2020
LAW
FIRST YEAR GUIDE
TABLE OF CONTENTS 04
President’s Welcome
06
Your First Weeks
07
O-Week
09
Meet Your Executive
13
ALSA Welcome
15
ANUSA College of Law Representatives
20
Law Competitions
22
International Law Society
24
Law Reform & Social Justice
26
Law Revue
28
Health & Wellbeing 03
PRESIDENT’S WELCOME Welcome to ANU Law School! On behalf of the ANU Law Students’ Society (LSS), I would like to congratulate you on choosing to study at the ANU and embarking on a journey that I am sure you will find rewarding and exciting. The First Year Guide has been prepared with the goal of making your transition into ANU Law as easy and smooth as possible. The guide will provide you with information on the array of opportunities and ways in which you can get involved and make the most of your experience at ANU. It will also provide a glimpse into what the LSS does and the ways in which we can support and enrich your experience at law school. The LSS is the largest and most active society on ANU campus. We provide a variety of services, such as careers workshops, academic and social events, competitions, or simply as a point of contact for any questions or concerns you might have in your time at ANU.
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I strongly encourage you to become an LSS member as soon as possible! Our members receive a wide variety of perks (such as discounted coffees!) and are the first to hear about our events and initiatives. LSS events provides an unrivalled way to meet your peers as well as connect with the broader ANU Law community. 2020 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for the LSS with ANU College of Law celebrating its
60th
Anniversary
where
we
will
be
collaborating to bring celebrations to the entire student body. Stay up to date with all our latest initiatives by liking our Facebook page. I wish you all the best for O-Week and the rest of the year. My biggest advice (as clichĂŠ as it might sound) is to is to get out there, get involved and meet new people! I look forward to meeting you at our events throughout the year. All the best!
David Chieng President lss@anu.edu.au
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YOUR FIRST WEEKS
Hello there! Congratulations on getting into Law at the ANU you have an exciting 4 to 5 years ahead of you! But first, it is time to settle into law school and university life. We have created this Survival Guide to help you navigate your first weeks and first few Semesters, providing essential information and tips for you to ease into the ANU. If you still have further questions, don’t hesitate to ask us - our contact details are all at the end of this Guide. Good luck, and above all have fun! 06
O-WEEK
O-Week is from 17th-21st of February and is going to be fantastic! During this week there are events run all day, every day and parties that go on into the night. Events are run by all different agents and societies on campus—make sure you don’t miss any by keeping up with ANU Facebook groups and event pages! The ANU itself will host an array of informative events like the Course Induction Sessions, which are absolutely vital and you should certainly attend. The ANU Students’ Association also runs events all week long, including the famous Friday Night Party. If you live at a Residential Hall, they will also have their own OWeek Calendar, and if you do not live at a Residential Hall, go talk to Griffin Hall on Market Day about becoming a member.
Join us...
LSS Welcome Drinks
JD Welcome Drinks
Wednesday 19th February, 3:30 till 5:30 pm on the Law Lawns
Thursday 27th February, 6 till 9 pm at Badger & Co,
of the College of Law building
Kambri
*Tickets available on the Facebook event*
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MARKET DAY Market Day is run on the Wednesday of O-Week. On Market Day all of ANU’s Clubs and Societies will have their wares on show. It is an awesome, hectic day! It is an opportunity for you to go around to all the clubs and societies, talk to members of their committees, and see which ones interest you the most. We recommend you sign up to a few, and tag along to their welcome events.
Importantly,
this
is
your
prime
opportunity to sign up as a member of the ANU Law Students’ Society.
SELF CARE O-Week can be a very draining time, with events running all day long, and parties going well into the early hours of the morning! Many students often get run down and sick by the end of the week by trying to do too much. Make sure you get enough sleep, even if you have to have a cheeky nap here and there. Also ensure you are eating enough healthy, nutritious food — you cannot live off the free BBQ sausages and bread for every meal, so have some fruit veggies in there somewhere! 08
meet your EXECUTIVE
MEET YOUR EXECUTIVE
David Chieng President lss@anu.edu.au
Khashif Jadwat Vice-President Admin lssadministration@anu.edu.au
Shiban Shahid Vice-President Finance lssfinance@anu.edu.au
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Ben Yates Vice-President Education lsseducation@anu.edu.au
John Grech Vice-President Careers lsscareers@anu.edu.au
Chelsea Rock Vice-President Events lssevents@anu.edu.au
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Maddie Chia Vice-President Social Justice lssjustice@anu.edu.au
Tiger Lin Vice-President Competitions lsscompetitions@anu.edu.au
Ashlee Smith Vice-President Equity lssequity@anu.edu.au
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ALSA WELCOME Dear ANU first year law students, I want to welcome you to this exciting start of your legal education. My name is Margaret Cai and I am the President of the Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) for 2020. As the peak representative body for law students in Australia, we are the voice of 40 law student organisations and over 40,000 law students nationwide. While the ANU Law Students’ Society has an active and direct role in your law school experience, ALSA champions the interests of law students on a broader level through knowledge sharing, educational seminars, competitions, advocacy and partnerships. The ANU LSS has been an active part of the ALSA Council – a forum which brings together the Presidents and executive members of each Australian law student society and association, three times a year. This year, ALSA is focused on creating traction around things that matter to us by advocating on bullying and sexual harassment, diversity, mental health and legal education reform. 13
Our advocacy mandate will be complemented with other initiatives ALSA undertakes, like the release of career and academic publications and the hosting of national mooting, client interview, witness examination, negotiation and paper presentation competitions in July. On a personal note, I want to leave you with a few reflections from my past five years at law school. Take opportunities to be involved in the ANU LSS. Attend its social events, engage in education seminars and nominate for positions on the Society. Student societies provide great access to an immediate network of friends and future colleagues. Participate in competitions early on in your degree – these are controlled environments to polish your communication skills, academic and legal understanding, and make mistakes. Through this, your confidence and resilience in dealing with university and workplace challenges will increase. In many ways, we become the kinds of people and leaders who we’ve observed before us. I encourage you to consider the people who will help you throughout your first year and take note of what they do. As you go through your degree, put those things in practice. All the best!
Marge 14
ANUSA COLLEGE OF LAW REPRESENTATIVES MAX CLAESSENS My name is Max Claessens and I’m super excited to be one of your College of Law Representatives on ANUSA for 2020! I'm a Canberra local in my 4th Year at ANU studying Law and International Security. While performing my role as your port of call for assistance with any academic issues, my goal this year is to alert you, and enable your access to, the support and opportunities at ANU. In saying that, these are my takeaways from 3 years here. First, whether you thrive or just survive, law school is a wild ride. Nevertheless, for me, the most valuable part is the people you meet. This is because law brings together brilliant individuals from all disciplines and walks of life which provides you with the opportunity to gain fantastic friends and a whole lot of perspective.
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Second, speaking of opportunity, there’s a lot in store at ANU no matter what you want to do. Be it competitions in mooting, witness examination, client interviewing and negotiations or international adventures to the US, Geneva, Japan and Myanmar. Third, in addition to opportunities, the courses you will undertake
are
challenging,
engaging
and
eye-opening.
Unexpectedly, my personal favourite has been corporations law as it allowed me to explore why corporate regulation is critical because of the influence media corporations, for example, can have on society and government. This brings me to my final takeaway, expect the unexpected. Remain open to having your mind changed and discovering previously unknown passions. The more open a mind you maintain, the more you have to gain. To sum up, I’m here to support you through out your first year at ANU and I encourage you to meet as many people while making the most of all the opportunities you will encounter.
Max
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GEORGINA PRICE Hi everyone! My name is Georgina Price and I am one of your College of Law Representatives for 2020. I am originally from Sydney and currently in my 4th year of a Law/ PPE degree. The biggest piece of advice I would have for people starting out law school at ANU is to take advantage of all of the amazing programs and support that exists. Whether it be the ANUSA First Year Day Trips, PAL, CHAT or LSS First Year socials, they are all invaluable opportunities to get to meet other first years and also get some advice from older law students who have been through it before! The law school and LSS also have plenty of amazing opportunties as Max mentioned above that I would strongly encourage you to give a go! Max and I are always here if you need any support throughout your first year for any concerns or questions you might have.
Georgina
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WHAT WE DO CoL Reps act on behalf of the undergraduate law student body. We sit on the College Representative Council, where we discuss changes to the academic side of university and how they impact students. We also act as an advocate for students to the administration, meaning we can assist with any issues or concerns you may have with courses, tutors or lecturers. As CoL reps we also sit on the College Education Committee (CEC) alongside the President and Vice-President (Education) of the LSS and the PARSA (postgraduate students association) representatives. On the CEC we represent students’ opinion on any changes to the curriculum or policy that the law school is hoping to implement.
HOW WE HELP We are here to help advocate for students for all things that relate to your law degree from issues or concerns you’re having with assessment structures, courses or teaching staff. If you are not sure who to speak to for help resolving an issue we can also point you in the right direction! You can contact us via email or message our FB page.
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FA C E BO O K
E M A IL
https://www.facebook.co m/ANUSALawReps/
col.sa@anu.edu.au
getting INVOLVED
LAW COMPETITIONS At ANU, law students are able to participate in a wide variety of competitions that test skills in different areas of the law. Internal competitions are organised by the ANU LSS, of which there are four:
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As a first year student, you will compete first in the Novice rounds in Semester 2 - it is recommended that you attend the workshops and attend a few of the Senior finals in Semester 1 to prepare. As well as these competitions internally, there are also external competitions organised by other institutions and law schools to which we also send teams to compete. Keep an eye out on the LSS Facebook page to see when applications open for each competition throughout the year! Competitions are a great opportunity to hone your professional legal skills (employers love applicants with competition experience!) and meet other driven law students both at ANU and at other universities! To learn more, come to our Competitions Launch BBQ happening in Week 2! 21
INTERNATIONAL LAW SOCIETY
The ANU International Law Society is dedicated to law students interested in studying or pursuing a career in international law, whether they have just started their journey in law school or have several international law electives under their belt. The ILS runs a range of events including academic panels with renowned speakers discussing topical issues and developments in international law. We also hold careers and networking events where students can learn about working in the field and have the opportunity to meet practitioners. We run a mentoring program which matches students with academics and lawyers.
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Additionally, the ILS runs the International Humanitarian Law moot competition, and advocates on behalf of students studying international law courses. We also advertise opportunities for students in Australia and overseas, and have membership to various international law institutions. If you’re someone who sees law as a pathway to explore and practice beyond Australia’s shores, or wants to get involved in an exciting student society, the ANU ILS is for you! To get involved in our events, competitions or opportunities, look for the ANU International Law Society Facebook page or email us.
FA C E BO O K
E M A IL
https://www.facebook.co m/ANUILS/
ils@anu.edu.au
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LAW REFORM & SOCIAL JUSTICE Getting involved in Law Reform and Social Justice activities throughout your law degree is a great way to bring your values together with your studies. LRSJ activities consist of student-run projects, thought-provoking events on pressing social justice issues, and the general ethos of the ANU College of Law as expressed through the curriculum and in academic research. Our established projects include community legal education initiatives providing legal information to high schools, prisons, and community legal centres; research projects on corporate responsibility and Constitutional issues; and projects that emerge as a response to law reform inquiries.
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LRSJ runs workshops on skills such as submission writing, FOI requests, and community legal education. We hold film screenings and careers panels on social justice jobs. Whether you want to join a project, start your own project, or just come along to events to hear about interesting issues, there will be something for you. “Like” us on Facebook (and select “see first” on the timeline) to hear about upcoming events or contact us via email at anytime if you want to have a chat about anything law reform and social justice related. We’re super friendly and love to hear your ideas!
FA C E BO O K
E M A IL
https://www.facebook.co m/ANULRSJ/
lrsj@anu.edu.au
25
LAW REVUE
Interested in a ridiculous amount of fun? Audition for Law Revue! Law Revue is a bunch of students across ages and degrees who for 8 months will write, argue, laugh and perform together to continue the leading sketch-comedy show at the ANU. The show is a multifaceted theatre performance, involving sketches, songs, dance, and video elements. For the musically inclined, we also have a band!
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You’ll learn the craft of sketch writing, spend retreats away at the coast and snow, perform on a stage with professional sound, lightning and costumes and best of all, meet super talented, funny friends for life (or at least until clerkship applications). If you’re interested, check out last year’s show on YouTube! Search “ANU Law Revue 2018”, and give us a like or chuck us a message on Facebook. P.S. Michael Kirby is overrated. Read the case set for tutorial before class and remember that law does not operate in a vacuum. See you at auditions.
FA C E BO O K https://www.facebook.co m/ANULawRevue/
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&
HEALTH WELLBEING
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
The ANU LSS is firmly committed to prioritising the wellbeing of all law students at the ANU. The toll that legal education and practice can take on the mental health of individuals is well-documented. With this in mind, the Wellbeing Director—working directly with the President and often in conjunction with the other portfolios—strives to actively promote the mental and physical health of law students via a range of events, initiatives and resources.
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The work of the Wellbeing Director is most notable in the organisation of the LSS Mental Health Week, which includes various workshops, guest talks, yoga and meditation sessions, and much more. However, they are keenly involved in promoting student wellbeing throughout the entire year, ensuring that students feel supported, well-informed and connected to a broad network of supports. If you ever have any questions, concerns or simply want to talk to someone who can provide some advice and point you in the right direction, we highly encourage you to contact the LSS Wellbeing Director, Sahana Devarajan.
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FA C E BO O K
E M A IL
http://www.facebook.com /ANULSSWellbeing
Isswellbeing@anu.edu.au
ANU HEALTH
The National Health Co-op (NHC) is the medical facility for all your walk-in bulk-billed medical needs. You can also make appointments, but they are very hard to come by (especially during exam season) so make sure you book in advance! To make an appointment, students must have an NHC membership. NHC memberships are free for all students enrolled at the ANU and can be found at https://www.nhc.coop/anu. New patients must call the centre to book their first appointment. Students should bring their Medicare Card and Student ID, or an international health card if relevant.
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Location: Level 2 & 3, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Kambri Open Hours: 8:30am – 5:30pm Monday - Friday 9am – 2pm Saturday Closed Sunday and public holidays Phone: 6178 0400
Website: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/contacts/ medical-services
Should you need medical advice out of hours, ring the Health Direct After Hours GP Helpline number at 1800 022 222.
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ANU COUNSELLING
The ANU offers a free and confidential counselling service to all current ANU students and staff. Counselling services to students are provided by Counsellors in the Counselling Centre, while services to staff are provided by the Adviser to Staff or by external advisers. No referral is required to attend appointments. The Centre provides group programs for common issues, public seminars, and a paired walking program called “Get Up and Go.� If students require immediate relief from emotional distress, they can call the ANU Crisis Line on 1300 050 327, or text 0488 884 170 between 5pm-9am on weekdays and 24/7 on weekends. 33
Location: Level 3, Health and Wellbeing Centre, Kambri Open Hours: 9:00am – 4:45pm Monday - Friday (Closed between 1pm - 2pm) Closed weekends and public holidays Phone: 6178 0400
Email: counselling.centre@anu.edu.au
Website: counselling.anu.edu.au
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ACCESS & INCLUSION
Access and Inclusion assists students who have a disability, medical condition, or who are recognised primary carers of a person with a disability to participate fully in their studies. They provide advice, support and adjustments to minimise the impact that a disability or medical condition can have on a student’s education, and enable students to participate fully in university life. Students are required to register with Access and Inclusion before services can be provided. This process requires verification of the disability or medical condition through the provision of appropriate documentation and discussion of students’ needs. The office will then assess the nature and extent of the disability or medical condition and facilitate the provision of support. 35
Location: Ground Floor, Copland Building (Building 24) Open Hours: 9am – 5pm Monday - Friday Closed weekends and public holidays
Phone: 6125 5036
Email: access.inclusion@anu.edu.au
Website: disability.anu.edu.au
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ANU SPORT
The objectives of ANU Sport are to promote and provide a diverse and exciting range of professional, affordable sporting and physical recreation opportunities for all of our members. To enhance your university experience by offering health, fitness and leisure activities to make your time at the ANU a whole lot more energetic, invigorating and enjoyable. For general enquiries, visit reception at the ANU Sport Centre.
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Location: David Cocking Sport & Recreation Centre, North Road (Building 19) Fitness Centre: 6am –10pm Monday - Friday 8am – 7pm Saturday - Sunday 9am – 7pm Public Holidays Admin: 9am – 5pm Monday - Friday Closed weekends and public holidays Phone: 6125 5036
Email: access.inclusion@anu.edu.au
Website: disability.anu.edu.au
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see you soon! FACEBOOK
E M A IL
W E BSIT E
@ANULSS
lss@anu.edu.au
anulss.com