D-Brief
News from the Deakin School of Law Volume 4, Issue 1, February 2011
D-Brief is the electronic newsletter, providing law students with current information.
Click on a hyperlink below to skip directly to the article you are interested in.
From the Head of School
Dear Students
Welcome back to the School of Law for 2011 and to the first edition of D-Brief for the year. For those of you who have been studying over T3, it probably does not seem quite like the start of a new year and we hope you have enjoyed your studies.
Some of you will have taken your first baby steps into the practice of law with a seasonal clerkship. I hope you acquitted yourselves well and can look forward to the offer of graduate position. Securing a clerkship and a graduate position is no mean feat and is a reminder to early year students that studies do have to be taken seriously from day one of law school. Please bear this in mind when thinking about the coming year and your outside work commitments. There is increasing evidence that students who undertake more than a few hours of paid work - especially if it is not related to their studies - pay the price in terms of academic performance. Keep your eye on the main game!
If you do need to work more than a few hours please think about your study program. You may find it beneficial to reduce your load and make up for it with some T3 units. We cannot maintain a full program, in T3, but a number of units are offered each year including some in intensive mode.
Two groups of students have been busy over the summer sharpening their mooting skills. This year for the first time in a number of years we have had a team competing in the Jessup Moot held at the ANU. Competition is underway as I am writing this. Dilan Thampapillai is the team coach. Meanwhile, Ben Hayward has been busy with this year's Vis Moot competitors. Practice moots have begun at law firms around the city with the gracious assistance of our Vis Moot alumni. These practice moots determine who will be the four lucky students to represent Deakin in Hong Kong and Vienna.
Inside this edition of D-Brief you will find news of this year's China Study Tour. There is still time to plan your participation but the closing date is approaching fast.
Late last year the School hosted a very successful conference in Warrnambool that focused on rural and regional law and legal practice. One of the main topics of discussion was the need to attract lawyers to practice outside the main cities. Interestingly, the Australian Law Students Society (ALSA) has also taken up this issue. I hope this is an area where the School and your student society, (the DLSS) might work together to highlight the opportunities and challenges of practice outside the metropolitan areas. Hopefully there will be more to say on this issue during the year.
Finally, best wishes for a successful and enjoyable 2011.
Professor Anne Rees
Head of School
General News
Apply for Law Clinic in Trimester 2 and 3
China Study Tour 2011
Geelong Law Association Scholarships
International Financial Crime (MLL388) offered in intensive mode in Trimester 1 at Burwood
New online resource for academics and students
What have you done? An invitation to Deakin Law Students to share your good news
Employment & Placement Opportunities
Professional Experience placement available- English, Cantonese and/or Mandarin helpful
New School of Law Employment & Professional Experience placement opportunities web page
Events
3 great ways to find out more about Deakin Law Students' Society (DLSS) Burwood
Deakin Law Students' Society (DLSS) Geelong Events
General Information
Your course progression
Student Advisers
Student queries
Professional Experience
Online University Handbook
Law Essentials
DUSA
DLSS Burwood
DLSS Geelong
Deakin University Commerce & Law Society (DUCLS) - Warrnambool
School of Law staff contacts
General News
Apply for Law Clinic in Trimester 2 and 3
MLL351 Law Clinic counts for 12 days towards the Professional Experience compulsory requirement of the LLB course and is worth 1 credit point! If you have competed 16 units of Law, have a Law elective available and a course WAM of 65 you are eligible to apply. Limited places are still available for Melbourne Law Clinic placements for Trimester 1 2011. Please complete the application form available on line ASAP and email to Ebony Turner by COB Friday 4 February.
Places are available at many centres across Melbourne, Geelong and the Western Suburbs for Trimester 2 and 3 2011.
To apply complete the application form and return to the LLB Coordinator no later than 31 March 2011.
China Study Tour 2011
Applications now being accepted for Deakin's Chinese Commercial Law Study Tour.
19 June - 5 July
Only
$1300. Limited places available!
The China Commercial Law Study Tour is now in its fifteenth year and continues to provide students with an amazing international study experience. During the 16-day tour students will attend lectures covering topics such as China's legal history and current legal system, law of contract, foreign trade law, labour and employment issues in foreign investment enterprises and dispute resolution.
Afternoon field trips are also a popular feature of the program with visits to Law courts and offices, the Australian Embassy and the Arbitration Commission. Many of the afternoons were spent sightseeing some of Beijing's truly remarkable historical sites and modern buildings. The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Summer Palace, Forbidden City, the Lamasery, the Temple of Heaven, Terracotta Warriors and many more destinations were all explored with the assistance of a provided tour guide and are truly amazing to see firsthand.
Applications for the 2011 tour are now open and close 23 March. Applications are to be completed online. Please see the China Study Tour webpage for more information.
If you have any questions in regards to academic issues please contact the Unit chair Kui-Hua Wang or for any other tour related matters please contact the Tour Coordinator, Karen Mann.
Geelong Law Association Scholarships
Geelong Law Association Scholarships are available to help Deakin law students who, because of some hardship, disability or disadvantage, may not otherwise enjoy the benefits that flow from participation in higher education.
The Geelong Law Association Scholarships are provided annually and are valued at $500 each. Each year the Geelong Law Association awards:
- Two $500 Books4U bookshop vouchers for commencing students
Two $500 Books4U bookshop vouchers for continuing students
Eligibility
Applicants must meet all of the following criteria. The applicant must be a full-time student who:
- is an Australian citizen, or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa
- is a commencing student at Deakin University in undergraduate Law or a Law combined course of study in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) or continuing CSP enrolled existing student in Law or a Law combined course
- receives of one of the following Centrelink benefits - Youth Allowance, Austudy or Abstudy. (A certified copy of your Centrelink income statement must be provided with application
- resides in the G21 footprint and is enrolled on the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus
- is not the recipient of any other Deakin University scholarship
Selection Criteria
After meeting the eligibility criteria (above) the scholarship will be awarded to applicants with outstanding academic merit based on ENTER or grade point average (GPA) from on previous/current higher education studies.
How to apply
Applicants must complete: The application form and include a cover letter and a certified copy of your Centrelink income statement.
Applications for 2011: Applications open Monday 7 March and close COB Friday 25 March 2011.
International Financial Crime (MLL388) offered in intensive mode in Trimester 1 at Burwood
International Financial Crime will be offered for the first time in intensive mode at Burwood to enable many students who are currently registered as off-campus students for this unit, to attend lectures. Students who are based in Geelong are also invited to join.
International Financial Crime studies international and national legal, regulatory and corporate risk management responses to offences such as money laundering, corruption, insider trading, investment frauds and insolvent trading. It provides business and law students with perspectives on various business and crime risks that are of increasing relevance to businesses and their legal advisors.
The course leader is Professor Louis de Koker. Louis specialized in South Africa and at the University of Cambridge in financial crime law. His scholarship focuses on regulatory responses to financial crime in developing countries. He is a consultant to the World Bank on financial crime and has advised on regulation and risk management in countries as diverse as Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia and the Ukraine. His research on the impact of financial crime laws on low income persons was recently cited by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the Financial Action Task Force. He is also a co-author of a forthcoming World Bank book on mobile phone banking regulation. Dr Cindy Davids, an expert on police integrity and anti-corruption, and author of “Conflict of Interest in Policing” Federation Press (2008) will be the key lecturer on the corruption theme in International Financial Crime.
Intensive mode will enable students to complete their lectures in the unit before the start of Trimester 1. An assignment will be submitted by the end of April and the final exam will be written in June.
Block lectures are set for the following dates:
Monday, 28 February (09:30-15:30) (B-he1.019)
Tuesday, 1 March (09:30-15:30) LT 11 (B1.20)
Wednesday 2 March (09:30-15:30) LT11 (B1.20)
Thursday 3rd March (09:30-15:30) (B-he1.019)
Friday, 4 March (09:30-15:30) LT6 (B4.12)
New online resource for academics and students
Foolkit is a new online resource which makes it easier to research. In practice lawyers use the internet more often as a practical tool rather than a research tool. They may be after a stamp duty calculator, a form or a stamp duty ruling or want to know who to contact with a query about that form or process. Foolkit has those things, information on running a practice, careers and wellbeing and general tools and legal aid. Foolkit has editions for each state of Australia and with 12,600 URLs, chances are that Foolkit is more complete than anything else out there.
Foolkit is user friendly and is completely free. It is updated on a daily basis.
The School of Law is updating our website and will be introducing a new Student News and Achievements area which will celebrate the diverse range of activities, events and programs that Deakin School of Law students are involved in, as well as awards and nominations they receive.
If you (or someone you know) have done something interesting that you think other law students would like to hear about, please send the details to Karen Mann. Karen will then guide you through the process for getting this published.
Employment & Placement Opportunities
Professional Experience Placement available
Student with English and Mandarin and/or Cantonese languages preferred
Alex Long, sole practitioner, based in Prahran is seeking a 3rd or 4th or 5th year undergraduate law student to complete Professional Experience with his firm. Mandarin and/or Cantonese speaking students encouraged to apply.
Long Lawyers has five main areas of practice –
1. Business
2. Property
3. Dispute Resolution
4. Intellectual Property
5. Immigration.
Placement is available for a student who is available to attend one day a week, or two half days a week.
For more information or to express interest in this placement please contact Alex Long by email or 03 9529 8604 or 0423 508 539
New School of Law Employment & Professional Experience placement opportunities web page
The School of Law has created a new page on our website where we will post information about any job or Professional Experience placement opportunities that we are asked to distribute. If you are looking for a job or a Professional Experience placement, please visit our Employment Opportunities page on a regular basis. This page will be updated as new opportunities become available.
Events
3 great ways to find out more about Deakin Law Students’ Society (DLSS) Burwood
- Visit DLSS Burwood at their stall on Mutant Way, every afternoon during O’ Week.
- Join the free bbq on Friday 4 March, from 12-2 on Mutant Way (All law students welcome.)
- Attend the First Year Intro Night on the Thursday 3 March, 7pm - 10pm, at Railway Hotel, Windsor (opposite Windsor Station). Cost is $10 with DLSS membership (entitles you to 2 tickets at $10 each) or $20 without. Food and drinks included.
Deakin Law Students’ Society (DLSS) Geelong Events
DLSS Geelong will hold a number of events in early March aimed at new and continuing students. These include:
- a stall at the clubs and market day during O’ Week. This is a great opportunity to meet other DLSS members and join the Society.
- an information and introduction night for all first year students.
More details regarding these events will be published soon. Contact details for the Society are listed below
General Information
Your course progression
All students should use the Course Structure provided when planning their course progression. The Course Structures are designed to ensure students have the acquired knowledge they need to undertake prescribed units throughout their course (including co-requisite and pre-requisite units) and to assist you to complete your course in a timely fashion.
Students can check your own course progression by logging in to Student Connect and clicking on the ‘View course progress’ link.
Students can seek assistance from the Course Advisors on your home campus who are available to assist you with any course queries that you may have, or alternatively you might like to email your home campus with any course enquiry.
Professional Experience Requirements
All LLB students must undertake 30 days Professional Experience placement (unless otherwise stated in their course rules) in a legal related field over the duration of their course. You need to lodge paperwork with the school BEFORE you begin and AFTER you complete your placement. Visit the Professional Experience section of this web site to ensure you know what you need to do to fulfill these requirements.
The University Handbook is available online. Please refer to the online version for the most up-to-date information about units, pre-requisite unit changes and other enrolment information.
Avoid fees and missing due dates. Make sure you check out important dates for 2011.
Law Essentials
Law Essentials is for all law learners, law graduates and for anyone thinking of studying law at Deakin University. This web site contains all the resources you need to succeed in your study.
Need Help? Ask DUSA.
DUSA offers a variety of support services to students in the following areas -
« Support
« Advice
« Representation
« Groups
« Advocacy
DLSS Burwood News
Visit the DLSS Burwood website for more information on events and services.
The DLSS Geelong 2011 aims to be a responsible body which provides strong academic support, opens the doors to a variety of career development opportunities and also offers a range of social functions for all law students.
For more information please contact your committee members:
- Amber Colbourne, President, phone: 0414 862 836
- James Turnbull, Secretary, phone: 0403 313 656
- Alex Morell, Treasurer, phone: 0400 524 271
“A student’s idea. A student’s perspective. Your voice.”
Deakin University Commerce & Law Society (DUCLS)
Visit the DUCLS (Warrnambool) website for more information on events and services.
