Issue 13, Volume 18

MICHAEL FRANZ

I’ve been thinking a lot about stories recently. About how they’re told, what they do and what they mean. How they are crafted, and lately in particular, how they end. If 2020 were a story, this would be a good time to start thinking about the ending. The end of week twelve, the end of semester, the end of the year. For some of us the end of our time at law school, the end of some of the friendships we made and the end of the things we did here. It is also appropriate that this week was another type of ending - the end of a lockdown that has, almost without break, dictated the shape of our city and our lives for the better part of this year. None of these are perfect or definitive endings of course. There are still all those annoying residual details such as exams, three-and a half year extensions, and that pesky global pandemic that’s still going on even if the stores have reopened. But to quote my old boss from her farewell last year, ‘it’s important to do justice to narrative arcs where we can.’ ​

Issue 13, Volume 18

WILHELM HASTINGS

You might be asking, “Why hasn’t DM released a playlist yet this year?” Okay, sure, nobody has asked, or been asking, but you’re getting a playlist anyway. As it’s still 2020, feel free to use this small collection of 30 songs to cry, weep, mope and maybe even do a little bit of study to. Song recommendations in the comments will be listened to and perhaps added to the playlist, so please leave your soundtracks to 2020 down below xoxo 

Issue 13, Volume 18

BEEZUS FUFFOON

Ah yes, the year of 2020
Believe me, there was hubris aplenty
We were ruled by a man,
History knows as Chairman Dan,
Who thought the Roadmap led to the Land of Plenty

Issue 13, Volume 18

WINSTON BAKER

MLS CiC Judith Marychurch today authorised a ‘targeted elimination’ pitched by her aides. Looking tired but resolute, the Assistant Dean later watched the grainy playback footage of the target structure disappearing in a cloud of debris. The compound, a share-house in Brunswick, was a known hotbed of collusion, presenting a ‘real and present threat to MLS interests’, per a spokesperson.

Issue 12, Volume 18

WINSTON BAKER

Peter Dutton was once again left fuming today, as his dastardly plot was foiled by the masked hero known to society only as “Alberto”. 

“My law-warp machine will suck the rule of law from right across Australia! Mwahaha!” Dutton was heard to cackle, before he was interrupted by a shout from above. “Knock, knock!” Alberto boomed, dropping down from the ceiling. Grabbing hold of Dutton’s contraption, he called out, “looks like your powers have been separated” and with a flex of his muscles, ripped the machine in half.

Issue 12, Volume 18

SAM LUCAS

My pitch for why we need a better dialogue about data rights and algorithm regulation.
​
Netflix’s new documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’ is a critique of the immense power Facebook and Google (“the platforms”) hold over the lives of its users, and has generated a polarised public response. In the film's wake, many have deleted their social media accounts and have changed their notification settings to reduce the distraction presented by the platforms. Others, including Facebook itself, have labelled the film ‘sensationalist’, ‘distorted’ and lacking nuanced understanding of its technology. Facebook has also pointed to its self-regulatory efforts in curbing the issues presented in ‘The Social Dilemma’. [1]

Issue 11, Volume 18

WINSTON BAKER

Unimelb professor Ian Malkin stirred awake this morning on a bed of soft loam, displacing several squirrels that had been napping on his chest.

Smoothing down his lace-up linen shirt, he began casting around for his shoes, which he was sure he’d been wearing when he entered the forest grove the evening before.

Issue 11, Volume 18

XAVIER BOFFA

The sudden passing of Federal Circuit Court Judge Guy Andrew has reopened an ongoing and much-needed discussion about mental health in the legal profession. While, at the time of writing, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear, Judge Andrew’s is not the first high-profile case to shine a spotlight on these issues within our industry.

Issue 10, Volume 18

​EdGeLoRd

Issue 10, Volume 18

WINSTON BAKER

In a blow to those who knew him, and to the Monash Faculty of Law, erstwhile Dean Professor Horrigan was killed yesterday in a bare-knuckled altercation with MLS Dean Pip Nicholson.