your place:
my.monash.edu.au/news-and-events/bookings/library/

Online language and learning resources are also available at:
www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/

END OF GAZETTE 17/5/10

1. Castan Centre In-House Internships – Applications Now Open

Position Title: Internship
Job Level: Law Student
Required Available: Part Time (one day a week)
Duration: Monday 19 July – Friday 15 October, 2010 (twelve weeks). 

Job Description:
The Castan Centre in-house internship program gives Monash Law students who are interested and passionate about human rights the opportunity to become involved in the work of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.

Interns will have the opportunity to assist in a variety of programs. These could include; research and writing on human rights projects, writing articles for the Castan Centre newsletter, and assisting with public education events such as lectures and the annual human rights conference.

Application Requirements:
There will not be interviews for the internships and students are expected to write a very brief cover letter only (no longer than 1 page).

The closing date for applications for second semester 2010 (part-time) is 5 pm Friday 21 May, 2010.

Details of selection criteria and the application process are available at:
www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/internships/in-house-internship.html

For queries please contact Erica Contini, Castan Centre Project Officer at:
erica.contini@law.monash.edu.au
or 9905 3318

2. Paralegal Position

Position Title: Paralegal Position
Job Level: Final Year Student
Required Availability: Part Time (3 days a week)

Sparke Helmore is one of Australia’s most dynamic law firms. Our Firm services a blue chip client portfolio across eight offices nationally and is supported by leading edge infrastructure and resources.

We currently have an opportunity for a Paralegal to join the national Insurance group in our Melbourne office, working particularly in the areas of State and Commonwealth Compensation and General Liability litigation.

We are looking for a law student in their penultimate year of study who would like the opportunity to build a future career with the Firm. This position is for three days per week on a casual basis, allowing for flexibility to work extra hours during university breaks.

Job Description:
Responsibilities of the position include drafting letters and court documents, reviewing and summarising documents, attending AAT Return of Summons Hearings, court copying, updating monthly client reports and research.

Applicants should have:
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, be proactive and have the ability to organise and prioritise. If you are a self-starter who thrives on being busy and works well in a team environment.

The closing date for applications is Friday 21 May, 2010. 

Please apply online at:
www.sparke.com.au/careers

For queries contact Tanya Hughes:
(03) 9291 2304

1. Liberty Victoria and The Castan Centre Lecture

Date: Thursday 13 May, 2010
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue: Monash University Law Chambers, 
              472 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Speaker: Julian Assange
Topic: Geeks versus gag orders: has censorship been privatised?
RSVP: castan.centre@law.monash.edu.au
             or 9905 3327
Entry: Free

Entry will be by RSVP only (names will be checked at the door).
The evening will be an off-the-record event. No media.

Julian Assange is an activist, journalist, and the editor of WikiLeaks.com, which was founded to disseminate documents, photos and video which have political or social significance. WikiLeaks recently published US military footage showing a number of people – including two Reuters journalists – being killed by a US helicopter gunship.

The website has published thousands of explosive secret documents, including the manual for the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, documents exposing high-level corruption in Kenya, top secret Church of Scientology manuals and the membership list of the far-right British National Party.

Mr Assange was born and raised in Australia. He won the Amnesty International Media Award (New Media) in 2009 for his work on extrajudicial assassinations and disappearances in Kenya, and the Index on Censorship’s Economist New Media Award in 2008. He has been described as the founder of WikiLeaks, although he does not use that term himself.

For more information see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/castancentre/events/2010/assange-lecture.html

2. The Great Law Week Debate

Witness internationally-respected Monash Law Alumni battle it out with current Monash Law students, over this highly controversial topic at the annual Great Law Week Debate. Grand Finalist of the Commonwealth AAT Moot.

Amit Golder (Law/Arts) will lead the student team to argue ‘Criminals don’t deserve the same human rights as everyone else’, supported by Natalie Devitsakis (Law/Arts), who has been ranked in the top ten of Australasian British Parliamentary Women’s Debating Championships and Sashi Balaraman (Law), a Grand Finalist at the Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships.

But proving this point won’t be easy against the Monash Alumni team lead by one of Melbourne’s most respected QCs David Galbally (BJuris 1972, LLB 1974) and team mates Dick Gross AM (BA/LLB 1980) author and former three-time Mayor of the City of Port Phillip and Kate Metcalf (BJuris 1977, LLB 1979) a lawyer with three decades of experience gained inside businesses ranging from global household names to one-woman micro-businesses.

Overseeing the Great Law Week Debate as moderator is Monash Law graduate Will Fowles (BCom/LLB 2004), who in 2005 became the youngest ever member of the Melbourne Cricket Club Committee and in 2008 ran for Lord Mayor of Melbourne.

Date: Wednesday 19 May, 2010
Time: 6 pm – 7:30 pm
Where: State Library of Victoria,
               Theatrette, 179 Latrobe St,
               Melbourne (Entry 3)
Cost: Free
RSVP: By Wednesday 12 May, 2010
             marketing@law.monash.edu.au
             or (03) 9905 2630

For further information see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/news/events/

1. Clinical Legal Education Applications

If you think you need hands-on practical experience of real clients with real cases – including court appearances – before you leave law school, please note that Clinical Legal Education applications are now being accepted for Clinical Period 3:
 2010 (July – November) until Friday 5 June, 2010.

For application forms and unit information please see:
www.law.monash.edu.au/cle.html
 or at the Law Student Services counter.

Clinical Legal Education Programs Available:

LAW5216 Professional Practice (12pts)

LAW5217 Law Reform and Community Development (6pts)

LAW5128 Family Law Assistance Program (Professional Practice) (12pts)

LAW5149 Advanced Professional Practice LAW5149 (6pts)

Sexual Assault Clinic – SECASA

Criminal Defence Clinic – in conjunction with Rob Stary and Associates

Human Rights Clinic – in conjunction with the Castan Centre for Human Rights at Holding Redlich

Commercial Law Clinic – in conjunction with Moores Legal, solicitors