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Vol 12, Issue 12 (!!)
RILEY THE JURIS DOGTOR You’ve heard before, but you’ll hear it no more – “I’m not voting in the LSS elections because I don’t have a dog in the fight!” Unenthused? Disengaged? You think voting doesn’t make a difference? You’ll feel that no more as you, (also my campaign slogan): “Get RILED Up!” Yes, I am announcing that in 2018, I will be voted in by you, the Humans of Melbourne Law School, as your 2019 LSS President. I will also be applying for Valedictorian and intend to take the position of Dean if it remains unfilled. Am I announcing too early? Are election seasons getting longer? It took a while for Americans to accept that a Cheeto could indeed be president, so I understand that it might take some time for you to embrace a canine overlord. But you’ll have to, if you want to Make MLS Great Again. Vol 12, Issue 12
LUKE THOMAS Melbourne’s Militarised Research The man shooting the finger guns while wearing a VR headset, above, is Christopher ‘The Fixer’ Pyne. This photo was posted on his Facebook page in August after he visited University of Melbourne’s STELaRLab, the first Lockheed Martin-funded research facility outside the US. Vol 12, Issue 12
ABBY CONE Last weekend I received my acceptance for exchange. This means that within two weeks I will have spent my last week at MLS and within just over a month I will hand in my last ever assignment. The feeling on receiving this letter was for the most part pretty standard; happiness at being able to ask the government to support me while I travel, nervousness at leaving the city that has been my home for 6 years perhaps forever and surprisingly, overwhelming relief. Vol 12, Issue 12
GEORDIE WILSON Assessments can be done better Gaining an approach to legal study that's fuelled by an independent interest in the law is important. Such a mindset can help push through the moments of boredom within the rewarding field of study. Another is more practical, those heading into the profession will need these habits for when there is a need to spend time outside of working hours keeping up competency in the law. Vol 12, Issue 12
TILLY HOUGHTON and JAYNAYA DWYER That every person before the Court has the right to representation is a fundamental principle for the legal system—if it is to be a just legal system. But in a democratic society that adheres to the free market, this, in practice, looks markedly different: the resources available to a powerful defendant are in many cases superior to those of the plaintiff seeking the jurisdiction of the Court. We all know this, but as the offers for clerkships come out very shortly, it may be worth re-asking the question: why did you choose to study law? Vol 12, Issue 12
JANELLE KOH This weekend I took my first gaohu lesson. What was meant to be a study session at a friend’s place turned into an impromptu music lesson by her mother, then an hour practising the scales, then an unexpected jam session… Vol 12, Issue 12
SCOTT DRAPER Personal Responsibility and the Criminal Justice System You are sun-baking on the University Square grass, enjoying the warm breeze of a spring day. Suddenly, you notice a fully-grown grizzly bear a mere three feet away. It sinks its teeth into your ankle and tears off your foot. Consider this change. Instead of a bear, a man with a machete strolls onto the grass. As you try to determine which snapchat filter will best convey the chilled life of studying law, he hacks off your foot. Vol 12, Issue 12
Janelle Koh and Declan Fry Declan: Chatting is a lot harder than it used to be. On my Twitter recently I saw someone stressing about how many messages they should send to a person who wasn’t replying. They settled on three. Janelle: I wouldn’t say harder - I think a lot more work goes into it and we expect a lot more out of it than we used to, but so much of it has become intuitive. So much of it is just ‘rules of engagement’, things we’re expected to know before we even start a conversation. Vol 12, Issue 11
TIMOTHY SARDER The immediate, visceral reactions I felt upon hearing of the recent deadly Vegas mass shooting included shock, anger and sadness. And yet, in spite of the horror; a singular, positive spark – as an Australian, I felt grateful. Vol 12, Issue 11
ANNIKA MCINERNEY This time last year, Gabby and I were gearing up for our time as 2017 Women’s Directors and figuring out how we would approach our term. Our three immediate goals were implementing our campaign promises of a Facebook page, an outreach program and interactive workshops. It’s clear that we can never be politicians because we’ve managed to keep all of our election promises. Vol 12, Issue 11
'GUY INCOGNITO' As an pseudonymous coordinator of two compulsory subjects with weekend take-home exams, I read the De Minimis article on collusion with great interest. And amusement. But first the moralising. Collusion – talking to others about an exam while you’re sitting it – is seriously against the rules (unless the rules say otherwise.) And breaking rules is bad, m’kay? If you’re caught, the Uni will fail you or worse. And you may be barred from legal practice. Indeed, it’s much easier to make an example out of a team than an individual. Vol 12, Issue 11
ANONYMOUS Last week we were informed that, as a result of the recent curriculum review undertaken by MLS faculty members, Dispute Resolution and Legal Ethics would no longer be taught separately. A new subject would be taught instead: ‘Disputes and Ethics’; an amalgam of the two courses. One issue that immediately came to mind was that, given the lack of crossover between the two subjects, Disputes and Ethics are an awkward combination. Vol 12, Issue 11
ANONYMOUS During the mid-semester break I was approached by a friend from De Minimis to write something for last week’s Women's Edition. I declined this invitation citing my belief that I did not think a special edition was needed just for women, or if there was to be a women's issue I would hope we would have a corresponding men's issue. Vol 12, Issue 10
GEORGIA DALY “She should be careful about being too successful. Young women burn out in politics.” I’m not sure anyone told Paul Keating to settle down when he came into parliament aged twenty-five. I’m not the first woman to complain about double standards in politics and I hope to god I’m not the last. Pioneers, political giants like Joan Kirner and Julia Gillard warned us that politics is a different game for women, you have to be submissive, smarter and above all, tougher. Vol 12, Issue 10
MAX BERGH My name is Max Bergh, I am currently the Women’s Officer on the GSA. The GSA, or Graduate Student Association is the student representative body responsible for the interests of all graduate students at the University of Melbourne. My time as an office bearer has been extremely humbling and challenging. Vol 12, Issue 10
CRISTABEL GEKAS The other day, a friend and I were discussing the usual banalities of law student life. Keeping up with readings. Balancing work and study. At some point in the conversation, probably after I noted the concerning level of masochism we were both displaying, my friend informed me that her work as a barrister’s assistant had become a drain on her studies and social life. Essentially, her boss was an entitled dickhead, although I think she used a less abrasive term. Vol 12, Issue 10
OLYMPIA WARD You know which Adelaide Team didn’t lose the Grand Final miserably in front of an enormous Melbourne crowd crowing for their blood? The Women’s Team. Although, they played in the Gold Coast….as an opener to the round one of a men’s match….on a stadium that had been danced dry at an Adele concert three weeks before. But I’m sure the men had it tough. No you delightful anonymous commenters, I’m not man-bashing football. I will reason with myself - watch: Vol 12, Issue 10
ANONYMOUS Lean in. Bossgirl. Bosslady. Mentoring underprivileged youth. Empowerment. Inspiration. Leadership training. He for She. Giving back. Fuck them all and here’s why. Having been on the receiving end of well-meaning mentoring programs and similar charitable initiatives for kids from lower-SES backgrounds, I can tell you, what these programs lack in effectiveness they make up for in making recipients feel like weird charity cases. Vol 12, Issue 10
YUJIE DU I noticed a social discussion online last week, someone asked: Some parents respect LGBT groups, and even support same sex marriage. But at the same time, they do not want their children to be LGBT. Why is this? One reply to the question made a lot of sense: Parents themselves may consciously understand and accept that LGBT is just a different lifestyle. (The article did say that being LGBT was a 'choice of' lifestyle. The author requested the edit to clarify the wording of her piece. She did not intend to suggest that being LGBT was a choice, nor is there anything wrong with being LGBT) However, they are afraid that their children may have to suffer too much after choosing to be one of them. The concerns come out of parents’ love and care for their beloved and the pressure comes from the outside – the whole society. |
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