Download - Obiter, Issue 6, 2013
The Alternate Careers Fair 2013
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t h e n o t r e d a m e s y d n e y l a w s o c i e t y
Week Twelve Semester OneMonday 20 May 201306
2 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
From theEditor
CarOlIne MIChelhello again everyone,
This has been a whirlwind fortnight for the nDSlS and the law School. last week was our annual Careers Week, which provided all students with fantastic opportunities to find out information about the many career paths available with a law degree.
Personally, Careers Week provided me with an opportunity to sit back and really reflect upon what my goals and aspirations are. I’ve never taken much time to stop and think about my career, or what I want to do once I finish my degree. as a second year student, it isn’t really a question that is on my mind a lot. attending the Careers Week events forced me to stop and really think about what it is I want to achieve, and what areas of the law attract me. It doesn’t matter at what stage of your degree you are at- it is never too early to start discovering what opportunities lie ahead, and finding out which area or avenue might suit you the best. I think it’s important to have a goal and vision of where you want your degree to take you.
Up until last week, the idea of taking the commercial path and applying for a mid or top tier firm never really had much appeal to me and my creative mind. however, I have started to seriously reconsider that idea, and have discovered that taking the ‘traditional’ path to commercial law isn’t always just dry, boring and a lot of hard work; there are so many opportunities and experiences that come with the top-tier commercial jobs that
can’t be found anywhere else. The commercial path, whilst not suited to everybody, can be very satisfying.
Careers Week also made me ‘wake up’ to marks and results. as an extremely annoying stress-head, I try not to worry about or dwell on marks. an old school teacher always used to tell me that ‘numbers do not define you’. However, marks are indeed important…P’s might make degrees, but they don’t make clerkships, top-tier graduate opportunities and the ability to do honours. Whilst this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it is certainly something I would like to aim for, and Careers Week has given me the motivation to try my best and study hard for the upcoming exam period. Marks aren’t everything; but they are certainly important.
In this edition of The Obiter we have included many student written reflections about Careers Week and careers in general. I hope that you have found a lot of inspiration from these events like I have.
That’s all for now, Caroline
acknowledgementsObiter Issue Six
EditorCaroline Michel
ContributorsLauren AbsalomRachel BennettEden ChristopherJacob DeiganCaitlin GallagherMark van der Hout
YourSay QuestionCaroline Michel
DesignAlexander Carlos
NDSLS Committee 2013ExecutiveEden Christopher, PresidentNatalie Baladi, Vice-PresidentDaniel Austin, SecretarySean D’almada Remedios, Treasurer
DirectorsJacob Deigan, CareersJulia Lavers, CompetitionsAidan Williams, EducationPeter Gray, ITAlexander Carlos, MarketingCaroline Michel, PublicationsDominique Hermo, Social EventsRachel Bennett, Social JusticeLauren Absalom, Sponsorship
Year RepresentativesAdrian Vincent, First YearShelby van Ooran, Second YearCaitlin Gallagher, Third YearSean D’almada Remedios, Fourth/Final Year
Contact the EditorContact the Committeewww.ndsls.org
The Obiter, Issue 6 | 3
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
in this issue
President’s NoteI hope you all took something out of Careers Week! even if it was only a thought, “I should probably start thinking about that...”
This year we tried to build on the great Careers Week last year run by Kate angus and the 2012 nDSlS. We took feedback that students wanted more information on what else they can do with their degree so we put on an alternative Careers Fair which had a great turnout. We organised guest speakers to give insight into life as a lawyer in practice and also deliver some content to mix up your lectures.
Overall, we are pretty happy with Careers Week and I hope next year it only gets better. I look forward to not having to wear a suit to uni so much!
next semester you can all look forward to Social Justice initiatives and a lot more fun stuff. Planning has already begun and I hope everyone can get involved.
With Week 11 coming upon us, we should all be thinking about exams and a european summer, uni games and the alSa Conference in Perth. To those doing winter school... may god have mercy on you.
Yours in law,
eden ChristopherSupreme Overlord
6 Careers Week 2013 - A Reflection
7 legal Specialty Talks - articles and reviews
9 Student articles
12 YourSay
4 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
Upcoming Events and Notices
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allens Client Interview Grand Final
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The Obiter, Issue 6 | 5
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
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6 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
CareerS WeeK 2013a reFleCTIOn BY
JaCOB DeIGan, CareerS DIreCTOrWhat a massive two weeks! When I received the
Careers Portfolio at the end of last year I was given
the task to build upon the work of a very successful
2012 nDSlS Committee. now that Careers Week
(or Fortnight as it became) has come to a close I
can look back and see what we here at the nDSlS
were able to come up with. This year we introduced
two new events to the line up: Specialty Talks and
the alternative Careers Fair. Both were received
with great praise by everyone involved. later on
in this issue of The Obiter you will see reviews of
the Specialty Talks, and I feel that most people will
agree with me when I say they were of invaluable
assistance to furthering our education.
The alternate Careers Fair was a great success and
although it took a considerable effort to get going,
I think it was the highlight of Careers Week. The
students who attended were able to get an insight
into the avenues available to them if they choose to
use their law degrees outside of a law firm. Both the
businesses and students present had a very positive
response to the event and I hope that this great
event can continue next year. a special thank you
to the notre Dame Business Students’ Society who
contributed significantly to the event and helped in
a big way to make the event and their Society a
success.
The annual Clerkship Seminar held on Monday
had some great feedback from students. I have
heard some very positive feedback from a couple
of students in regard to the presentations that
were made by the firms, however, due to some
complications on the day, we had to finish the event
before the networking period had started. I assure
you that next year the same mistakes won’t be
made again and you can expect a much bigger
and better clerkship seminar. The firms are all on
board with providing you all with information and
if you can’t grab some of their material from the
law School reception, jump online and have a look
at our Careers Guide. This guide will be a great
starting point for your careers preparation, and has
a lot of helpful hints and tips from students who have
succeeded in both the commercial and alternative
paths. The guide also has a list of the key contacts
and application dates for all the major firms in
Sydney.
I would now like to take this chance to thank all the
members of the notre Dame Sydney law Society.
Without their support and efforts, Careers Week
would have been a very lacklustre event. as a
student and as a member of the society myself, I feel
extremely lucky to be working with the amazingly
talented and dedicated members of the nDSlS. I
would also like to thank all the staff of the law
School who were extremely supportive of Careers
Week and endeavoured to help facilitate the event
in any way they could.
To finish, I wish our penultimate students who will be
undergoing the clerkship application process in the
coming weeks the best of luck. To them and to all our
students as a whole, please feel free to contact me
with any questions you may have about legal careers,
and I will endeavour to help you in anyway possible.
read the 2013 Careers Guide here!
The Obiter, Issue 6 | 7
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
leGal SPeCIalTY TalKSrevIeWS BY STUDenTS
Introduction
For this year’s Careers Week, we were lucky enough
to have an array of legal professionals to visit many
of our classes and present talks and lectures on
their specific expertise, and how it related to the
subject. The specialty talks were a great success, and
we have received a lot of positive feedback from
students who heard from the guest speakers. We
hope to continue this initiative next year. In the last
issue of The Obiter, we invited students to contribute
reviews and articles about a talk or presentation they
saw as part of the specialty talks. We have included
these articles below.
Richard Maurice - Family Law by Rachel Bennett
During Careers Week, our Family law class was
fortunate enough to have Mr. richard Maurice come
and address us. Mr. Maurice is a Family law Barrister
with more than 20 years experience.
I found Mr. Maurice’s presentation particularly
interesting because of his involvement in some of the
most important cases in Family law, some of which
we have learnt about in class. It was interesting to
gain an ‘insiders’ perspective on some of the cases
that establish fundamental principles in australian
Family law, and to hear about Mr. Maurice’s role
within them.
It was heartening to hear anecdotes from Mr.
Maurice’s career more broadly, and the down-to-
earth account of his first law jobs encouraged me not
to despise the day of small beginnings, but to keep
working hard and knocking on doors with the hope
that opportunities will open up.
Mr. Maurice also offered our class some wise words
with regards to our personal and professional
reputation and the importance of making decisions
that preserve our integrity.
On behalf of my Family law Class, I would like to
thank Mr. Maurice for taking the time to address us.
8 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
Diccon Loxton - Equity by Caitlin Gallagher
last Monday, Diccon loxton came to my equity
seminar to discuss how principles of equity apply in
the real world. Diccon has been a partner at allens
for almost 30 years and is renowned for his expertise
in banking and finance law. It was evident in his
presentation that he is incredibly knowledgeable and
I enjoyed hearing about his career experiences and
the work he currently does at allens.
It was interesting to listen to Diccon explain how the
principles of equity we had learnt applied to real
situations and real cases every day. So often we
sit in the classroom and forget that the cases we
read are real and that these issues come up in daily
practice. Diccon described one of the australia’s
highest value cases, which stretched to hundreds
of millions of dollars, and the profound impact the
principles of equity had on the case’s outcome.
It was a privilege to have someone of Diccon’s
experience and expertise speaking to us and I thank
Diccon for taking the time to educate us.
Ian McGill - Principles of Contracts A by Caroline
Michel
last week, my Contracts a class were very privileged
to hear from a guest speaker, Ian McGill. Ian has
been a partner at allens for over 20 years. he
specialises in mergers and acquisition, complex
commercial contracts and corporate governance.
Ian spoke to our class mostly about interpretation of
terms in a contract. I found this a very valuable talk
as it was the focus of our seminar that week, and
he gave a fantastic introduction to the topic from a
professional point of view, and definitely helped me
understand interpretation of terms.
I found it really interesting to hear Ian start his talk
with a light hearted recount of when he first started
looking for a job, and the difficulties he faced. He
was very honest, and revealed to us that he knew
nothing about drafting a contract when he left law
school, and how daunting it was when employers
would ask about this in an interview! he had to learn
through practical experience. I really enjoyed this
part of the his presentation as it gave me assurance
and hope for my future career prospects, and taught
me not to be worried about being inexperienced with
practical legal skills; the best way to learn these is
through applying for jobs. he made me realise that
we can’t learn everything at university; experience
in the professional world will teach us the most
important skills.
On behalf of my class, I would like to thank Mr.
McGill for sharing his knowledge and experience
with us.
The Obiter, Issue 6 | 9
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
WOrK exPerIenCeBY MarK van Der hOUT
Fifth year student, Mark van der Hout has worked
both in a mid-tier law firm and barrister’s chambers
throughout his law degree. He explains why it is
important to gain practical experience at some time or
another during the degree.
I was fortunate enough to gain employment at a
barrister’s chambers after my first year of studying.
although I had only a basic understanding of how
the law operated, working as a clerk allowed me
to observe first hand how law was applied in the
profession. In 2011, I was afforded the opportunity
to be personally involved in the high Court case of
Strong v Woolworths [2012] hCa 5 which analysed
the issue of factual causation in negligence. The
position involved problematic research on specific
areas of law, drafting legal documents and the
preparation of briefs prior to court.
Working with a barrister exposes a person to events
and situations they don’t teach at law school. I
recommend to those who wish to one day become
a barrister or anyone who seeks to gain a greater
insight into the legal profession consider a position as
a barrister’s clerk.
Towards the end of my degree I managed to gain
employment at a mid-tier law firm. This was very
different to working with a barrister however,
extremely beneficial in terms of experience. I was
introduced to the exercise of billing hours, working
with a team and having contact with clients. The
exposure cemented my decision to become a solicitor
and work in the legal profession.
In view of the competitive nature of law, students
must look towards securing an ‘edge’ over others. In
addition to gaining practical experience, it is crucial
for one to strengthen their image in the eyes of
potential employers. as a soon-to-be graduate, my
advice is that anyone studying law should take part
in the profession at some time or another.
The Obiter welcomes original student written pieces. If you would like to have something included in our
publication, don’t be shy- we are now accepting a range of original works whether they be short articles,
long essays or maybe just a piece of advice for other students. as long as they are focused on a legal or
university related issue/topic we would love to publish your work! If you are a budding writer why not send
us something? You can either upload your document here, or email it directly to Caroline, the Publications
Director at [email protected]. It’s that easy. We look forward to hearing from you.
How to Contribute
10 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
GeTTInG a JOB - nOT aS eaSY aS YOU ThInK!
BY laUren aBSalOM
half of us think that we are guaranteed a job
because we’ll have law degrees; and the other half
are sure no-one will hire them. no matter which end
of the scale you sit, or if you are somewhere in the
middle, understanding your career, or really how to
get one can be confusing at the best of times.
The nDSlS gave you an insight into this, as they do
every year, through the multitude of Careers Week
events. half the battle is working out what you
actually want to do with your law degree. Private
practise is not the only option, and if you didn’t
realise the other exciting alternatives, the alternate
Careers Fair was able to expose you to that. Maybe
the other events convinced you that you do want to
join a big firm; maybe you got tips on how to get a
summer clerkship or a graduate position. The College
of law was on hand to introduce to you PlT and they
will be back very soon!
So what can you take away from Careers Week
2013? here is a list of tips, all of which came from
someone who has ‘been there, done that’!
1. Be Prepared! If you apply for a job, you have to
want it – “I want a pay check” is not good enough!
2. Know your Cv and your Cover letter well; you
can be assured they will before they interview you. If
it’s in there be prepared to talk about it!
3. When applying for summer clerkships or
graduate positions, make sure you think carefully
about what you write, be sure it’s what you actually
want to say. Well thought out and reflective of you!
4. Don’t claim to know more than you do, you’re a
law student not a seasoned professional – they know
this!
5. Dress the part and be polite to everyone you
come across. The interview starts at the front door!
6. Be yourself!
hope this helps, and as always if you have any
questions or want more tips, get in contact with your
nDSlS – we’re here to enrich your experience at
university!
The Obiter, Issue 6 | 11
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
CUSTODY nOTIFICaTIOn ServICe
BY raChel BenneTTThose who have studied evidence would be aware
that the Police are required to inform the aboriginal
legal Service (alS) when an aboriginal person is
arrested. This duty is important because it enables
support to reach the often vulnerable members of
our community efficiently and consistently. The Police
Officer calls the Custody Notification Service, ‘a
telephone advice and well-check service’ which is
operated by the aboriginal legal Service, and the
detainee may speak to an alS lawyer. The lawyer
may offer the detained person early legal advice
whilst also enquiring about their mental and physical
well-being.
This service was born out of recommendations
from the royal Commission into aboriginal Deaths
in Custody and assists more than 15,000 people
per year, taking more than 300 calls per week.
Since its establishment in 2000, there have been
no aboriginal deaths in custody in nSW and the
aCT, demonstrating the importance of an early
response to the arrest of an aboriginal person,
and the importance of simply asking ‘are you
ok?’ Additionally, the Custody Notification Service
has reduced both self-harm in custody and the
incarceration rate of aboriginal people.
however, despite its successes, the nSW Government
is withdrawing its support for the Custody Notification
Service. although the initiative only costs $500,000
a year- the same price as detaining two juveniles for
one year- the Government is terminating its funding
for this life- saving initiative.
The aboriginal legal Service is currently in the
process of battling for the life of the Custody
Notification Service. To join the fight, sign the petition
to the attorney- General, the hon. Mark Dreyfus QC
MP- http://chn.ge/15JMYMj
For more information about the benefits of the
Custody Notification Service, go to http://www.
alsnswact.org.au/
12 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
The high price of legal services means that many Australians would find it difficult to pay for a
lawyer for anything but the most basic legal issues. When people who can’t afford a lawyer
turn to government funded legal assistance services, they find that due to chronic funding
shortages, ongoing help is often restricted to those on the lowest incomes, and then only for a
limited range of mainly family law and criminal law issues. Unlike the health and education
system in Australia, there is no universal safety next for legal help: report by Community
law australia, July 2012.
We have Medicare and public hospitals, as well as free public schooling. Why is there so little
in the way of schemes and funding for universal access to lawyers?
So what did you say?
1. People have a certain dignity, requiring respect. They have various rights to the basic goods
or necessities of life (eg, food, shelter, basic education, health…). This justifies the state’s
provision of public hospitals and education. ‘Universal access to lawyers’ goes beyond a basic
good of life. eg, how can seeking advice on lawful tax minimisation be considered a necessity
of life? Ultimately, anything approaching free universal access to lawyers is an unrealistic
utopia. legal research, drafting and general work is just too time-consuming and therefore
expensive for the ‘public purse’. Of course, aid should be there to secure necessities.
2. It is fair to say that access to justice is as fundamental as health and education. Perhaps to
make it less skewed to lowest of income brackets, have a quota system for each income bracket.
Although still not universal, it definitely means the middle-income bracket (the gap between not
economically disadvantaged enough but still not financially able to afford a lawyer) is not so
disadvantaged.
3. Whilst it is definitely arguable that free legal services such as LegalAid need more resources,
I think that creating a universal legal service is taking the concept too far. legal Services are
not a necessity to life (like healthcare), or something necessary for getting a job and succeeding
(like education). Universal legal service borders too far on the socialist spectrum for an economy
and budget like ours to sustain. as Thatcher once said, there’s no such thing as public money.
YourSay Last Week
The Obiter, Issue 6 | 13
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
recently, the nSW government passed laws to end the right of
silence whilst being questioned by the police. a right to silence
has always ensured that a court cannot use silence as evidence of
guilt. Some argue that taking away the right to silence will abolish
this protection for the accused. Is the right to silence a necessary
protection? Or does it delay justice? What do you think?
let us know what you think! Jump online and send us your thoughts to have your say published in the next
Obiter! Contribute by clicking here.
Disclaimer: All submissions will be considered for publishing provided that they do not contain offensive language
or themes. The NDSLS reserves the right to refuse a submission if it is inappropriate.
YourSay - Issue 6
14 | The Obiter, Issue 6
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
WELCOME BACK!The NDSLS would like to offically welcome back on board Allens for 2013.Allens will be sponsoring our client interview competition once again this year.Without their support, the NDSLS would not be able to provide students with the many events and competitions we run every year.
The Allens Client Interview Competition commenced in Week 10 with Round 2 in Week 11. The Grand Final is set to take place in Allens’ offices in Week 12.
Notre Dame Sydney Law Society
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This is a publication of the notre Dame Sydney law Society. Its sponsors, contributors, the University of notre Dame australia, its affiliates or its employees do not necessarily endorse any facts or opinions contained within this publication
The NDSLS would like to recognise the significant contributions of our Gold Sponsors.
These sponsors have been with us for many years and have made significant contributions
to YOUr society during that time. Check out their website and like them on Facebook to
stay informed on how they can help you more.WELCOME BACK!The NDSLS would like to offically welcome back on board Allens for 2013.Allens will be sponsoring our client interview competition once again this year.Without their support, the NDSLS would not be able to provide students with the many events and competitions we run every year.
The Allens Client Interview Competition commenced in Week 10 with Round 2 in Week 11. The Grand Final is set to take place in Allens’ offices in Week 12.