Monash University Law Faculty

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The Monash Law Faculty is Victoria's second oldest law school, although it is itself, relatively new. The Monash University Law School was established in 1963, as a result of increasing demand for law school placements, after The University of Melbourne Law School imposed quotas on its intake. The Monash University Law School is located at Building 12 of the Clayton Campus. It has become a recognised, respected school of law that attracts students and academics of high calibre and prides itself on its adaptivity and focus on modernity.

Several organisations form the greater Monash Law Faculty:

  • David Derham School of Law (Monash University Law School)
  • Monash University Law Chambers
  • Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
  • International Institute of Forensic Studies
  • Monash Centre for Regulatory Studies


Contents

[edit] History

In 1963, The University of Melbourne imposed quotas on law school candidates due to a lack of resources. A new law school was needed to cater for the extra students and Monash University was decided as the next educational institution to include a law school. Melbourne University law school had for many decades been the only law school available to students in Victoria. Monash University at the time of establishment of the Law School, had only 5 faculties. In 5 months from October 1963 to March 1964, a law school curriculum was established and two teaching staff were appointed. Not until 1968 did Monash Law have its own faculty building; for the 5 years before the now David Derham Law School Building, two rooms for teaching were found within the Engineering faculty.

Professor David P. Derham, was the Law School's first dean; beginning his term on 29 February 1964 after resigning his post as Professor of Jurisprudence at Melbourne University the day before. The first intake of law school students began in March 1964 with an initial enrollment of 149 students. Today the Law Faculity has over 2700 undergraduate and postgraduate students, providing practical legal education (PLT, through the Monash Law School PDLP) as well as formal legal education.

[edit] Monash University Law School Library

The Monash University Law School (David Derham Law School Building, Building 12 Clayton Campus.
The Monash University Law School (David Derham Law School Building, Building 12 Clayton Campus.

[edit] Student Areas

The Law School Library is split over 4 levels in the David Derham Law School Building. Academic staff offices surround the library. The main areas of student activity are located on the first level;

  • The Discussion Room provides an open space for students to carry out work and discussion.
  • The Quiet Study Area towards the back of the building, over looking Ring Road North on campus, is a quiet area, but not silent, where most students carry out work.
  • Level 1 Computer Labs provide computer and internet access for students and staff. Printing facilities and photocopiers are also present within the Computer Lab area.
  • Level 4 Computer Labs provide much the same functionality, but provide access for postgraduate students located on campus.
  • The lounge is another area for students to read newspapers, chat and often nap. The Chesterfield style lounges are often the most distinguishing and noticeable feature of the law building to 'outsiders', and are often regarded by members of other faculties as opulent and excessive, perpetuating stereotypes of law students. The newspapers provided include The Age, The Herald Sun, Australian Financial Review, The Australian and Lawyers' Weekly.
  • The Monash Law Students' Society office (colloquially 'LSS') and the adjoining recreation room provide LSS members and LSS officials' office space, couches and tea and coffee facilities.

[edit] Resources

The Monash University Law Library houses a major collection of printed and electronic material. Most Commonwealth jurisdiction law reports can be found, including non-official and official reports. These include law reports from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Pacific Island regions, the United States and Europe. A vast array of electronic materials such as journals, articles and professional publications can also be found on a substantially large number of commercial and local databases that students have access to.

There is a large focus on online learning, as there is as much focus as being on campus - which has resulted in programmes such as the Skills, Ethics and Research modules, being heavily based on online assessment work and tasks, as well as the vast majority of lectures being made available online in taped RealMedia format.

This push for an uptake in technology is reflected by the fact that the Law Library was the first fully wireless accessible building; encouraging students to take advantage of wireless Internet access within the building, and often on the lawns of the grounds surrounding the Law Library. This has also been recently reflected in the further addition of 30 new computers, to form a 4th Computer Laboratory on the 2nd floor of the Law School building.

A relatively large staff run the library, helping students, organising books, carrying out repair work and supervision of the law library. Some of the staff have are perceived to be on the same level of students, being friendly, helpful and social.

The Monash Law library is often seen as very well resourced and particularly quiet, which attracts students from other faculties to study within the library.

[edit] Curriculum

The Monash University Law School provides students a wide and varied array of subjects. As of 2006, subjects include:

  • The Priestley 11
  • A diverse range of commercially-oriented subjects including: Restitution Law, Intellectual Property, Comparative Legal Systems, Consumer Credit Law, Banking Law, Negotiation and Mediation, Biotechnology Law, Maritime Law and Cyberlaw.
  • A diverse range of human rights and humanities law including: Indigenous Australian Reconciliation Law, International Human Rights Law, International Law, Citizenship & Migration Law, Legal Issues in Medicine, Environmental Law and Professional Practice.
  • A strong selection of practical based subjects including: Jessup Moot, VIS Moot and Trial Practice and Advocacy
  • The Prato Program, involving study at Monash Prato, Italy campus involves much of the comparative studies, including: International Aerospace Law, European Civil Codes, Comparative Criminal Law and International Commercial Arbitration. These subjects may be taken only in Prato, and are not made available to Clayton-based students.
  • The Malaysia Program, which began in 2006, involves a short study abroad program at Monash Malaysia over the July winter break. Participants study a unit on Asian Legal Systems on campus, supplemented by professional visits in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Practical Legal Training courses and volunteer work including: Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service (MOLS), Springvale Monash Legal Service (SMLS), Family Law Assistance Program (FLAP), Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Skills and Ethics (PDLP). The PDLP programme is recognised by the Victorian Legal Board of Examiners (a part of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV)) as an alternative path to admission, providing students without articled clerkships to become admitted within 6 months.

[edit] Notable alumni

Monash Law School, though relatively young, has produced some notable students.

Past Monash Law graduates include:

[edit] Notable academic staff

Monash Law School has many nationally and internationally renowned academic staff, who are distinguished by either having worked in the profession or gained recognition in the academic sphere.

Past and current notable Monash Law academic staff include:

  • Professor H.P. Lee — leading Australian constitutional law academic
  • Professor Arie Freiberg — current Dean of the Law School and Chairman of the Victorian Sentencing Advisory Council
  • Jeannie Paterson — author of a leading Australian text on contract law
  • Professor The Hon. George Hampel, QC — former Victorian Supreme Court judge and leading Australian instructor and author on trial advocacy
  • Professor Mark Davison - Co-author of the third edition of Shanahan’s Australian Law of Trade Mark and Passing Off, the leading reference work on Australian trade mark law.
  • Dr. Eric Wilson - International Law and International Relations expert
  • Dr. Karrine Ludlow - Bioethicist, Biotechnology and Nanotechnology law expert

[edit] External links

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