Caitlin Brown -
Supreme Court Prizewinner 2011

Caitlin Brown was presented with the 2011 Supreme Court Prize for most outstanding graduating student in 2011 at the Academic Awards Evening at Geelong Waterfront campus on 19 April, 2012.

Read Caitlin's acceptance speech to learn more about her School of Law journey...

"I'm so glad I have the opportunity to say a few words about how great it was to study law at Deakin.
Deakin law is very highly regarded within the legal industry, particularly among commercial law firms.

I'm currently two months into my graduate year at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and the commercial focus of Deakin's law degree definitely gave me an advantage in the highly competitive graduate recruitment market.

When I was a seasonal clerk at Corrs last year one of the Partners had a task she needed done. She asked my fellow clerk from another law school if he had studied employment law. He said no. She asked him if he had studied another relevant subject and he said no. She frowned at him and she said what have you studied?

That was the first time I really realised that Deakin's uniquely commercial degree was having a direct impact on my ability to compete with other graduates in the workplace. Deakin students study subjects coinciding with almost every practice group in a Commercial law firm today. I was able to tell that Partner that I had studied both of those relevant subjects.

Not only does this equip students with enough legal knowledge for a starting point when we get into the workplace, it means that we can make an informed decision about what areas of law we are interested in.

On top of this I also had room to study subjects like family law and human rights law which I thoroughly enjoyed. I believe that these factors combined with the emphasis put on practical experience has given me an exceptionally well-rounded legal education.

The teaching staff at Deakin deserve the highest praise. Every semester I had a new favourite lecturer. I have particular respect for those who expected a lot from their students. Lecturers should never cater to those students who expect to be spoon fed. The necessary result is a lower standard of graduates. I am so glad that there was generally refusal by lecturers to engage in this method of teaching.

Many of the academic staff have been a source of inspiration and encouragement for me in my learning and in my career. I would like to mention Oscar Roos in particular, whose passion for his legal subject matter is a true inspiration, which I hope I will be successful in emulating throughout my career.

I also extend my sincerest apologies to all Deakin exam markers and heap my praise upon their handwriting deciphering skills. It's well known now that law exams aren't just testing the students. I am astounded by how much meaning markers are able to take from what is effectively six booklets of double-spaced hieroglyphics.

Such high standards of academic staff, a thorough legal curriculum and administrative efficiency are what made studying at Deakin so rewarding. I feel so blessed that my genuine love for the law has meant that studying hard hasn't been a chore. I hope the current law students at Deakin are enjoying the course as much as I did and making the most of the edge the Deakin law degree will give them as graduates.