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Professor Gabriël A. Moens |
Dean and Professor of Law |
It is always a great pleasure to review the activities that Murdoch Law School has been involved in during the last six months. In the second half of 2008, Murdoch University’s vibrant Law School became what could be appropriately called a Global Law School.
Indeed, Murdoch Law School offers students an intellectually stimulating educational experience that prepares them for the domestic and the international practice of law. In particular, students are now eligible to access exciting Murdoch programs in P R China and in Italy. Since January 2008, students have had the opportunity to study Chinese Law at the Zhengzhou University, and from the middle of this year, our students will have a unique opportunity to study for a four week period at the Università di Macerata in Italy. This Newsletter documents these fabulous opportunities which, in an Australian context, are pioneering and imaginative educational programs.
The School maintains a curriculum that meets the expectations of modern society and is adapted to the needs of the legal profession. Our students also obtain practical experience in our law clinic (SCALES), working directly with clients and dealing with the real-life issues that shape our society. When working in our law clinic, students become passionate about justice, human rights, ethics and fair play. In this regard, I quote with approval a statement recently made by Rennar Strickland and Frank T Read in their book The Lawyer Myth (Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, Athens, 2008, at p. 13) “Every day, in courtrooms throughout the land, our nation’s lawyers, representing all sides of civil cases and criminal prosecutions as well as economic development issues, fight to preserve basic human, economic, and constitutional rights. They demand factual accuracy, procedural fairness, and decisions that are based on neutral, informed fact-finding. In all controversies, especially legal ones, there are winners and losers – what is important is that decisions are made openly; based on neutral principles of law that preserve human dignity and protect democratic processes.” This statement particularly well describes the philosophy and attitude that we seek to inculcate in our students at Murdoch.
In addition, the School offers students opportunities to be associated with our specialised research centres, the Western Australian Institute of Dispute Management (WAIDM) which conducts real mediations and arbitrations, and the Asia Pacific Intellectual Property Law Institute (APIPLI). At Murdoch, senior students may apply for membership of the Moot Court Bench. The Bench is a student body that promotes excellence in students’ written and oral advocacy skills.
In 2008, many of our graduates have taken their rightful place by becoming partners in prestigious
law firms, working as judges or prosecutors; others work in government or in businesses. Many of our former students have won prestigious scholarships to study overseas for advanced law degrees.
As this Newsletter goes to print, the Law School is hosting its Third Summer Programme in Law, which enables students to access units in specialised areas of law, often with an international focus, which are not available during the year. Units in this Programme include International Trade Law, Legal Theory, Sports Law and European Union Law, all taught by eminent overseas and interstate Professors.
Murdoch Law School also offers opportunities to our student body to experience a truly international education enabling them to engage in the international practice of law. For example, dedicated students are eligible to apply for participation in major international mooting competitions, such as the well-known Philip Jessup Public International Law Moot and the prestigious Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. In October 2008, a team of Murdoch students won the Inaugural Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Arbitration Moot which was held in Boston, USA. Murdoch’s mooting successes and the careful but determined development of a culture of excellence have substantially enhanced the international reputation of Law School. The School also organises the International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot and the International Virtual Moot.
The School maintains close ties with the legal profession and encourages practising lawyers to be involved in our teaching and research programmes. For example, on 22 October 2008, the Hon. Justice Michael Kirby of the High Court of Australia addressed law students on The High Court: Frequently Asked Questions.
Murdoch Law School is a world of opportunity! I commend this Newsletter to you and I express the hope that our readers will be proud of the achievements of the School and its students.
