D-Brief
News from the Deakin School of Law Volume 4, Issue 8, September 2011
D-Brief is the electronic newsletter, providing law students with current information.
From the Head of School
Dear Students
In recent weeks I have received some complaints about the change of assessment policy that will apply from next year. You will be aware from previous D-Briefs that under the new policy there must be at least two pieces of assessment and exams are limited to 2 hours. For you a major change is that assignments cannot be optional and this has caused some concern. The revised policy applies university-wide and is not a School of Law decision. However, it is consistent with the assessment policy applying in many universities. Unit teams have reviewed their assessment. Some units will move away from the 3,000 word research assignment that has been a feature of Law's assessment regime.
Further change is afoot this time in relation to Deakin Studies On-Line. DSO will be discontinued from T3 and a new system, Desire 2 Learn, will take its place. D 2 L looks different and there are some different features. Staff are currently being trained on it. As with most technology changes, what seems strange initially soon becomes familiar. There is an announcement on DSO about D2L and I hope you take the time to read this.
Most of you have been taking part in PLS activities recently. It is a huge logistical exercise for the School to find venues and judges to cope with more than 1400 students. It has involved many people including a raft of volunteer judges. Special, and very great, thanks go to the LLB Program Co-ordinator, Fiona Greig, who has carried the lion's share of the organisation. In the longer term, I am not sure whether the School can sustain all four PLS activities in their current form and timing and this is being reviewed. However, there will be consultation with students if there are moves to change as we recognise that for many students, PLS are a highlight of their studies. Changes would not be compulsory for existing students.
Finally, I wish to tell you that Associate Professor Claire Macken will be leaving Deakin on Friday 2 September. Claire has been the Associate Head (Teaching & Learning) for the School but is known to many of you as an award-winning teacher; author of text books and as someone who played a very significant role in student engagement in many, many ways. It goes without saying that she is a loss to the School. However, Claire is taking another step in her career - leaving Law School teaching - and moving on to a management role in teaching and learning at another Victorian university. We wish her every success.
T2 is rapidly drawing to a close - best wishes with your studies.
Professor Anne Rees
Head of School
Click on a hyperlink below to skip directly to the article you are interested in.
General News
Watch, listen to or read the 2011 Deakin Law Oration
New Law elective in Personal Injury Compensation now available
Intensive mode available for MLL314 Introduction to Negotiation and Mediation in Trimester 3 2011
Applications are now open for MLL351 Law Clinic for Trimester 3 2011 and Trimester 1 2012
International Financial Crime (MLL388/MLM788) offered in intensive mode in T1 at Burwood
Receiving important information from the School
Administration Law offered in intensive mode
Win up to $33,000 in Undergraduate Essay Competition
What have you done? An invitation to Deakin Law Students to share your good news
Events
September
VCLSS Women in the Law Breakfast- Friday 2 September
Victorian Women Lawyers - The road less travelled: Women in partnership- Wednesday 7 September
The Grand final of the Maddocks Paper and Oral Competition- Thursday 8 September
DLSS Geelong: Annual Law Ball- Friday 9 September
The Grand Final of Blake Dawson Witness Examination Competition - Tuesday 20 September
Litigating International Law Disputes: Weighing the Options - Friday 23 September 2011- Sydney
Employment & Placement Opportunities
Aurora Native Title Internship Program - Summer 2011/12
NSW Law Reform Commission Summer Internships
Beck Legal offers Summer Clerkship Program- 3 week placements in Bendigo
Employment with Weinberg Lawyers- Commercial Litigation Paralegal (suit 3rd year student and above)
International Internships available in India and Indonesia
Volunteer positions available fighting the death penalty in the United States
School of Law Employment & Professional Experience placement and Internships opportunities web page
General Information
Key information for current students
Critical dates for 2011
IT and computing
The Library
Support for off-campus students
Course Structure examples
Assessment information
Your course progression
Professional Experience
Course/Student Advisers
Online University Handbook
School of Law website
Law Essentials
DUSA
Deakin Law Students' Societies
Deakin Law Students Society (DLSS) Burwood
Deakin Law Students Society (DLSS) Geelong
Deakin University Commerce & Law Society (DUCLS) - Warrnambool
General News
Watch, listen to or read the 2011 Deakin Law Oration
The School of Law was honoured when the United States Ambassador to Australia, Jeffrey L Bleich, delivered the 2011 Deakin Law Oration in July. His topic was "Legal Basis for U.S. Military Action in International Realm".
The Deakin Law Oration is an annual event to which we invite a distinguished lawyer to deliver a talk on a topic of interest to academics and the wider community.
You can now download or stream video, audio or a text version of this speech from the School's website.
New Law elective in Personal Injury Compensation now available
MLL315 PERSONAL INJURIES COMPENSATION SCHEMES is a new unit that Dr Jason Taliadoros will teach in Trimester 3. This unit provides an introduction and outline of the no-fault and common law damages schemes for personal injuries under the Accident Compensation Act 1985 (Vic) and the Transport Accident Act 1986 (Vic).
One of the innovative aspects of this unit is that it requires both on and off campus students to attend both a pre-trial alternative dispute resolution procedure (e.g., a mediation or pre-hearing conference) as well as a trial, and then reflect critically on that experience in a written assignment.
Both WorkSafe Victoria and the TAC, have been involved in designing the unit and will facilitate this practical component with the unit chair. The contemporary significance of this area of law is illustrated by a recent special issue of the Law Institute Journal (May 2011) devoting itself to the topic of personal injury.
More information can be found in the 2011 Handbook. The unit is now open for enrolments for Trimester 3.
Intensive mode available for MLL314 Introduction to Negotiation and Mediation in Trimester 3 2011
MLL314 Introduction to Negotiation and Mediation will be offered in Trimester 3 in intensive mode at both the Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus and the Melbourne Burwood Campus. The unit will be offered subject to achieving the minimum number of students.
The Trimester 3 Geelong offering of the unit will be intensive mode on the Geelong Waterfront Campus. The dates for the intensive sessions are Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26, Thursday 27, Friday 28, Saturday 29, Sunday 30 and Monday 31 October and Tuesday 1 November at 10:00 am - 5:50pm each day.
There are LIMITED places left for this unit so please contact the LLB Program Coordinator to express interest. Places will be offered based on request dates.
Burwood offering is now full and no further enrolments will be allowed. The dates for the Burwood Intensive are Monday 24 October 2011, Tuesday 25 October 2011, Thursday 27 October 2011, Friday 28 October 2011, Monday 31 October 2011 and Tuesday 1 November 2011.
Applications are now open for MLL351 Law Clinic for Trimester 3 2011 and Trimester 1 2012
MLL351 Law Clinic counts for 12 days towards the Professional Experience compulsory requirement of the LLB course and is worth one 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.
T3 2011: Limited places are available at selected centres for Trimester 3 2011. Get your applications in quickly! First in, best dressed!
T1 2012: Places are available at many centres across Melbourne, Geelong and the Western Suburbs for Trimester 1 2012.
To apply complete the Application form [87KB PDF] and return to the LLB Program Coordinator.
International Financial Crime (MLL388/MLM788) offered in intensive mode in T1 at Burwood
In Trimester 1 of 2011 International Financial Crime was offered for the first time in intensive mode at Burwood. The main purpose was to enable many students who register as off-campus students for this unit, to attend lectures. This experiment was very successful. Students who are based in Geelong and even Warrnambool and Perth were able to join. The School is therefore looking into the possibility of offering it again in this mode. Much depends on the availability of venues at Burwood.
If we are able to secure venues, the lectures will run from 27 February 2012 - 2 March 2012, the week preceding the start of Trimester 1 lectures in 2012. We are giving advance notice of the possible intensive mode offering to enable interested students to block time in their diaries. However, please monitor further D-Briefs for developments regarding this unit.
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, Peru, 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, the Financial Action Task Force and the World Economic Forum. In 2011 he was a co-author of a World Bank book on mobile phone banking regulation. Dr Cindy Davids, an expert onpolice 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.
Important information about staying in touch with the School of Law
Receiving important information from the School
Important information from the School of Law is distributed via D-Brief, the School's monthly newsletter, and also other occasional emails. These emails are ONLY sent to your DEAKIN EMAIL ADDRESS. If you want to have these email redirected to a different email address you can arrange this by using the email forwarding facility. Please set this up so you receive important updates from the School of Law.
Please note: When communicating with the University it is very important to include ALL the relevant information in your email, phone message etc. Your full name, student ID, course name/code, unit code and title, campus are all relevant and assist us to help you more efficiently. Consider creating an email signature for your name, ID, course and campus that can be added to the bottom of your emails. Please view instructions on how to create a signature.
Requesting information
If you are seeking information about any aspect of your law studies you should:
1. Visit the Current Students area on the School of Law website.
2. Email or ring the appropriate staff member. You MUST include your full name and Student ID number in all correspondence.
Administrative Law offered in intensive mode
Following some interest shown by students in a T3 offering for Administrative Law, the School will give consideration to this. As it is too late to add units for 2011, consideration will be given for 2012. However, as the unit is one that is required for admission to practice, the matter of an intensive offering will require further investigation.
Win Up to $33,000 in Undergraduate Essay Competition
The Governor-General's Undergraduate Essay Competition is Australia's most prestigious civics essay competition. It is open to all Australian undergraduate students and offers up to $33,000 in cash prizes to the winning authors of 2,500 word essays.
The essay questions include topics related to law, politics and other contemporary issues facing Australia. To find out more visit the competition website or contact Phuong Van via email.
Competition closing date: Friday 30 December 2011 at 5:00pm AEST.
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.
Events
VCLSS Women in the Law Breakfast- Friday 2 September
Every year the Victorian Council of Law Students' Societies (VCLSS) hosts the Women in the Law Breakfast. This breakfast brings together a number of prominent female speakers to present to students and professionals their experiences with the law. While this event is focused towards female law students it is an open event and anyone is entitled to attend. It also provides an ideal time to mingle and network with members of the profession in an informal setting.
This year the keynote speaker will be Judge Felicity Hampel of the County Court. Offering unparalleled insight into the legal profession, the learned Judge has extensive experience working in human rights, better access to justice and reform as well as confronting obstacles as a woman engaged in the law at a very high level.
Celebrated film writer and producer Jessie Taylor, known for her film exposing the plight of refugees, We Will Be Remembered For This, will also speak. As an advocate for refugees as well as a federal court associate, at such a young age, Jessie has a lot to offer those keen on social justice and student advocacy.
Date: Friday 2 September
Place: RACV City Club, Level 2, 501 Bourke St, Melbourne
Time: 7am
Cost: $20
RSVP: Thursday 1 September. Tickets can be purchased online or by emailing Sophie.
Victorian Women Lawyers
The road less travelled: Women in partnership- Wednesday 7 September
VWL invites you to a frank and fearless panel discussion aimed at junior practitioners about women progressing to partnership roles within firms (large and small), featuring practical, strategic advice and stories from the trenches.
Panelists include Nick Nichola, National Managing Partner at Middletons; Mary-Jane Ierodiaconou, Managing Partner at Justitia and Alex Cuthbertson, Partner at Allens Arthur Robinson. Find out more.
This event is free and exclusive to VWL members, but registration is essential.
Registrations due: Thursday 1 September. Please use online registration form.
Please note: If you are not yet a VWL member, student membership is only $22. Join online here.
The Grand final of the Maddocks Paper and Oral Competition- Thursday 8 September
Time: 6pm- 7.30pm
Venue: Maddocks, 140 William St, Melbourne
For further information: Contact Dylan O'keefe from Burwood DLSS via email
DLSS Geelong: Annual Law Ball- Friday 9 September
The DLSS Annual Law Ball is to be held at the Geelong Football Club and will be Brownlow Medal themed- this means black tie for men and your most glamorous dress for the women.
Date: Friday 9 September
Time: 7pm - 12am
Venue: The prestigious Captains Room at the Geelong Football Club, Skilled Stadium
Cost: $70 (members), $80 (non-members) - includes 2 course meal and beer, wine and soft drinks
How to buy tickets: Available from Business and Law Faculty Office or DUSA. Tickets are limited!
For more information: Contact Amber Colbourne, DLSS President by email
The Grand final of Blake Dawson Witness Examination Competition - Tuesday 20 September
Time: 6pm-7.30pm
Venue: 181 William Street, Melbourne
For further information: Contact Dylan O'keefe from Burwood DLSS via email
Litigating International Law Disputes: Weighing the Options - Friday 23 September 2011- Sydney
Macquarie's Centre for Legal Governance presents a one day conference aimed at providing a fresh understanding on why states resort, or should resort to, international adjudication or arbitration to resolve international law
disputes.
Through an examination of different substantive areas of international law - such as human rights, trade, environment, investment law - the speakers will consider the reasons for the use of international litigation, as well as other modes of dispute settlement.
The keynote speaker is Professor Cesare Romano and other featured speakers include Australia's leading scholars and practitioners in international law dispute settlement.
Date: Friday 23 September 2011
Time: 9am - 5pm
Venue: The Mint, 10 Macquarie Street, Sydney
Registration: Students $20, General public $40
RSVP: Thursday 8 September 2011
For more information or to book: Contact Shideh Modabber on 02 9850 7098 or via email.
Employment & Placement Opportunities
Aurora Native Title Internship Program - Summer 2011/12
The Aurora Native Title Internship Program introduces law students and graduates to career opportunities in native title, policy, human rights, social justice and Indigenous affairs and aims to provide assistance to under-resourced and over-worked Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) and Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs).
Applications are open to all law students and graduates who have completed, or are currently completing the property law component of their legal studies and are interested in working in native title, policy and Indigenous affairs.
Most internships run for 5 to 6 weeks over the November to March university break. They are a full-time workload usually around 40 hours per week and are unpaid.
For more information: Visit The Aurora Project website or email the placements team.
To apply: Submit an online application and attach a word file that addresses the Selection Criteria and includes your CV and a list of your results. Strict word limits apply!
Due date: 5pm, Friday 2 September 2011
2010/11 Summer Internship participant shares her story: Deakin student Sharon Lynch took part in an Aurora Project Summer Internship in 2010/11. Read about Sharon's experiences.
Beck Legal offers Summer Clerkship Program- 3 week placements in Bendigo
Beck Legal has 3 placements available for final year law students. The clerkships will run for 3 weeks each and will be offered from December 2011 through to February 2012.
Beck Legal is located in Central Victoria and is a medium sized firm that practices in the following areas:
- Local Government
- Litigation
- Family Law
- Commercial Law
- Conveyancing
- Wills & Estates
A well-established law firm that prides itself on its Community involvement Beck Legal is keen to find an enthusiastic law student for the 3-week placement with the potential to become a permanent member of the team.
To apply: Application must include a cover letter, resume and academic records. Please forward to Greg Spiers at Beck Legal, PO Box 628, Bendigo, VIC, 3550 or via email.
Due date: Sunday 4 September
NSW Law Reform Commission Summer Internships
The NSW Law Reform Commission operates a summer internship program, in Sydney, for law students entering or currently in their final year of study. (Recent law graduates can also apply). This internship offers the opportunity to work with our Commissioners and law reform staff and contribute directly to the development of proposals for law reform.
Successful applicants will:
- have a strong academic record
- demonstrate well-developed legal research and writing skills
- demonstrate an ability to contribute to a team environment.
Dates: Interns should be available to work for 8-12 weeks, commencing in December 2011 or January 2012.
For more information: Visit the Law Reform Commission website or contact Abi Paramaguru on 02 8061 9263 or by email.
To apply: Application must be submitted via email and include a cover letter, resume and a statement which addresses the three above criteria.
Due date: 30 September 2011
Employment with Weinberg Lawyers - Commercial Litigation Paralegal (suits university law student, 3rd year +)
There is a 1-2 day per week position available for a law student (3rd year or above) to work at Weinberg Lawyers in Collins Street, Melbourne.
The successful applicant will work on a diverse range of files including debt recovery, lease disputes, proceedings in the superior courts and carry out legal research.
The benefits of this position include the opportunity to grow & be mentored, competitive salary and bonus package as well as flexibility in work arrangements.
Applications: To be submitted via email and to include a cover letter and resume.
International Internships available in India and Indonesia
International Internships is an organization which offers students access to internship opportunities in India (Mumbai), China (Beijing) and Indonesia (Yogyakarta).
The programs enable students to do an internship in their chosen field of study and therefore gain invaluable professional experience to add to the resume, as well as a deeper cultural understanding of the country where you work. International Internships is currently offering some positions that are particularly suited to law students.
India: A placement for a Legal Intern is available at Nishith Desai Associates, a well-regarded law firm in Mumbai.
Read more about the opportunity & how to apply.
Indonesia: A placement for a Legal Aid assistant is available at Legal Aid Indonesia (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum).
Read more about the opportunity & how to apply.
Please note: You may eligible for a Deakin grant of $1,000 to help cover the costs
Dates: Commencement dates & length of internship are flexible.
To apply: Complete the online application form. You need to attach a CV to your application.
For more information: Visit the International Internships website or contact Jack McNaught by email. (Jack is a Deakin University lecturer and also works for International Internships.)
Volunteer positions available fighting the death penalty in the United States
Reprieve is an Australian non-government organisation that fights the death penalty. It seeks to provide effective legal representation and humanitarian assistance to those facing the death penalty, to advocate against the death penalty and to raise awareness about human rights.
Established in Melbourne, Australia in May 2001, Reprieve places volunteers in the United States to help provide legal representation and humanitarian assistance to those facing the death penalty. They work with their sister organisation, Reprieve US, to place volunteers in the southern United States for periods of three months or more.
Over the last 10 years Reprieve have sent more than 70 volunteers to nine offices in six US states. The program continues to grow each year, attracting a mix of students and professionals from a variety of legal and non-legal backgrounds.
Fore more information: To find out more about the volunteer program and how to apply, visit Reprieve's website.
School of Law Employment & Professional Experience placement and Internship opportunities web page
The School of Law has a regularly updated webpage where we will post information about any job, Professional Experience placement or Internship opportunity as information becomes available.
If you are looking for a job, Professional Experience placement or an Internship, please visit this webpage on a regular basis.
Key Information for current students
StudentConnect is where you can access your enrolment information including your course, unit and address details, track your assignments, check and pay your fees, view results and re-enrol online.
Current Students should be the first place you visit to find key resources, study support, IT and computing information, student services and groups, activities, and news.
Students may withdraw (in second trimester):
| Up to 11 September | WL |
Withdrawn Late (appears on transcript) |
| Up to 7 October | WN |
Withdrawn Fail (appears on transcript) |
Important dates in the Handbook
IT and Computing
The Deakin IT website contains essential IT information including how email works at Deakin (including your email address, webmail and email redirection) and internet access.
Key links on the IT and computing site are:
- Software
- Usernames and passwords
- IT service desk
The Library
The Library provides information resources and services that will form an integral part of your university experience.
Support for off-campus students
Learn about the support available to off-campus students
The School of Law recommends that students follow one of the model course structures when planning their studies.
The School of Law is committed to maintaining appropriate assessment standards. Please review the assessment expectations for more information.
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 contact your home campus with any course enquiry.
Professional Experience Requirements
The practical legal skills you will learn throughout your study, combined with the professional experience and networks you will develop, will put you on the right path for achieving your future career goals.
Regular, compulsory practical experience placements throughout the course also offer you the opportunity to experience legal environments first-hand and develop useful workplace contacts.
Employers of law graduates have noted that many of the graduate positions or traineeships that are taken up annually are offered to graduates who have previously been employed at these organisations by way a seasonal clerkship, internship or professional experience placement or to graduates who have strong evidence of professional experience on their resume.
To facilitate this the School of Law requires that all LLB students undertake a minimum of 30 days Professional Experience placement (unless otherwise stated in their course rules) in a legal related field over the duration of their course (and prior to completion).
It is not possible to graduate without having satisfied this requirement. In line with Deakin University's policy, before commencing Professional Experience placements, students are required to obtain pre-approval from the School of Law.
To obtain pre-approval, download the Pre-Approval Application Form [256KB PDF] and complete and return to Kylie Wiffen.
It is a student’s responsibility to locate and formalise a Professional Experience placement. Work readiness is an extremely important aspect of you completing your degree and it is to your advantage to make the most of the resources available to you.
For more information please visit the Professional Experience webpage.
Contact your campus office to make an appointment with a Course Adviser.
Burwood Campus
Phone: 03 9244 6555
Email: enqblm@deakin.edu.au
Geelong Campus
Phone: 03 5227 1277
Email: enqblg@deakin.edu.au
Warrnambool Campus
Phone: 03 5563 3510
Email: enqblw@deakin.edu.au
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- check out important dates listed in the 2011 Handbook.
Make the Current Students section of the School of Law website your first stop if you have any questions.
Law Essentials is a great resource for all law learners, law graduates and for anyone thinking of studying law at Deakin University.
Need Help? Ask DUSA
DUSA offers a variety of support services to students in the following areas:
- Support
- Advice
- Representation
- Groups
- Advocacy
Contact DUSA today.
Deakin Law Students' Societies
Visit the DLSS Burwood website for more information on events and services.
The DLSS Burwood has recently published My 2011 Career Guide Book [PDF 5.1MB], which aims to assist students to start planning for their futures. The Careers Guide includes:
- Current seasonal application dates
- Tips for applying for seasonals
- Suggestions for planning your studies to make application time less stressful, even if you are in your early years of study.
For further information: Visit the DLSS Burwood website and also the Deakin Law Students' Society Facebook page and Careers Facebook page. Alternatively you can contact Claire Groves to find out more.
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
The Geelong DLSS has published the Harwood Andrews Dossier so you can access information about:
- the Society
- its Committee
- seasonal clerkships
- competitions
- social functions
- educational assistance
- the ALSA conference.
“A student’s idea. A student’s perspective. Your voice.”
The DLSS Geelong membership card is on sale.
It is $10 and will be available from the DLSS office or the Reception office for the Faculty of Business and Law.
Deakin University Commerce & Law Society (DUCLS)
Visit the DUCLS (Warrnambool) website for more information on events and services.
