Nicholas Baum
Volume 3, Issue 1, (Originally Published on Monday 4 March 2013) Activities Directors Nick Jane, 23, and Andrew Frawley, 22, returned safely yesterday from Law Camp 2013. ‘The camp was fantastic’, said first-year student Raoul Renard, 23, his comments reflecting widespread acclamation for the camp held for new JD students. Thomas Richardson, 22, described it as ‘a magical blur’. Jane seemed tired but relieved when he spoke to De Minimis Sunday evening. ‘Everything that needed to be done, got done’, he said, ‘and the students were well-behaved. We hold high hopes for this year level’. The students left at 1 p.m. Friday in two coaches and a 25-seat minibus, with many committee members car-pooling separately to carry supplies and prepare the site. They returned early Sunday afternoon. 135 first-year students and 24 Law Students’ Society committee members attended the latest edition of the annual camp, held for the past four years at Camp Kangaroobie in the Otways. This year’s camp was held earlier than other camps, coming in between the end of the introductory subject, Legal Method and Research, and the start of the semester proper. LSS Vice President Lewis Cohen, 22, approved the shift as a good idea, saying it helped students make new friends in a relaxed environment. Students competed in a trivia competition, a table tennis tournament, and on Saturday ventured down to Port Campbell beach. Accomplished Melbourne DJ and second-year JD student, Otis David, 23, played for the students on both Friday and Saturday evenings. Culinary Director John Azzopardi, 23, prepared a sophisticated menu that included huxtaburgers, slow-roasted lamb and mixed salads. ‘Overwhelmingly the catering was a success’, Azzopardi said, pointing out that it was enjoyed by all and came in under the previous year’s food budget. Renard described the food as a ‘highlight’. Nicholas Baum
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Agony Aunt
Volume 3, Issue 1, (Originally Published on Monday 4 March 2013) Dear Agony Aunt I’m on a committee with someone I really like at Uni. I think he’s flirting with me, because he’s always sitting next to me, touching, laughing at my jokes (which is sadly not due to my meagre comedic timing). What should I do to let him know I’m keen and want him to ask me out? Hopelessly Infatuated Dear Hopelessly Infatuated, Your Aunt Beryl is here to give you love, but tough love. As sisters in the twenty-first century, we are no longer bound by the gender norms of the 1870s or even the 1970s. You can, in this day and age, take the lead. To do this, start small and build up. First, gauge interest by, at committee meetings, sitting down after him, and not next to him. If he moves and sits next to you, we can consider that an indicator of interest. Second, when he touches you, don’t flinch or press into it. Make it seem like you haven’t even noticed. Third, tell only the worst Dad jokes, while keeping your already stellar comedic timing. From his responses to your pulling away, you can calibrate your next steps. If he still shows cautious optimism, he’s keen (or clueless). If he cools in his ardour, he was never really interested. As long as he’s not being creepy, you can dole out your next enticements. Respond to his entreaties, laugh at his jokes (no matter how bad — even better if you actually find them funny), smile, twirl your hair. All this is advice your Aunt Beryl would have given you in 1991. It’s 2013. You’re a big girl; you’ve got your own mind and can obviously speak it. How about this, ‘hey, if you asked me out, I would say yes,’ or this, ‘I’m keen – let’s hook up,’ or even more direct, ‘I would like to take positive steps towards you seeing me naked.’ You came for advice, and here it is: don’t be afraid to get it wrong. If he’s keen, he’ll laugh at your efforts and keep being friendly, not like a brother. If you spend your time consoling yourself by watching The Notebook, eating a tub of ice cream and crying, but do not take any action, your Aunt Beryl will be very disappointed in you. Sincerely, Aunt Beryl Agony Aunt Reegan Grayson-Morison
Volume 3, Issue 1, (Originally Published on Monday 4 March 2013) Twelve Japanese students studied comparative law in an Australian environment, part of the MLS Asian Law Centre’s (ALC) Chuo Summer School program, held from 18 February – 1 March 2013. Mal Smith, the ALC’s founder, established the program in an effort to promote international exchange and foster an interest in comparative law amongst students in both Australia and Japan. The ALC has hosted Chuo students nine times since the inaugural program launched in 2005. During the program, Japanese students are given a rare break from the tedious study for the bar exam and are exposed to diverse ways of legal thinking through a program of lectures on specialist legal topics, such as cross-border transactions and intellectual property law, as well as through site visits to the courts and law firms. There are not only benefits for the Japanese students: they interact with their Australian counterparts, who learn about the Japanese legal system and benefit from meeting young lawyers they may work with on future international transactions. The students’ social connections were further strengthened over a few beers and experiencing the ‘real’ Melbourne with trips to St Kilda, White Night and the night markets. These interpersonal connections are seen as central to the Australian government as highlighted in the Asian Century White Paper. The ALC sees programs such as this exchange as a possible model for other universities. Reegan Grayson-Morison Melissa Peach
Volume 3, Issue 1, (Originally Published on Monday 4 March 2013) Second-year JD Melissa Peach spent six weeks of summer interning for international legal firm Herbert Smith Freehills in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is her story. It’s a country with legal issues as diverse as its ethnic groups, whose status as a foreign investment darling sets the stage for a range of corporate dramas. Located in the heart of the Golden Triangle, you maneuver through the crowd vying for a spot in the lift, and finally make it to your floor. Work begins, and you negotiate your way through cases, contracts and documents. Remember how hard it was to master legalese in English? Do it in Indonesian. Deadlines are coming up. These documents are urgent. You’re so engrossed in your projects that you forget to take lunch. You look at new laws, old laws, corruption and current affairs. You begin to see people, places and events through legal eyes. You see inequality, but progress; degradation, but development; corruption, but morality. This place is a paradox. You stay late and work weekends with the other lawyers, who always maintain a positive, upbeat attitude, reminding you that it’s okay to have a sense of humor. Time flies until the very end, where you look out at the Jakarta skyline as you clutch your drink in your hand, dazed and mesmerized by the beauty and insanity of the city. Melissa Peach Nicholas Baum
Volume 3, Issue 1, (Originally Published on Monday 4 March 2013) Dean Edwards, 26, today unveils the first issue of De Minimis for 2013, his first as Editor. Edwards, who worked as a writer for De Minimis in 2012 and has worked in newspapers at a school, university and professional level, was elected to the position by De Minimis staff in October of last year. He replaces Emma Shortt, 25, the inaugural editor of the revived student newspaper, who has returned to Canada having completed her JD in just two years. Shortt worked tirelessly from late in 2011 to establish a community newspaper for the Melbourne Law School. The original De Minimis ran as a weekly publication in various forms from 1948 − 1976. In the first edition of the newspaper last year, Shortt outlined her purpose as being ‘to inform students of the goings-on at the Melbourne Law School, including weekly events, perhaps a gossip column, ... study tips, ... and opinion pieces on anything and everything’. Asked this week about her experiences editing the paper last year, Shortt described the interest and support from fellow students as ‘amazing’, but warned the 2013 team to be aware of deadlines for assignments, which made putting a volunteer newspaper together very difficult. She congratulated Edwards on his appointment, saying that she hoped his ‘experience in publishing can give the paper a stronger direction and maturity’. Edwards wrote for De Minimis throughout 2012, including interviews with faculty members and spotlights on key events at the law school. He credits Shortt not just for her initiative but also her hard work managing the newspaper. ‘We at De Minimis are indebted to Emma’s vision and hard work’, he said. He described his goals for 2013 as to continue the task begun last year, to get more people involved, and ‘produce better, edgier content that our readers will love’. Retiring staff writer Bronwen Ewens said Shortt was ‘the ideal editor’, giving writers free rein, support and understanding, and obtaining generous funding from the Graduate Students Association. Columnist Charles Hopkins, 23, who is also stepping back from the newspaper this year to give other students opportunities, praised Shortt’s courage in pursuing the newspaper’s revival, and her selflessness in assembling a team and allowing them to contribute their own ideas and voices. Nicholas Baum |
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