The Jurist Career Edition: We’ll Tell You Where to Go Edition Three 2010
Featuring: The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel
work in the company of some of the biggest names in the business Finlaysons is always looking for our next generation of partners. Now’s your chance to get your foot in the door at one of Adelaide’s longest established and most respected firms. Enjoy the opportunity to work on some high calibre cases in a wide range of fields, while rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in town. To find out more about our summer clerk applications visit finlaysons.com.au
Editorial
Contents
Dear readers, In the current political climate, who can you turn to for stable governance? Who will whisper sweet nothings into your ear and say ‘everything will be all right’ as you sob forlornly into your pillow at night? I’ll tell you who: nobody. So harden up and accept the world is a scary place where people like Bob Katter can be voted in by an (apparently) informed voting public. But don’t get too hung up on the little things like that, there are still a few simple pleasures in life! One of those simple pleasures, as I’m sure you’re aware, is reading The Jurist. After the unfortunate departure of our predecessors, citing ‘creative differences’ and mumbling about printing issues, we have been elected to reign over work for you, and only you. We live, breathe, eat, and sleep The Jurist because that’s just how much we care – and it beats the hell out of doing uni work. After Julia Gillard’s immense excitement at forming a minority government, and Tony Abbott’s apparent confusion – but secret relief – at not having to explain what the hell an ‘action contract’ is, we felt it would be prudent to include some kind of political satire in this edition. Then we realised we weren’t actually funny, and if anyone said ‘moving forward’ again we’d punch them in the throat. Thinly veiled threats of violence aside, the one thing that does appeal to everyone is change – whether shrapnel or otherwise, it is more often than not a welcomed thing, if a little disconcerting at first. So think of us as that 40c that lets you afford that all-important packet of mi goreng, to supplement your diet of rice and sweet chilli sauce. Whatever your needs may be, we are hopeful this careers edition of The Jurist will fulfil them, just as long as those needs don’t involve taking our jobs. No, seriously. No matter where you go (after we’ve told you where, obviously), never forget you are law students and therefore better than every single person in the world. If they won’t admit it, it’s because they’re secretly jealous. Love always, FLSA Publications Kylee Moretti Simon Collinson Giovina Rocconi Jack Hetzel-Bone Shae Roberts
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Editorial 4 Dean’s Message 6 Professor David Bamford President’s Message 7 Ben Hine Letters to the Editor 8 Portfolio Update 10 Competitions Portfolio Update 11 Careers and Education ALSA Conference Report 12 Smarter, Not Harder 16 Ben Hine Law Dinner Report 17 Open Day Report 18 Teacher of the Year 20 An interview with Rhain Buth From Summer Clerk to Partner 21 Andrew Williams Chasing the Dream 22 An interview with Craig Reucassel Public Prosecution 26 An interview with Jonathon Emmett Clerkships: Two Perspectives More Than Just Study and Work Clerkship? Some Dos and Don’ts Further Study Options What’s New? This Masters Programme! Post-Graduate Study by Research at Flinders
28 28 29 31 31 32
Careers Quiz ADR Careers Alternatives to the Legal Sector International Careers Going On Exchange The Versatility of Your Law Degree The Memoirs of El Snitchó
34 36 37 39 42 46 47
Chris Kwong Ben Hine Kylee Moretti and Hossein Esmaeili Billy Tai Kylee Moretti and Rhain Buth Heath McCallum An interview with Mark Day Max Daly Jack Hetzel-Bone
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Dean’s Message
President’s Message
Professor David Bamford
Ben Hine
A
W
s we head towards the end of another year, the issue of jobs and careers becomes more confronting for more and more students. For some students, future directions remain unclear, for others the direction is clear and the challenge is how to move in that direction. The beauty for both categories is that the law degree is a great stepping stone. For those not wanting to practice law, the law degree can take you almost anywhere. We have graduates working across the world in a range of occupations — we have models living in LA, budding film directors, sex therapists, through to people working in refugee camps in Asia/Africa. We have successful business people, TV personalities… so don’t be limited in your thinking. For those seeking careers in legal practice, Flinders graduates are highly valued. However, it is clear that the financial crisis has affected the numbers of positions available and the growth in numbers of law graduates from UniSA and Adelaide University mean there are many more graduates than positions. Probably the best advice I can give is that great lawyers are more than great minds — use your time as a student to build your capacities. Being involved in community organisations, sports, student activities, other work experience, understanding what is happening in the world will all stand you in good stead when it comes to competing for a position. The other lesson I have learnt from watching students succeed is that unless you are brilliant, it is not worth overloading or rushing through your degree — in the increasingly competitive legal employment market, doing well is extremely important. I believe that usually it is academic performance that gets you the interview, the other qualities and capacities that get you the job. And as always, there are many pathways to a career. For some of you, doing postgraduate study will give you an edge and you never know, you may end up on another career path — being an academic! What could be better than that?
elcome to this year’s penultimate edition of The Jurist.
Speaking of penultimate: it is now that time where those of us in our penultimate year of study, and our final year here at Flinders, are seeking to secure a clerkship, work experience, placement, or graduate position. After lengthy discussion with a close friend, on a greatly protracted journey to the Barossa Valley I came to an interesting crossroads (excuse the pun) in my thinking: where does it end? Not the Barossa Valley – its beautiful vineyards and tempting cellar doors – but our journey towards practising law and experiencing the personal and professional satisfaction that comes with it. Law students, by and large, enter their degree as undergraduate students straight from high school. Making it to law school is usually the result of sacrificing partying, studying hard, and enduring more than the occasional all night cram. After this ordeal, we find ourselves at university, where we are surrounded by equally high-achieving students. We are then expected to achieve impressive grades, manage a part time job, amongst myriad other commitments, and demonstrate a balanced commitment to extra curricular activities in order to show versatility and commitment to prospective employers. To date, we have been through years of commitment and hard work, and are now inexorably moving towards graduation. Does it end here? Is this the end of the hard slog to make it to the bar and be admitted as a lawyer? No! The next stage is equally important – as we are expected to obtain clerkships or work experience, continue our other commitments, and to then apply for graduate positions, where the pay is a minimum and the hours a maximum. All of this seems rather like a never-ending battle. I draw this long and protracted narrative to your attention to deliver a crucial message: Hang in there. Law School and becoming a lawyer is not easy. While it may seem like those around you are effortlessly achieving their goals, it is no easy feat for anyone. So – go gently. Be kind to yourself, especially in the season when careers are being actively pursued. Our passage is a long one without an easy path. Do not be disheartened if you do not immediately fall into the job and the firm that you hoped for. Just as the journey from undergraduate to graduate, although it seemed a long one, has brought appreciable gains, so too will the next stage that invariably awaits us.
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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, I miss Prue! Her coffee was hot and delicious, and I didn’t age 3 years whilst waiting for it. It is truly amazing that each time I am forced to get my coffee (more accurately described as “hot milk”) at the coffee cart, I have the slightest hope that it will have improved. I am always disappointed. Take back the shiny red bench tops, the increased variety in junk food and the walk-through format, and bring back Prue and good coffee. Regards, Disgruntled Caffeine Addict Dear Editor, I’m a law student, studying law, and I need law resources to complete law assignments. I have a problem though: I cannot seem to use the law library! There is this group of ‘friends’ who have taken residency in our library (yes, most don’t study law). Now, we don’t mind sharing the area, but these ‘friends’ cause lots of noise and disrespect the librarians and the students. Cuckoos steals other birds’ nests for space to hid their eggs in. The cuckoo is the pest of the bird world, let’s stop these ‘pests’ in the library from stealing our nests! Regards, Cuckolded Dear Editor, When I wake up in the morning, I need my caffeine hit. But at the moment, I feel like I’m getting not a caffeine hit, but a punch to my tastebuds! Do these people know how to make coffee? My instinct is to say no. The first hint is ‘screaming milk syndrome’. For those reading at home, this means that the milk has become burnt and stretched! I shouldn’t prefer an instant coffee over a $4 one.
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Please help decaffeinated students like me. Despairingly, Decaffeinated Dear Editor, This winter has been freezing, and particularly harsh for the isolated law students. There is little protection in the Law Courtyard from the wind and rain. This forces students into the Computer Lab, disturbing those trying to use the Lab for its intended purpose. Why doesn’t the Law School consider installing café blinds to protect the seated area by the coffee cart and purchasing two or three gas heaters to warm it? We would be eternally grateful for the additional heat in the winter! Thanks, Frost-bitten Law Student Dear Editor, I have a question in relation to the Law Library: When did asking people to be quiet in a library become racism? Please help me understand how a group of people who have no respect for University Library rules can force the Library to change those rules and create a “Quiet Study Area”, which is very rarely quiet. Not only is the group in question noisy and disrespectful, they are intimidating bullies. These issues have nothing to do with race and everything to do with common decency and manners. If these issues cannot be resolved, the Law Library should seriously consider using a swipe card system and restricting entry to this part of the Library to those who are actually Flinders University Law students. Regards, Respectful Library User We welcome correspondence. Please email us at publications@flsa.org.au.
Portfolio Update
Portfolio Update
Competitions
Careers and Education
Recent developments: We have started running four competitions this semester, including the Kelly & Co. First Year Moot, Lipman Karas Negotiation Competition, Client Interviewing Competition, and Constitutional Law Moot. This semester the Law School also has competitors in the National Family Law Moot (Sarah Hanna, Sam Nelson, and Eva Mellors) and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Moot (Katrina Hartman, Michael Swanson, and Rachel Wang). Congratulations to all our competitors, you are doing a fantastic job! We are very pleased to welcome a new Competitions Team on board for this semester. We have David Mason coordinating the Client Interview Competition, Poppy Matters running the Constitutional Law Moot, Sarah Donoghue running the Lipman Karas Negotiation, Sam Kontra organising the Kelly & Co. First Year Moot, and Bianca Stamenkovic coordinating Flinders’ involvement in external competitions. So far this semester we have been working to set up each of the competitions, writing questions, searching for judges, and endeavouring to maintain the high quality of all our competitions. So far, the Kelly & Co. First Year Moot and Client Interviewing
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Competitions have commenced,with the feedback from our judges showing that the competitors have set themselves very high standards and performed very impressively. Participation in all competitions has been increasing year by year, and we are particularly pleased to report that the First Year Moot has had the largest number of registrants yet! What is happening next? The Negotiation Competition and Constitutional Law Moot are just getting started, and given the fastpaced nature of the Constitutional Law Moot we hope to announce a winner before the Mid-Semester Break and send competitors to the national LexisNexis competition in Canberra before the semester re-commences. Look out for more information about the final rounds of all competitions, which we will be holding after the mid-semester break. Please come along to support our competitors and to hear some competitions advice from our learned judges. Portfolio Members: Sam Kontra, Poppy Matters, David Mason, Sarah Donoghue, and Bianca Stamenkovic.
Recent developments:
What is happening next?
After the recent FLSA by-election, the Careers and Education team are extremely pleased to announce that we finally have a Careers Officer – and none other than the wonderful Jack Weise.
The Careers and Education team is in the process of organising further seminars relating to legal education and careers opportunities. Though times and dates cannot be confirmed yet, one of these seminars will be about undertaking Judges’ Associateships and the benefits they can have for future work in the legal industry and beyond.
A few weeks ago we held the first of a series of Career and Education focussed seminars about going on exchange or doing a professional internship. Coordinated by Toni, we had Daniel from the Student Mobility Office on campus come up the hill to North 5 and speak generally about the avenues students can follow to take advantage of these opportunities. We were also lucky to have three student speakers come and say a few words about their respective experiences, with Max Daly speaking about his time in Leicester University, Amy Sobels speaking about her time in India on an internship organised through the AISEC body, and finally George Lukic speaking about his time on a professional internship in the United States Congress.
Portfolio Members: Bridget Laffy (Vice President), Jack Weise (Careers Officer), George Lukic (Education Officer), and Toni Gascoigne (First-Year Representative). As always, please send any comments or suggestions to vp@flsa.org.au or visit the FLSA Website or Facebook page!
On Monday September 13th, a representative from The College of Law came to Flinders to discuss how students can complete their legal practicing certificates through their institute, and gain entry to the bar in other jurisdictions.
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ALSA Conference Report S
outh Australia was very lucky this year to have succeeded in our bid to hold the 2010 ALSA Conference. Hosted by all three South Australian universities and convened by our very own Heath McCallum, between July 12th and 18th Adelaide was taken over by a record 550 law students from across the country and abroad. The conference was the fruit of many, many hours of voluntary labour by Heath and the 50-strong committee from Adelaide University, Flinders University, and the University of South Australia. Thanks to generous equity grants from the Law Society of South Australia, Flinders was able to send an unprecedented number of general delegates. This financial support ensured that students were afforded the opportunity to attend Australian Legal Education Forums, to participate in social events and network with likeminded people from across the country, and to watch the semi- and grand finals of the six legal skills championships held during the week.
the Witness Examination Championship; and, last but certainly not least, Tom Radbone and Hannah Irving in the Allens Arthur Robinson Negotiation Championship. Aside from our fantastic competitors, there was also a huge Flinders presence in the organisational committee of the Championships. Samantha Kontra served as co-director of the team, Jack Hetzel-Bone co-ran the ALSA Moot, Celia Le coordinated the IHL Moot, Hannah Beard coordinated the Negotiation, Shae Roberts coordinated the Paper Presentation, Karla Halsall co-ran the Witness Examination, and Bridget Laffy coordinated the Client Interviewing. Another massive thank you goes out to volunteers coordinator, Damon Delaney, who had the unfortunate job of organising around 500 clients, witnesses, and timekeepers for the whole week: without his hard work, the competitions would not have been such a success. We witnessed the blood, sweat, and tears put into organising everything, and we would like to extend our deepest gratitude for everyone’s hard work, and to all the Flinders law students who volunteered their time to be judges, clients, witnesses, or timekeepers.
The legal skills championships run throughout the week were, as always, a huge part of the 2010 Conference. Flinders was one of the few attending universities to enter a competitor in each of the six championships. We would like to especially congratulate and thank Of course, what would Katrina Hartman for the ALSA Conference her representation of be without the social Flinders in a massive events? Flinders Law three competitions. School’s own (amazing) Katrina competed in Leesa Starr slaved away the Client Interviewing for months on end to Championship with organise some of the Sam Nelson, Australian Ming-Lyn Hii, Leesa Starr, Gareth Evans, Jacqueline Fong, best parties most of us Red Cross IHL Moot and Kylee Moretti. will ever go to; assisted Championship with by her activities team, Michael Swanson, and individually in the Paper which included another Flinders student, Kylee Presentation Championship. Flinders was also Moretti. Held at the newly renovated Adelaide represented by Rachel Wang, David Mason and Entertainment Centre, the opening gala was a Edward Lawrie in the Mallesons Stephen Jaques brilliant start to the week with its keynote speech ALSA Moot Championship; William Phillips in from the Honourable Gareth Evans AO. To give
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everyone a little time to recover, the Tuesday night was slightly more subdued, with a ‘battle of the bands’ event at the Adelaide UniBar. Wednesday brought us cocktail night, however, which was held at the Shores Function Centre. This was another fantastic event, during which the quarter finalists for each skills championship were announced. Although these competitors were clearly chuffed to have moved through to the next round, their disappointment at having to go back to their hotel rooms and get a good night’s sleep before question-release the next day was evident on their faces as they boarded the early buses back to the city. Thursday was technically the conference’s “day off”, although everyone who has ever been to an ALSA conference will know that there is no such thing as a “day off”. Because Thursday night was the theme night, Adelaide’s costume shops were overrun with hungover law students buying costumes and accessories to match the “Angels and Demons” theme. This was another great night, which saw people running around the Dom Polski Centre in outfits ranging from full red body paint, to corsets and angel wings and – who could forget – a certain two Flinders boys in white dresses and halos.
R
eading this, you must be wondering how everyone’s livers made it to Friday, but law students are tough types, and on the Friday night we had the Rubik’s Cube party at the Burnside Ballroom. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the idea of a “Rubik’s Cube party”, each attendee comes in a variety of different-coloured clothes he or she feels unattached to, and then trades them with other guests until each person is wearing only one colour. If this sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it was one of the most fun nights of the whole week. The Conference pub-crawl was held on the Saturday night, starting at the London Tavern on North Terrace. In shirts sporting a Farmers Union Iced Coffee-inspired design, which read: “It’s an ALSA Conference Pub Crawl or it’s nothing”, law students swarmed from pub to pub towards the crawl’s conclusion, at Live on Light Square. Finally, after a week of abusing our bodies and putting our renal systems to the test, on Sunday July 18th the
Sam Kontra and Giovina Rocconi. closing gala was upon us. Held at the newly renovated Adelaide Entertainment and Pavilion Centre at the Adelaide Showgrounds, Mr Bill Smith, Chief Prosecutor of the Cambodian Genocide Tribunals, delivered the keynote address. The competitions team also announced the champion universities, and presented them with their perpetual shields. All in all, the social aspect of the 2010 ALSA conference was highly enjoyable, and the memories and friends we made are priceless. The theme of this year’s Conference, “The power of the law in protecting those at risk”, was reflected in the four Educational Forum topics: 1. Responding to Conflict; 2. Refugee Law; 3. Animal Law; and 4. Global Poverty. The success of these forums is attributable to the high standard of the speakers who kindly donated their time to present their perspectives on these topics. Overall, ALSA Conference 2010 was a huge success, and great fun for organisers and attendees alike. Kudos, once more, to Heath for his fantastic job as convenor, and to all the people who helped along the way. We look forward to seeing you in July next year for the 2011 ALSA Conference in Sydney! ALSA photos continue overleaf.
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ALSA Photos
David Mason, Rachel Wang, and Sam Kontra.
know your career direction
Back: Kylee Moretti, Hannah Beard, Michaela Wauchope. Front: Karla Halsall, Sam Kontra.
Our Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice assists you to make the transition from law graduate to practising lawyer and offers you: ! multiple course start dates throughout the year ! part-time options to suit work needs ! flexible online learning platform ! cost effective training that can be completed in just 30 weeks
Michaela Wauchope and Hannah Beard.
Heath McCallum.
! meets all required competencies ! online legal job board to find work experience Supervised Workplace Training courses also available Find out how you can benefit: Ph: 1300 856 111 or visit www.collaw.edu.au Email: collaw@collaw.edu.au
A scene from the Gala dinner.
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Anthony Siklich and Celia Le.
Smarter, Not Harder
Law Dinner Report
Ben Hine
O
ne of the crucial things when developing your legal career is working smarter, not harder. In saying this, I am referring to the large number of resources available to law students in relation to career development that already exist. Often, students spend large amounts of time researching positions and developing their resumés when there are effective tools already available. This article will focus on three main resources that are greatly underutilised by students:
Australian Law Students’ Association (ALSA) Publications As the newly elected ALSA Publications Officer (Academic Journals), I feel it is especially pertinent to draw the numerous quality career publications produced by ALSA to your attention. The three key publications that you should be aware of are: 1. ALSA Judge’s Associate Guide Positions as judges’ associates are highly sought after, and those who have completed a JA are highly sought after lawyers. The ALSA JA Guide has informative articles about how to become a JA, what to expect, how to behave, and what those members of the judiciary would like to see in their associates. The ALSA JA guide will be released shortly and will be available at http://www.alsa.net.au/publications/careers-publications/judges-associates-guide. 2. Scholarships Guide For those of you contemplating further study, forget spending hours and hours finding a scholarship to support your Masters or PhD: they have all been compiled into the one place! The ALSA Scholarships Guide is a comprehensive publication with all of the postgraduate funding available listed in one place. It
is accessible at http://www.alsa.net.au/publications/ careers-publications/scholarships-guide. 3. International Careers Guide The title says it all. Check it out at http://www.alsa. net.au/publications/careers-publications/international-careers-guide.
Careers Officer FLSA has our very own Careers Officer dedicated to assisting you in preparation for entering the work force. Jack Weise, our current Careers Officer, has completed a degree in Commerce and has field experience in human resources and employment. The FLSA Careers Officer is available to answer any questions you may have and point you in the right direction.
Careers and Employer Liaison Centre (Flinders University) If you have applied for a clerkship, work experience or a graduate position and have not consulted the CELC, you are, with respect, a fool. Mark Gregory and Meg Alexander are highly trained professionals who are able to instantly improve your chance of securing the position you are interested in. The CELC offers:
T
he South Australian Law Students’ Council (SALSC) hosted their annual Law Dinner at the Adelaide Convention Center on Friday 6th August 2010. Over 600 students from Flinders University, Adelaide University, and the University of South Australia attended the event. We were to be graced with the presence of the Honourable Chief Justice French of the High Court of Australia, but he regretfully informed us five days beforehand that he could not attend. This was due to urgent litigation regarding the Electoral Act, which also prevented the entire High Court of Australia from sitting in South Australia the week of our event. The SALSC worked very hard to find a replacement and was lucky enough to have Justice Gray of the Supreme Court of South Australia make himself available, who spoke about the history of women in the law.
Toni Gascoigne, David Mason, Sarah Donoghue, and Kylee Moretti.
All in all, the event was a great success. The food was good, depending where you sat. Most people enjoyed the entrée, but it was rare to find a nicely cooked steak, as many were overcooked. Apart from that, the music was good, and the dance floor was even better. Most guests were seen busting sexy moves on the floor right up until the end of the night. Everyone then went on to the Duke of York Hotel for the official after party.
• Drop in sessions, where you are able to take in your CV and covering letter for an instant facelift and reinvigoration; • Seminars on leadership, interviewing, careers fairs and more; • And, crucially, advice on how to spend this coming summer engaging in tasks that will jump out on your CV. Bianca Stamenkovic and Kirsty Braybon.
Ben Hine delivering his law dinner speech.
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Open Day Report T
he recent Flinders University open day gave people from across the state the chance to interact with staff and students manning the various stalls set up by the university. The Law School was well represented, with staff and student volunteers giving their time to run the Law, Legal Studies, and Criminal Justice stall. The event gave prospective students the chance to find out why Flinders was so much better than Adelaide or Super TAFE, as well as their first experience of the epic trek from the gym to the law school. The event also allowed Flinders law students to blatantly lie to prospective Criminal Justice and Legal Studies students about just what their degree would involve. Fortunately, lecturers from these areas were on hand to correct some of the grosser inaccuracies.
Verbose judgments not included. As part of the proceedings, and in an attempt to compete with the science faculty’s nanotube made from
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Our rivals. balloons, FLSA put on a mock hearing of Donoghue v Stevenson to enthrall and amaze prospective students who had come to see the show. Unlike a real law school experience, the mock hearing did not require the students to read hundreds of pages of poorly drafted judgments. Instead, they were given the chance to watch student advocates put forward their best arguments on the merits of awarding damages to Mary Donoghue for having drunk a ginger beer containing a decomposing snail. In a stroke of marketing genius, visitors were lured to the event with the promise of free ginger beer. In due course, a mop-wigged Ben Hine awarded damages to Ms Donoghue, simultaneously establishing the law of negligence and crushing the nascent French ginger beer industry. The end result: a fantastic experience for all comers. Photos courtesy of Flinders University.
Teacher of the Year
From Summer Clerk to Partner
An interview with Rhain Buth
Andrew Williams
L
I
ast month, FLSA ran its annual ‘Teacher of the Year Award’. Nominations were open to the student body for a week, the votes were counted, and this year’s winner was none other than your friendly neighbourhood Criminal Law Lecturer, Rhain Buth. Bridget Laffy from FLSA interviewed Rhain. The Jurist: Do you like teaching? Rhain Buth: Yeah, I do! Teaching is fun! If I were to think of my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher – I don’t think I’m as articulate as I’d like to be. I have a very wispy voice. I move around a lot, and I’m shifty, and I have a somewhat frenetic stream of consciousness that is articulated in some unknowable way, so my structure is poor. But yes, it’s very reassuring to see students’ faces that are taking on and are absorbed in an area. Whether that’s Criminal Law or Dispute Management, their absorption – however momentary or trifling - is a wonderful thing. To the extent that you can keep people interested in learning, I think that’s good. TJ: Do you have a particular Dr. Rhain Buth. teaching style? RB: I don’t know if I have a teaching style. I try to be interesting. I think people learn what they’re interested in. One of my rules is to make sure that the topic is interesting. TJ: Did you have any great teachers when you were in law school? RB: My Contracts lecturer had a huge impact on me. I was enchanted. I can remember when I was in law and I missed an entire year because I was working full time; I never attended a single class and I never felt like I was part of the community. However, now I have the opportunity to do what I think is the right thing every time I see a student in class. If there is a way, I try to make sure that that flame of excitement at learning law is kept alive and not extinguished. Law school is hard.
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TJ: You came from a practicing background, was there anything in particular that drew you to teaching? RB: The short answer is that the type of practice I was in did not lend itself to much of a personal life, with lots of trials and travel. If I had to name one reason for the move, it would be that I am a much better partner to my wife as an academic than I would be as a practitioner - and her happiness is paramount. I do miss practicing at times, even though I still do so on a limited basis. The transition to university lecturer brought some unexpected challenges, but I have a dream job. I get to discuss ideas that give shape to how society is ordered, what conduct should be punished and how, as well as how disputes are to be resolved or managed. I consider these things exciting and interesting and it is my job to talk and think about them every day. Moreover, I am very thankful to the many Flinders Law students who make teaching enjoyable. It is easy to enjoy teaching when so many students take the time and energy to take full advantage of the learning opportunities at Flinders. I am also quite fortunate to be surrounded by so many faculty members who are passionate about the law – such exuberance is infectious. TJ: Do you have any final words about teaching and this award? RB: If by some way I’ve been able to keep alive the fire and interest in law and in justice that people have at the beginning of law school, so that when they walk out into the real world (whatever that might be) and that light still illuminates their path in some way, then that’s a great thing. I’m very fortunate if that ever occurs, so I’m very thankful to everybody who said pleasant things about me.
started with Finlaysons as a summer clerk in December 1999. That clerkship turned out to be the start of what has since been a long and rewarding career with the firm. In that time I have had the opportunity to form strong working relationships with peers and with more senior practitioners. Just as importantly, I have formed close and long lasting friendships with many of those colleagues. Spending time working within a firm is an invaluable opportunity to see how it ticks. It is a chance to form your own, unfiltered view about the values and attitudes that are reflected by the way its people go about their practice, with each other, for their clients, and in their dealings with others in the profession.
since. Obviously, the firm has continued to grow and develop an already substantial reputation and practice in that time, and over the years I have had the chance to work in different areas and with different people. The fundamental aspects of Finlaysons’ culture, its clients and its partners have remained consistent. Now, as then, I am proud to be part of a culture of high standards and expectations, and of a strong commitment to the firm’s clients and to its people. The high levels of professional support within the firm, both formal and informal, which made such an impression on me as a summer clerk, have been maintained and built on by subsequent generations of Finlaysons lawyers.
A clerkship program of six or so weeks is in some ways only a “first impression” of the firm, but it is an impression that will usually give you an accurate insight. You will have a chance to see the dynamics within the firm – how the lawyers and support staff work together within and across practice areas, how the senior practitioners supervise and mentor lawyers in their teams, and the level of professional support provided formally and informally across the firm.
Over my years with the firm I have very much valued the support and friendship of other lawyers at my level, and the guidance and mentoring of the senior partners of the firm. I continue to work with people and for clients whom I like and respect. I continue to be of the view (for what its worth) that my colleagues’ commitment to the social side of life at the firm remains laudably strong, and (from an entirely objective perspective, of course) that the Finlaysons Social Club and its events remain the best in the South Australian legal profession.
In the course of my clerkship (many years ago now that it was), I had an opportunity to work and spend time with legal practitioners at all levels, from preparing work for senior partners of the firm, to working with and alongside first and second year lawyers. As well as seeing how the legal staff went about their business and how they worked together, the clerkship gave plenty of valuable opportunities to informally “chew the fat” with staff members and with fellow clerks, both at work and at after-hours social events (including the famous rooftop drinks on Fridays).
The partners, lawyers and staff of Finlaysons take a close and active interest in each year’s summer clerk program. All are keen to ensure that the clerks have a positive and varied experience in their time with the firm, to ensure that the summer clerks have the best opportunity to get to know Finlaysons, and we to know them. The summer clerkship program is an important means for us identify those who fit the firm’s culture and will maintain the firm’s high standards as its next generation of colleagues, workmates and future partners of the firm.
The key views I formed of the firm and its people during my clerkship have not changed in the years
Andrew Williams is a partner at Finlaysons.
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Chasing the Dream From statutes to satire The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel talks to The Jurist about his experiences at law school, the beginnings of The Chaser, and game theory. By Simon Collinson and Jack Hetzel-Bone.
a lawyer. Having said that, I’m not encouraging anyone to become a lawyer!
The Jurist: You spent part of your childhood in Adelaide, are there any particular memories Adelaide conjures up for you?
CR: You never know, but yeah, I was certainly interested in international law, and then I also worked for a little while writing about media law – defamation, all that kind of stuff. I might’ve gone to the bar, who knows. But some people I know thought I’d never actually end up in the law, and maybe that’s the case!
Craig Reucassel: Look, I just loved it. I lived in Semaphore Park, and my memories of it are just walking down to the beach all the time. It was a great place to grow up. It’s very idyllic. TJ: Was there anything in particular that made you decide to do a law degree? CR: I guess I debated and was an arguer, and I was interested in becoming a lawyer, so that was the main reason. I was interested in lots of issues, I guess, and law seemed like the obvious thing to do to pursue that. TJ: We noticed that you took part in different public speaking competitions, like the Jessup moot and the international debating championships, and I guess we’re interested in what attracted you to that – was it a general interest in public issues?
TJ: Do you find the newspaper format particularly good for satirical comedy? I think of The Onion and that style of comedy. CR: Yeah, well our roots came from that kind of parody newspaper writing. It’s good to go back to, it’s quite enjoyable actually – a nice quick way to respond to the news, when you get the time.
“The Chaser was an accidental career. I wasn’t one of those people who went to law school intending to be a comedian”
TJ: Did you have much involvement in student publications? CR: Yeah, I did Honi Soit, and the Recorder, and various things like that at Sydney Uni. I mean, that was what lead to the Chaser essentially, a few of us were doing that kind of stuff, and then we started our own newspaper.
CR: Probably my favourite area when I was studying law was media law, and also international law. I loved international law, and had it not been for the Chaser I guess I would’ve pursued that in some way.
TJ: Lots of people who get law degrees seem to find themselves in the entertainment or arts industries. Do you think there’s a particular reason for that? Do you think there’s an attraction both fields share?
TJ: Did you expect to get into your work with The Chaser?
CR: I think the people with the sensibilities for law and media and arts are very similar, and when people are leaving school it’s not like there’s a degree there that caters to ‘I want to go and become a satirist or an entertainer’, so law is often a fallback for certain types of people. Which is fine, as long as you don’t pursue it if it’s not your actual dream.
CR: Certainly it was the case that The Chaser was an accidental career. I wasn’t one of those people who went to law school intending to be a comedian, or whatever – I went to law school intending to become
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TJ: If you hadn’t moved into the field you’re in, would you have gone on to practice law?
The Jurist – Issue 3, 2010
TJ: Law school trains people to think like lawyers. Do you have any advice for those seeking to erase that from their brains, if you’ve successfully done that? CR: Look, I found it erased itself quite quickly and easily from my brain. But I don’t think that a legal training is bad for any particular career. The one thing I always say is that if you’re not actually wanting to become a lawyer or work in a commercial law firm, don’t do a clerkship. Because a lot of people get sucked in that way and kind of go, ‘no I don’t want to, I’m not going to become a lawyer, I don’t want to do it’, but then they say ‘but I’ll just do a clerkship,’ and of course they end up there 10 years later regretting every second of it. That’s actually why I did Jessup - I did it instead of a clerkship. TJ: Do you still keep in contact with friends from law school? Obviously you went through law school with several other members of the Chaser, but do you find your worlds interacting much? CR: Look, it’s funny – from an Craig Reucassel. enormous amount of the people who were my friends at law school, I actually know very few lawyers! A great deal of them are in the media, and bureaucracy and government, that kind of thing, politics and so on. There’s some I know that are lawyers, but not a great deal of them, surprisingly enough. TJ: Were you particularly good, or bad, at any subject at law school? CR: My kind of passion was international law, that was my favourite. I wouldn’t say I was particularly good at real property law.
CR: Geez, I’m not sure I can even remember my lecturers. I wasn’t in every lecture, it’d be fair to say. I was doing CNNN and Election Chaser while I was there, so I can’t recall any specific ones. I had some great lecturers, but I don’t think there were any particularly eccentric ones. They’re all at Flinders Uni, obviously. TJ: What are the ABC’s lawyers like? Obviously you’ve had some contact with them. CR: They’re very good actually. There are times that we disagree with them, but generally speaking they find a way to let you do what you want to do rather than saying you can’t do it. There’s very few ideas – if any – that’ve been junked because of legal concerns over the years. Having done a law degree, once you get out of law school you know pretty much buggerall, really, so you’re still totally reliant on the actual practitioners. Having a law degree is useful to us to the extent of maybe understanding where somebody’s coming from, and understanding how to talk about an issue, but the actual lawyers at the ABC are the ones who figure out the realities of it. We certainly have full and thoughtful discussions, but they’re generally pretty good. TJ: Do you have any particular projects that you’re excited about at the moment? CR: The Chaser is trying to work on new projects that are slightly different, but we have to manage to get the time to complete those, so I’m excited about different approaches like that. But I’ve actually also been quite enjoying going back to the roots of the Chaser: we’ve got an iPhone app, which is a lot more like the newspaper used to be, and I’m enjoying that as well. It’s good to go back a bit, actually.
TJ: Did you have any particularly eccentric lecturers? TJ: There were some recent reports about a show
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called ‘Balls of Steel’ that you’ll be hosting. Would you be happy to tell us a bit about that? CR: It’s a UK format, and it involves different people kind of competing, doing various stunts I guess. I, thankfully, am just going to be the host, so I don’t have to put my life and pride on the line, which is a great relief, having had so many years of the Chaser doing that. TJ: Do you have a favourite High Court justice?
got so used to wanting to read it. TJ: I suppose it helps to condense it down. It’s different when it’s written to when it’s spoken, isn’t it.
“The one thing I always say is that if you’re not actually wanting to become a lawyer or work in a commercial law firm, don’t do a clerkship.”
CR: Well I guess Kirbs would have to be my favourite. I was fortunate to interview him earlier this year at the TED conference. He was quite amusing at the conference, actually, which was great, because I know judges can get quite dry at times. I think the judiciary trains its members to speak ad nauseam, without any consideration of their audience. But Kirby gave quite a pithy, amusing, and interesting speech.
CR: Also because I don’t like talking to the others. TJ: I was quite interested: of all the stunts and jokes and various things you’ve done over the years, have you had any particular favourite?
CR: Personal ones that I’ve done: the Trojan horse is one of my favourites. And flying a blimp at the Vatican, even though it didn’t turn into particularly good TV, was quite fun. And getting to know the Italian police force was bizarre. It’s extraordinary that Rome was ever built, let alone in a day, with anything like their police force. But obviously APEC was the highlight for the team, of course. TJ: Did you find it difficult to do the physical stunts?
TJ: Speaking of training: obviously satire is a difficult art to perfect, do you have any particular satirical heroes, or other heroes who’ve inspired you? CR: I have people I kind of look up to now in the industry – your Colberts, your Jon Stewarts, and in Australia I guess D-Generation – some of their stuff’s been fantastic – and Shaun Micallef. But I must admit, at university my heroes weren’t satirists. I probably, to be honest, more looked up to Geoffrey Robertson than any other satirists. As I said, my intention was not to get into comedy. TJ: Do you all tend to sort of sit around in a room and brainstorm, or is it more of an ongoing thing, or what, how does it work? CR: We often do sit around in a room and brainstorm. Nowadays we tend to write things and bring them to the room, already written. But some of the stuff we do is by Skype, actually. We don’t even sit in the same room. Interestingly enough, even when we are in the same room, if we’re writing headlines we tend to still send them through by Skype, even though we’re sitting next to each other, because we’ve
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CR: Not so much the physical stunts, it’s more the ones that are embarrassing or seem to be counter the social norms you’ve grown up in. We’re not sociopaths, we all find it quite nerve-wracking. TJ: I can imagine that. Although it doesn’t often come across on that way the TV, I must admit. CR: Yeah I know, it’s very strange, in a way. Most of us are not really like the characters, we’ve kind of come to this position, and it actually started because part of the newspaper used to send stuff out to people and interact with the real world, and when we went to put it on TV, Andrew Denton was kind of keen to keep that aspect of it when we did the show. One thing led to the other, and we find ourselves in particular situations and nervous as hell. TJ: Have you found your ability to do those sort of impromptu stunts has been compromised by your increased recognition in the community? CR: Yeah, it has. The way a politician reacts with us nowadays is obviously different to when they didn’t
know who we were. Although, to be fair, politicians were pretty much the first bunch to know who we were – a couple of years into that career most of them knew who we were. There were still lots in the public and business and so on who didn’t. But yeah, it has been compromised, and that’s part of the reason we’re trying to move away from that. But, mate, to be honest there’s still an enormous amount of people who have no idea who we are, or who see us and think, ‘oh, did I go to school with that guy?’ TJ: Is it strange having your own Wikipedia article? CR: It’s amusing more than anything else; I haven’t checked it a great deal. I rarely look at it, but I occasionally have people ask questions at functions, like I got asked this fantastic question once, somebody said ‘Oh, is it true, what it said on your Wikipedia page, that you chose your HSC subjects using game theory?’ TJ: It still says that. CR: Oh, fantastic. Because I don’t even understand game theory now. I’ve never edited my Wikipedia page, I sort of find it an amusing piece of semi-fiction to interact with occasionally. TJ: I looked at that and I thought ‘that seems to me like a joke, I can’t quite take that seriously’.
Good luck to them! As long as they don’t come and take my job, in which case I’ll crush them. If you want to take my approach, maybe they should be looking up to some strange jurist or something. TJ: For law students who would be interested in following in your footsteps, what sort of advice would you give them? CR: Firstly, I would say use the opportunities that university affords you – I did revues, I did debating, I did student newspapers – all that kind of stuff. And in the same way that you get experience for a law degree, you get experience for other things through university campus life. And most of those things have gone on to be more useful to me than really my law degree was. But the way we got into it was a total fluke, so who knows. I think if you really want to do something like that you have to keep doing it. I mean, we ran the Chaser newspaper for about 5 years, never made a cent out of it – we did it while we were studying and pursing other things, and we just did it because it was a passion. So that would be my advice: pursue your passions, really. I would say it’s good while you’re at university to keep your options open. For the people who want to go work in law firm, go to the bar, then go to the High Court, that’s what they should do, and they should put all their time into it. But if you’ve just chosen law because you’ve got the marks or whatever, and you want to pursue something else, then you should make sure that you make the most of university. It’s the best time to explore those other options.
“We’re not sociopaths, we all find it quite nervewracking.”
CR: Yeah, over the years there have been some great things up there, so I’m glad the game theory’s still there, that’s one of my favourites. TJ: I think it’s a great expression for creativity sometimes, Wikipedia, isn’t it. CR: It is. When Chris and I used to do a radio show, we used to always encourage people to change Wikipedia pages, to go crazy. TJ: It seems to us like there are other people now who take inspiration from your work in the same way you took inspiration from. How does it feel to know that?
TJ: Thank you profusely for speaking to The Jurist. It is greatly appreciated! CR: Hopefully my words will discourage people from entering the law. Craig Reucassel was a founding editor of The Chaser newspaper. With the Chaser he has gone on to do shows on the ABC such as The Election Chaser, CNNNN, The Chaser’s War on Everything and Yes We Canberra! Craig is married, has three children, and plans to sleep in 2020.
CR: Bizarre, is I guess the best word, if that’s the case.
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Public Prosecution An interview with Jonathon Emmett The Jurist: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. First of all, what does your job with the Director of Public Prosecutions involve? Jonathon Emmett: The Commonwealth DPP prosecutes all Commonwealth crimes. I’ve worked on social security fraud, drug trafficking offences, corporate fraud, and tax cases, among others.
JE: Part of it was file management – at many commercial firms you might not be able to manage your own files for years, but I was managing about 40. This was really good experience, because on the one hand I had the responsibility of managing the individual files, but I was also able to see the broad approach of the DPP’s work, and assist in major prosecutions.
TJ: Did you always know that you wanted to work in this field? JE: I always knew that I wanted to work as a prosecutor, yes.
TJ: What was the biggest surprise when you entered practice? JE: Having an office with a window! But also the amount of responsibility I was given to begin with, which was more than I expected.
TJ: What was your best subject while you were at Flinders? JE: Unsurprisingly, it was criminal law, but I also enjoyed corporate and human rights law topics. TJ: And your worst? JE: Torts! TJ: Has any part of your degree at Flinders stood out as being especially useful? JE: Working on legal writing and research skills from the very beginning of the degree has been useful. I think analytical skills are developed well during the course, too. You really start to appreciate the Flinders approach to teaching once you’re in practice. TJ: How did you end up working for the DPP? JE: I got a paralegal job with the DPP while I was studying, which is a great way into a government career. I had done a few commercial clerkships in 2008 and 2009, but realised that commercial law wasn’t really my thing. The DPP job was ideal, because I was being paid to do a law-related job while I was still studying. TJ: Would you recommend that to those who would like to pursue similar careers? JE: Of course: it means that you can start learning lawyers’ skills very early. The work I did then was very similar to the work I do as a lawyer now.
TJ: Does your job bring you into much contact with other branches of government? JE: Yes, we have direct relationships with lots of other departments - Centrelink, ASIC, Medicare, to name a few. TJ: What’s the best part of working for the DPP? JE: I have good working hours, which are relatively flexible, interesting work, and a lot of time in court. I appear in court almost weekly, whereas lawyers with some commercial firms might only appear in court once or twice every five years. One of the most interesting parts, which I did quite a lot of early on, is coordinating witnesses for a trial. That was a bit of a logistical challenge, since it involved being the first contact for these witnesses, meeting a lot of people, organising video- and teleconferences, et cetera. TJ: What about the law itself? JE: Commonwealth law isn’t the most prominent area, so it tends to be a niche which you might not know much about unless you’re in the field. I’m always learning new things. Jonathon Emmett is a 2009 Flinders graduate who works as a legal officer for the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, in Adelaide. Jonathon was interviewed by Simon Collinson from FLSA.
TJ: What sort of work did that job involve?
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Clerkships: Two Perspectives More Than Just Study and Work Chris Kwong
W
hen the time comes to apply for clerkships or graduate jobs, you will find that, regardless of the field, almost all employers look for people who are ‘passionate about their profession’, who, in addition to performing well academically, can ‘think laterally, be flexible, see the bigger picture and work as part of a team’.1 We are then told to tailor our applications and CVs to reflect these much soughtafter ‘graduate qualities’. But how can we gain the relevant experiences and skills to build that ‘ideal CV’?
For example, I became involved in FLSA because I was interested in organising social activities, and I developed an interest in FLSA’s growth because I wanted to organise bigger and better events. It was through the pursuit of that interest that opportunities began to present themselves, and soon – simply from wanting to organise ‘great parties’ – I was also able to hone in on organising skills, demonstrating flexibility, working as a team, and so on. You get the picture.
Therefore, although I attribute many of my opportunities to being in ‘the right place at the right time’, my standing in that position in the first place was more a result of making the most of opportunities than of pure good fortune. Chris Kwong is a 2009 Flinders University Law Graduate and former Associate to a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
which is usually held around March each year;4 3. Subscribe to online publications produced by law firms and other websites to receive up-to-date developments in various areas of the law;5 4. Volunteer for a community legal centre, where you can obtain practical experience and build useful networks;6 or,
Clerkship? Some Dos and Don’ts
5. Obtain work experience and/or a professional mentor through the services provided by the CELC.7
Ben Hine
Match extra-curricular activities to your interests
Do know the firm.
the after-hours oil.
Knowing the kind of work you are interested in early will give you the necessary time to plan for and obtain the experiences and skills required in your area(s) of practice.
Do as much research as you can. It is crucial to prepare for the clerkship as well as you did for the interview that you successfully completed. It is a good idea to become familiar with all practice areas of the firm and all of the staff members within each practice area. There will most likely be times where you need to complete clerk tasks for other practice areas or work with people across the firm. Having a knowledge of who people are and what areas they are from will make it easier for you get involved quickly and will impress your supervising partner.
Do respect the environment
Work out what you want Use the time you have at uni to find out what kind of work interests you. As a useful starting point, the Flinders University Careers and Employer Liaison Centre (CELC) recommends some useful websites which may assist you in finding which general career type suits you best.2 For most law students, it is about working out which areas of law you would prefer to practise in, although it can be equally important to work out what isn’t for you. To find out what may be out there: 1. Grab a copy of your FLSA Legal Careers Guide. These provide a convenient overview of local, interstate and overseas employers and what they look for;3 2. Attend the Flinders University Law Careers Fair, 1 Allens Arthur Robinson, Why you? (2010) <http://www. aar.com.au/careers/about/whyyou.htm> at 7 September 2010. 2 For example: www.jobhuntersbible.com, www.cdm. uwaterloo.ca, www.careersonline.com.au, www.keirsey.com and www.personalityonline.com. See, Careers and Employer Liaison Centre, Choosing Career Goals, Flinders University of South Australia (2010) <https://www.flinders.edu.au/careers/ publications/careers-guides.cfm?CFID=16882477&CFTOK EN=28873677> at 8 September 2010. 3 These are usually distributed around March each year prior to the Flinders University Law Careers Fair. The Australian Law Students’ Association (www.alsa.asn.au) and other law students’ societies and associations also produce career guides which are often available online.
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My tip is to pursue things of personal interest to you, since your innate curiosity will lead you to pursue more opportunities. Theoretically, you will be interested in certain areas of practice because they match your personal interests. You should pursue those opportunities within an organisation that gives you room to grow, as there may then be opportunities to expand and develop relevant experiences and skills. 4 Contact the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre for more information, their contact information can be found at http://www.flinders.edu.au/careers/contact/. 5 See for example AAR (http://www.aar.com.au/pubs/ index.htm); Gilbert + Tobin (http://www.gtlaw.com.au/publications/); Mallesons Stephen Jaques (http://www.mallesons. com/publications/publications.htm); Australian Government Solicitor (http://www.ags.gov.au/publications/agspubs/index. htm). 6 Some useful places to start your enquiry include JusticeNet SA (http://www.justicenet.org.au/volunteers.html); Welfare Rights Centre (SA) Inc (http://www.wrcsa.org.au/); Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (http://www.alrm.org.au/index. html); and the South Australian Legal Services Commission (http://www.lawhandbook.sa.gov.au/). 7 CELC contact information at above n 4.
Do bond with other lawyers, solicitors and clerks. Having open, friendly and constructive relationships with your colleagues is invaluable for a variety of reasons. Take the time, if it is appropriate, to ask some questions or offer a compliment to a colleague and get to know them. 1. People will come to you and feel comfortable giving you work if you have presented a good impression of yourself. 2. That supportive smile will give you a lift as you pass through the corridors of the firm when a dispute is about to go to court, or when you are burning
Keep your workspace tidy. While it might seem like a minor thing when you are only doing a clerkship, showing that you are able to maintain an office in an orderly state not only demonstrates that you are organised and respectful, but it is also indicative of how you will cope with a large amount of work. Do write neatly on all documents! If you one of the lucky ones who is clerking with a secretary, write neatly on your documents! You never know when you will need to urgently find a deed packet or photocopy some documents with the assistance of your faithful secretary. If you have made your instructions clear to them and always worked as hard as possible to make their life easier, then it is certain that they will be more willing to assist you. The office support staff usually have a far more thorough knowledge of the workings, proceedings and location of files within the firm than even its senior members! Do be comfortable Make sure you bring snacks / tissues / cologne / your
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favourite teddy bear, etc, so that you are comfortable at all times. Take a smart jumper – central climate control does not conform to everyone’s preferred temperature level – and a water bottle for the fridge. You will be in an unfamiliar environment and having prepared creature comforts on hand could bring you a surprising amount of relief on a rough day. Also, there is nothing worse than being in a client meeting (if you do have client interaction) and having a runny nose or a dry throat. Make sure that you feel at your best all the time so you can make the most of opportunities which arise.
Don’t take the whole lunch break. It might be a basic, but demonstrate that you have a work ethic. Don’t give up. Tough it out. Clerkships can be tough. They are designed to be a learning experience for someone who is starting at the very, very bottom of the fish bowl. Keep a positive attitude and try to see out your commitment. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Do be positive. Be someone to go to. Take on the work. If you feel that you can manage a task on top of what you have been assigned, try to say yes. Do it effortlessly. Don’t complain. Don’t have that extra glass of wine at Friday night drinks. Most firms have policies about almost everything: after-work drinks would be no exception. The policy would most likely have infomation about after-work drinks and consumption, but do be sensible about the time you spend socialising with your colleagues. If you wouldn’t say it to your grandma, don’t say it at work!
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The supervising partner will always be happy to give you direction if you need it. Don’t take on tasks without a clear picture. Take the time to clarify. Ask the ‘stupid’ questions. Confirm your jurisdiction. Ask for a place to start if unsure. To get information about clerkships – the season is fast approaching! – contact FLSA. Ben Hine is President of FLSA.
Further Study Options What’s New? This Masters Programme! By Kylee Moretti, with thanks to Hossein Esmaeili
I
f you are coming towards the end of your degree, you may want to take on further studies. Flinders is now offering a unique degree, the LLW, or Masters of Law (International Law and International Relations). This 72-unit degree is aimed at those who want to be involved with the UN, the Red Cross, or humanitarian and non-profit organisations. If you are not doing a double degree with International Studies, you can still apply for this Masters. All you need is to hold an approved four year Bachelors degree in Law or a discipline related to the field of study, or equivalent qualifications. Worried about grades? Those planning on taking this degree will be expected to have a credit average or above to be able to deal with the course load. As the current course review is changing the size of the units, the Masters programme’s workload has
been adjusted accordingly. Option one is taking on 8 topics to complete the LLM; option two is taking 6 topics and completing a research paper. Be warned, the next part may excite you: there are no weekly sessions, only a two and a half day meeting once a semester. But remember, students will still have to take their studies as though they are completing an undergraduate course. So far, this new Masters Programme sounds similar to other Masters Programmes. However, this new course will give students the skills and abilities to work in various areas, including the civil service, public sector, foreign affairs, diplomacy, media, and international law firms. This is only a snapshot of what the new course entails. More information can be found at www. flinders.edu.au/calendar/vol2/pg/MLaws.htm.
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Post-Graduate Study by Research at Flinders Billy Tai
F
linders Law School offers several different postgraduate study options. One of these is the Research Higher Degree (RHD). This means you complete your post-graduate study by research and produce a significant thesis at the end. In this article, I will give some general background information on RHD, and answer some of the common questions that people have. Why would I want to do a postgraduate degree? Well, before I answer that question, let me ask you: • Have you ever written a research essay and hoped that you could have the scope to do more research and to write more? • Do you feel passionate about a particular area of law and wish you could learn more and become an expert in that area? • Have you ever wondered how law interacts with other academic disciplines, such as social studies, humanities, and science? • Have you ever wanted a career in academia? • Have you ever dreamt about being called a Doctor? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then I would recommend that you think about postgraduate study at Flinders University. Flinders Law School offers two types of post-graduate degree: an LLM (Master of Laws) and a PhD (Doctor of Philosophy in Law). The LLM program generally lasts for a period of 2 years, and you will need to write a research thesis of between 35,000 to 50,000 words. The PhD program essentially doubles your commitment, so it goes on for 3-4 years and the length of your thesis is expected to be 70,000-100,000 words. You will be working with your supervisors throughout your research to identify and refine the area you are interested in. By the end of the process, you will become the expert in that field, and you will be rewarded by knowing that you have contributed some original knowledge to your chosen field of study. Ok, I am interested, how do I get into the program? Before you make your application, there are a few things to consider. Generally speaking, the LLM pro-
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gram requires that you have at least graduated from your undergraduate degree (LLB) with a class 2A honours. The law school has a complicated system to work out your honours GPA, so if you want to know your progress during your studies, it is best to check with Gaynor Bryant at the Faculty office. The PhD program normally require that you have at least a Master degree (or equivalent), or an undergraduate degree with class 1 honours. However, as a workaround, you can start your post-graduate study by enrolling in a LLM program, and then upgrade to the PhD program later. It is often worthwhile to at least identify the broad area of law you would like to study, and approach the lecturer or professor who is the expert in this area. It is important to establish a good relationship with your potential supervisor at this early stage, as the application process becomes much simpler if you already have a principal supervisor identified and he or she supports your application to do post-graduate research. It is also worth taking the time to speak to Professor Margaret Davies. As the Director of PostGraduate studies at Flinders Law School, she has the ultimate say in whether you are accepted or not. The next step is the application process. You can start your post-graduate study at any point during the year. You will need to make an application to the Faculty office (the Faculty of Education, Humanities, Law and Theology, or EHLT), which will then be referred to Margaret and the supervisor(s) you nominate. Hopefully you can see the importance of laying the groundwork before you hand in your application, as it makes the process much smoother if everyone involved already knows and supports what you are up to.
therefore very common for students to have supervisors from the other disciplines into which they are researching, or even a supervisor with a particular skill set (such as research methods or statistical analysis) which can help with the student’s research. What if I didn’t get the required GPA during my undergraduate study? All is not lost: if you didn’t quite make the grade, but you can demonstrate that you have the ability to undertake the major commitment involved in a research degree, you can still find yourself being accepted. It is important to talk to Margaret as early as possible, so you can prepare for your application process. Can I get HECS for post-graduate study by research? Yes, you can. In fact, for Australian and New Zealand citizens, your research degree is fully funded by the Commonwealth. What this mean is that there are no out of pocket costs as far as your enrolment is concerned. What about living costs? Can I work as well as study? This is always a touchy subject: full time study essentially means full time work. You are expected to be involved in your research for 37.5 hours per week. Your time commitment should be no different to that if you were studying for 18-21 units per semester. You will need to consider that carefully if you do wish to undertake part time work. If you find that you do need to maintain an income while studying, there are a couple of options to help you out:
Scholarships: There are hundreds of scholarships available from the Scholarships Office that can alleviate money worries while you study. The award of a scholarship is based on merit, and there are strict cut-off dates for applications. Make sure you check out the Scholarships Office at Flinders to find out more information. Studying Part-time: You can also enrol in postgraduate study part time. This effectively doubles the time required to complete your degree. Sometimes this is helpful in striking a good balance between work and study. Well, I hope this article sheds some light on the mysterious people that are post-graduate students. It is important to point out that post-graduate study is a lot of hard work, and a decision to undertake such study should not be made lightly. However, the end result can be very rewarding. Therefore, I would encourage all of you to seriously think about furthering your study at Flinders. Billy Tai finished his law studies in 2009 at Flinders and is currently completing a Master of Laws by Research here, as well as finishing the remaining PLT topics before admission. His research is in the area of rape law and young adults’ sexual and consenting behaviour. Prior to studying law, he worked as a cargo pilot in NZ and the USA, and in the printing industry as a production manager.
Do my supervisors have to come from the Law School? Since you are doing a post-graduate degree in law, it is logical that you should have at least one supervisor in the law school. However, it is in fact quite rare to undertake substantial research into any area of law and not stray into other academic disciplines. It is
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Careers Quiz What kind of lawyer are you going to be? When you get the newspaper on a Sunday morning the first thing you look at is: A: The Stock Market report B: The “Home” liftout C: The Court Report/Listings D: You don’t get the newspaper, as it is wasteful E: The World News
When you go out for dinner, your favourite type of restaurant is: A: High-end, classy, and refined B: Light, fun and inexpensive C: A dingy, private pub D: Organic, vegan and carbon neutral E: Foreign flavours – Mexican, Italian, or Thai
If you were to commit a crime, it would most likely be: A: Tax evasion B: Assisting in euthanasia C: Murder D: Vandalism of corporate property E: Passport forgery
In your spare time you would prefer to: A: Watch the stock markets online B: Spend time outdoors – walk the dog, go to the zoo etc. C: Watch TV shows such as Criminal Minds, Bones, and Law and Order D: Tend to your veggie patch E: Go to the Central Markets and Chinatown
Your ideal living arrangements are: A: A modern, chic, inner-city apartment B: Living in suburbia in a large house with a garden C: Moderate, comfortable home D: A self-sustainable house with room for a vegetable garden E: Small apartment with no living plants or pets
You feel most comfortable wearing: A: A three-piece suit
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B: Jeans and a jumper C: Slacks and a trench-coat D: Fisherman’s pants, anything fairtrade E: Clothes bought online from H&M
Which of the following TV shows would you be most likely to host: A: Who Wants to be a Millionaire? B: Bert’s Family Feud C: Deal or No Deal D: Out of the Blue E: The Amazing Race
Which of the following songs do you most closely identify with: A: “Money, Money, Money” – ABBA B: “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson C: “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen D: “Big Yellow Taxi” – Counting Crows E: “I Still Call Australia Home” – Peter Allen
You are the first person on the scene of hit and run car accident, involving the driver and her two children. What do you do? A: Give the injured person your business card and leave for the meeting you’re on your way to B: Attend to the children in the car C: Chase the other driver D: Call the fire services to clear the oil spill E: Yell at the driver for driving on the wrong side of the road
You attend your partner’s work party and spend your time: A: Chatting to your partner’s boss, especially as you’re trying to score a job there B: Sharing photos of children with other guests C: Boring a guest with your views on the death penalty D: Checking the energy efficiency of the venue and harassing the wait staff about where the produce being served came from E: Find a fellow guest who has recently been overseas and spend the evening sharing travel stories
Mostly “A”s = Corporate Devil
Mostly “D”s = Greenthumbs
You are prepared to put in the long hours because you know you will eventually be generously remunerated for it. You have expensive tastes and like to live large. Some may consider you to be cold and hard, but you see yourself as pragmatic and efficient.
You are invested in the long term security of our planet. You can see the environmental degradation caused by development, and are committed to reforming and shaping the legal structures which govern our use of the environment. You try to lead by example and take active steps to reduce your environmental impact.
Mostly “B”s = Family Matters Mostly “E”s = Jetsetter You are a strong believer in work/life balance and feel a need to serve the community. You are well equipped to deal with the emotional needs of families in distress. You are warm and caring, but are able to act professionally.
You are allured by the complexity of legal structures within the international system. You enjoy travel and relish the opportunity to practise your profession across jurisdictional boundaries. The breadth of content in this area challenges your intellect and expands your life experiences.
Mostly “C”s = Law and Order You have a strong sense of justice and are seeking to dedicate your professional life to this cause. You are the protector of fundamental rights, be it those of the accused or those of the victims. This role may be difficult, and your lifestyle may be modest, but you are committed to the cause.
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ADR Careers
Alternatives to the Legal Sector
By Kylee Moretti, with thanks to Rhain Buth
How to score that dream international job. By Heath McCallum
W
R
hat is ADR and how can one make a career out of it? ADR stands for Alternative Dispute Resolution, meaning alternatives to settling conflicts inside a court. ADR is an area where it’s about the client’s interests and needs, not about the liability and outcome. ADR allows a range of legal problems to be tackled with creativity and sensitivity towards the client’s needs.
If you study law, the ADR skills you pick up can complement skills belonging to those in different fields. A business negotiator will focus on issues of value, while a legal negotiator will focus on liability. In a broad view, a business negotiator will make deals associated with mergers and acquisitions, leaving the lawyers to tidy up issues related to liability, insolvency, and outstanding legal matters.
It allows you to explore ways to meet clients’ needs short of litigation. For example, ADR uses collaboration as the first step in solving a problem, leaving litigation as a last resort. If you find yourself to be a collaborative legal practitioner, this can work in your favour, as most collaborative legal practitioners have their clients sign a contract. This contract will normally state that the practitioner will represent their client with the aim of settling matters, often committing to stay outside of court. This will show that both parties hold an element of good faith, and intend to treat everyone with respect and courtesy; it is often found in family law and commercial matters, where maintaining the long term relationship of the parties is one of the main concerns of both parties.
Conflict is a part of life, and the ability to respond to a conflict is not only a reflection of a person’s character, but can determine the path you follow in your life. Many people avoid conflict. As future lawyers, you will find that avoidance is often not an option. ADR provides new options for clients to establish how they wish to proceed with matters.
Rhain Buth is currently conducting research into the extent to which firms are interested in skills such as negotiation. Rhain’s hypothesis suggests that new associates are not hired for their practical skills, but are evaluated more broadly on how they can analyse legal situations, which is shown in the marks they received. If firms push away from litigation in favour of more efficient collaborative transactions, their relationships with their clients will benefit as a result of the reduced costs.
Finally, how does one get a career in ADR? To begin with, you need to be accredited to the National Accreditation Standards for Mediation and receive Mediation training.
In case anyone is interested, Rhain’s most memorable ADR experience occurred during a divorce matter. The spouses has graciously agreed on all items expect one, but this issue was so great that it soon became apparent that it would be impossible to reach common ground. The item of great importance was a very interesting adult film collection.
If you are interested in learning more about ADR, please sign up for Rhain’s conflict group or his elective, Dispute Management.
ecent studies of law graduates have shown a marked move away from the typical legal career path aimed at barrister, judge or partner. Over 50% of gradates in 2009 will never have a conventional legal job (whether public or private). Of the 50% of graduates who do enter the legal profession, half will leave within five years. It is easy to speculate about the reasons for this, but one thing is certain – a law degree is no longer necessarily a stepping-stone to being a lawyer. Employers in all sectors love law graduates, and there are myriad opportunities for you to start thinking about. It has long been recognised that a law degree does far more than just teach students the law (which is invaluable no matter what your career path): it teaches us to think analytically, solve problems logically, research meticulously, and express ourselves succinctly in writing and speech. It teaches us confidence and confidentiality, organisation and time management. Indirectly, it also gives us friends in useful places and, perhaps most usefully of all, an extraordinary boredom threshold from the thousands of pages of cases we read annually. These skills are useful no matter what the career – doctor, priest, CEO or drug mule – and employers have learnt the power of hiring law graduates into atypical careers. No matter which career you choose there is one thing to keep in mind – there are a lot of you! With 38 law schools in Australia and over 34,000 law students, law graduates are a dime a dozen, so if you have your eye on a specific career path, you need to start thinking about it now. The most common ‘alternative’ careers available to law graduates are in the international sector, business and finance, and community groups, and there are a few things to keep in mind if you want to head down those paths. Whether you want to be the regional head of World Vision or run an orphanage in Kenya, a law degree will get you there. The only problem is that there are a lot of law grads looking to save the world, and breaking in to the sector can prove to be exceptionally difficult.
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The big multi-national NGOs (the UN, Red Cross and international courts like the Hague) offer incredible internship programs that will put you up against the best and brightest people on the planet. While applying is always a great idea, have a plan B, as some of the most prestigious internships receive upwards of 30,000 applications! A great way to get experience in the international development sector is the AusAid-run Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program. AYAD sends dozens of young Australians to countries in the Pacific, Asia, and Africa to participate in programs with other NGOs. AYADs are funded, last up to 12 months and are undoubtedly one of the most amazing opportunities for young Australians. Check out their website for ideas about their programs. Whether you want to do an AYAD, a prestigious internship, or move straight into the international workforce, selection panels will be looking for a few essentials: international experience, volunteering experience, or – where possible – the two combined. If you want to work in the sector, make sure you get some travelling and some local volunteering work (preferably community based) under your belt. The key words here are cultural sensitivity (including working with non-English speaking communities), working in teams, and adaptability. If you can provide examples of where you gained these skills, your application will be viewed much more favourably. A lot of people ask whether doing a stint in the evil corporate sector is fatal to an international career. It certainly is not, if you can use the experience to your benefit – the skills you learn as a clerk in a firm are certainly transferable to an international career and no one will hold the fact that you gave it a try against you. The only risk is falling behind on the international experiences, relative to other applicants, so if you think a careers swap might be on the cards for you, keep up the volunteering. The big question with international jobs is whether you need a second language. Australians are lazy
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International Careers An interview with Mark Day when it comes to languages, but when you head into the international sector you’re often up against Europeans. AYADs, internships and other international jobs will definitely favour applications with a second language, but it isn’t fatal if you make up for it in other areas. If you want to go far in the UN or Red Cross you will definitely need a second language – French is a good one for both organisations. Anyone who has worked in the international sector for a while comes back with one piece of advice: be patient. It is possibly the hardest career path to crack, so be willing to wait for that ideal opportunity. Work at your ‘soft skills’ with volunteering, and keep applying until you break in. Some people tell stories of working in pubs in the Hague until they met the right person or saw the right opportunity. If a volunteer opportunity in your perfect organisation pops
up, jump on it, and if you impress them a paid job won’t be far off. Finally, utilise the resources around you. FLSA produces the Alternative Careers Guide with articles on jobs in NGOs, government, and academia, as well as tips on how to apply. Pop into the Careers Centre for some career-tracking advice. They can tell you which areas of your CV need some work, and they also have amazing programs which can link you up to professionals in your area of interest. If you would like more information, feel free to pop into the FLSA Office (2.51) between 11am and 2pm on a weekday. Heath McCallum is FLSA’s Social Justice Officer.
Driven by a fascination for the juxtaposition between Australian culture and Chinese civilization, and an interest in the relationship between Australia and Asia, Mark Day talks to The Jurist about how a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland sparked his passion in the law which moved from a commercial litigation career to a focus on intellectual property in China. Jack Hetzel-Bone interviewed Mark. The Jurist: Did you always have an interest in practising law overseas? Mark Day: Actually I originally got my Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Asian language (Mandarin) and Asian religion from Queensland University, and ended up in China on a scholarship in 1979. Building on that experience, I was offered the opportunity to become the Trade Commissioner. My key role as Trade Commissioner was to visit steel mills around Shanghai with CRA (now Rio Tinto), BHP, and the Coal Corporation and analyse the difficulty of getting iron ore to steel mills. During my time as Trade Commissioner, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help open the Australian Consulate in Shanghai in 1983. I always had an interest in international issues, particularly how Australia fits within the geographical location it inhabits, and I felt it was particularly important to understand how Australia should conduct itself in its region to the profit and benefit of not only itself but the other countries in its region. TJ: So was your interest always in China or in Asia generally? MD: I studied Chinese whilst at university, but I always thought I would move on to Japanese or something similar afterwards. However when I went to China I was struck by the juxtaposition between the Australian and Chinese cultures. China’s culture is incredibly old and complex, whereas Australia’s culture is so new and dynamic, based on multiculturalism. Back then China was very poor, socialist, and life was very hard for the majority of people. This was in stark comparison with me and the rest of Austral-
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ians at that time who were privileged, capitalists, and quite wealthy. This difference made me examine my own culture, and in a sense increased my self-awareness. It also helped me see the inherent struggle in Australian culture between the culture we inherited from the English and the Aborigines and the actual contemporary Australian culture that has evolved in
Mark Day as a student in 1980. its own right. TJ: What made you decide to do a law degree? MD: I have always had an interest in the underlying philosophical and religious schools of thought that dictate how a society functions. Studying Asian culture and religion was a means to further that understanding. This interest in Chinese culture sparked a desire to understand the philosophy and concepts that underpinned Australian culture, and I thought studying law was the best way to do that. Consequently, I started a law degree at Melbourne University, despite being offered a job as the Marketing Manager for BHP Iron Ore for China, USA and Eastern Europe. TJ: What helped you choose your specialisation?
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MD: I worked at Philips Fox Lawyers, while I was doing my degree and after graduation, I teamed up with a partner, Bill Magennis, to open the first foreign law office in Hanoi in 1991. Through my contacts I gained as a Trade Commissioner I was able to secure the legal work for Philips Fox for the BHP Petroleum contract to drill for oil off the coast of Vietnam. The anticipated legal work was instrumental in justifying opening the Hanoi office. Eventually I decided to return to China in a job that would utilise my knowledge of Mandarin and accepted a job at the UK firm Freshfields in Shanghai in 1994. TJ: When did you decide to specialise in Intellectual Property? MD: In 2000 I was working in Hong Kong for the New York firm White & Case and saw an ad in the paper for a job as regional legal counsel for the Hollywood Studios in Asia Pacific. During the interview I let them know I was not an Intellectual Property Lawyer to which my future boss replied “It’s ok, you can learn it in a week on the internet” which was a massive lie of course. But over ten years I learnt on the job and became proficient as an IP lawyer. I think the key to being a good IP lawyer is being a good common law lawyer with commercial litigation experience, as the practice of IP draws heavily on those skills. TJ: Was your knowledge of Chinese instrumental in securing the position? MD: The short answer is yes. Although knowledge of Chinese was not part of the job description, it was instrumental in me securing the position, as it was an additional asset I offered my employer. TJ: Do you still practice internationally? MD: Yes I am still a consultant to the Motion Picture Association and have authority to brief counsel for them in China. I believe my success in Chinese cases
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(I have never lost one – touch wood) is not just due to the high calibre of the local counsel I work with but also somehow through my understanding of Chinese language, culture and law. TJ: What advice would you give to anyone wishing to practise internationally? MD: Think how you want to live your life - if you practise internationally you probably won’t be able to have the sort of lifestyle that has a permanent base. That has a profound effect on your family and relations with other people. Having said that it is one of the most exciting and fascinating things you could ever do. Moreover the differences between a domestic-based life in Australia and an expat life are also becoming smaller and smaller. Australian society is becoming much more multicultural and, being away is not as much a hardship as it used to be. Technology is closing the gap between the two lifestyles. So if you think that sort of lifestyle suits you that is fine, but keep in mind it’s often not conducive to a stable family environment. You need a good dose of professional adaptability and personal resilience to balance and care for their interests in a fairly proactive way. Nonetheless, whether you choose the international life or not, it’s best if you have a passion for whatever you do. You have to be able to justify the sacrifices needed to achieve anything in life. The one thing I have learnt is that if something is worth doing it’s usually going to be tough on some front – you can’t find much that’s worth doing that is also easy. Mark Day today.
Election ad
Going On Exchange Will it really break the bank? By Max Daly
L
et’s not beat around the bush. Going on exchange to study is a huge deal. You’re living on your own in another country, whose inhabitants (unless you pick Ireland) collectively have no real sense of humour, and you’re away for three to six months, or even up to year if you’re the brave/adventurous/ insane type. Add to this the fact that you’ll be studying in an environment you’re not used to (tute prep is actually expected), while sending yourself bankrupt and consequently dooming yourself to a life of either (a), crime, or (b), being a lawyer.
Admittedly, that last possibility probably isn’t quite as horrific to some people as it is to others, but what you’re about to find out is that going on exchange is actually not as expensive as you might think. If you’re brave enough and perfectly comfortable with adding a few grand onto your HECS debt, then you shouldn’t let money hold you back. It’s the experience of a lifetime. This article will break down some of the costs involved and reveal some well-kept secrets about funds available for international exchanges. Please note that I’m basing this on my own experience of studying for a semester in Leicester, in the UK: costs will obviously vary based on location and personal circumstances.
Costs 1. Tuition Fees Somebody is teaching you stuff. It’s the 21st century; the Gough Whitlams of the world are long out of power and getting an education is expensive. But this actually isn’t a deterrent for going on exchange. If you study for the equivalent of 18 units overseas, then you get charged on your HECS debt for the equivalent of 18 Australian units back home. Basically, it’s just like any other semester: you’ll receive a letter indicating you owe an obscene amount of money at the end, but the amount per unit will be no more or less than what you owed for passing first year torts.
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2. Accommodation
4. Transport and Getting Around
The accommodation system in England is very different from ours. In short: during term time, 95% of students live away from home. In first year they live in ‘halls’ – imagine 500 students living in block-style apartments in the same street, away from home for the first time, and you get an idea of what happens. Most exchange students choose to live in these halls, where you get a small room with a bed, desk, internet, washbasin, wardrobe, heating, electricity, and water – plus access to a shared kitchen/bathroom and, if you go catered, two hot meals (breakfast/dinner) prepared for you every day. This ends up costing roughly $200 a week.
Public transport is unbelievably good in the UK. Unfortunately, there’s a reason for that: ‘public transport’ is for the most part privately owned, and thus expensive. How much it costs depends on where you are and where you plan to go. For Leicester, an unlimited bus pass for three months is around $200. Getting a train to London and back can easily set you back $80 in peak times.
That being said, if you are the self-dependent type (or you simply enjoy cooking) then self-catered accommodation is available at most universities at a slightly reduced cost. If you choose to study in a non-Englishspeaking country, such as France, it might be better to bunk in an apartment with a few other natives, to ensure you avoid being locked away – going stir-crazy – in a 9m2 room for three months. 3. Food As stated, if you choose catered accommodation, then you are provided with two meals a day. The rest you can buy on campus at the same sort of ridiculously inflated price we pay here at Flinders (except the food is actually good), or you can go to a supermarket the night before and prepare lunch. Some unis have dirt cheap cafeteria food on offer, but if you’re the slightest bit fussy (or averse to bread, chips, and deep fried food), then you may want to think about just buying a salad beforehand.
Meanwhile, a $15 sale flight on RyanAir (essentially a European Tiger Airways) can get you to Ireland and back. It’s an odd continent. The trick is to learn the system and budget your trips. Remember, always keep your student card handy; it can get you real savings over there, as opposed to the 30 cents Adelaide Metro knocks off your train ticket. 5. Nights Out Go to the right events and it’s insanely cheap. $2 for a pint of beer – ie. 500ml – is normal on a student night. Pre-drinks? $25 for a carton of terrible, terrible English beer is the norm, or you can get a litre of cheap, disgusting, supermarket branded vodka for $25. As your standards rise, naturally the price does too. Taxis are cheap, frequent and reliable. 5. Flights and insurance If you get a $2000 return trip you’re doing well, and insurance is a good $500-1000, depending on a multitude of factors such as whether you buy excess, the length of your trip, and your willingness to risk millions of dollars of debt if something goes wrong. 6. Textbooks
Another option is just to drink excessively the night before, saving the need to eat before dinner on the following day – although you’ll probably find this doesn’t end up saving you money!
Admittedly, everyone studies differently, but the general lack of exams means you can often get away without buying textbooks. Uni libraries are usually very accessible and your assessment will almost certainly be one essay. Also: a little known secret to studying overseas: your transferred grade back home is a NGP
and won’t count towards your GPA. Go and enjoy the experience. And remember: the phrase “but I’m an international student” will let you get away with pretty much anything short of murder, including skipping a week of compulsory tutorials because it is just too damn cold.
Revenue So many exchange students don’t realise the amount of money they have access to. Here are just a few sources: 1. Tuition Fees As already mentioned, these are simply added onto your HECS debt like every other topic you’ve done, so you’ll pay the same amount you would if you were studying at Flinders for the semester. This only applies if there is an existing exchange program between your Host University and Flinders, so make sure you consult with your International Office first. Check the links at the end for details. 2. Scholarships All exchange students are eligible for the $1000 Flinders Exchange Scholarship. In return, you simply have to write a report once you get back, and help out at promotional events. Depending on where you go – alternative languages are looked highly upon – and what associations you’re part of, you may have access to other funding opportunities too. Do your research. 3. HECS Loan This is the biggest and worst-kept secret of international exchanges. If you sign up for a full-time study load on exchange (18 units worth) you are automatically eligible for a $5500 loan from the government, which goes straight on your HECS debt. This means you don’t have to pay it back until you get, you know, a job. Win!
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4. Centrelink If you are fortunate enough to be eligible for youth allowance, then your payments will continue while you are studying overseas. Regardless of the sum you receive now, payments are made at the out of home rate while you are away, which is around $340 a fortnight. Please check with Centrelink before you factor this in! 5. Savings You’ve got a job, right? Stop going out every weekend and you might find yourself with some money for a change. And don’t forget: the northern academic year starts in late September, so if you choose to go at that time of year (and I would), then you have two or three months after the June exams to slave away for some last minute cash. 6. Getting a job overseas? If you have the right passport, there’s nothing to prevent you trying. If you need a visa, then it will depend on the conditions. Either way, I’d advise against relying on supplementary income. For one thing, there might not be many jobs in your specific destination. For another, you’ll find you have a lot less time to spare then you might have here. For a third, why waste the experience? You can always pay off any debt when you get back. That said, if you’re studying in a foreign language, you could offer to work as an English tutor to the other students at your university. Weigh it up, but don’t rely on anything, or else you could find yourself writing home to mum and dad far too soon in the trip.
Summary So there you have it. Sure, there are other costs involved: a passport, warmer clothes, travel before/during/after term, concerts, sporting events, strip bars, etc. That’s what savings are for. But take this as a
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If you have any questions about the exchange, send an email to maxwell.daly@gmail.com. If you’re interested in studying a foreign language overseas, Eleanor has done so already and won’t bloody shut up about it. She has offered to give advice to all who might be interested: send an email to hard0196@flinders.edu.au. For more information about the Flinders Study Abroad Program, including a list of partner universities, visit the website at http://www.flinders.edu. au/international-students/study-at-flinders/studyabroad-exchange/flinders-abroad/
Basic costs and revenue summary All numbers are estimates based on prices in Australia dollars in late 2009, studying and living at Leicester University for 12 weeks at a damn good exchange rate. Please note that this excludes other major events I attended, as well as extensive travel afterwards. Costs Return flight and insurance $2500 Board and two daily meals $2400 Living expenses ($100/week) $1200 ‘Entertainment ($100/week) $1200 Travel (bus pass) $250 Warm clothes $250 Total $7800 Revenue Scholarship $1000 HECS Loan $5500 Centrelink ($340/fortnight) $2040 Total $8540
Careers and Employer Liaison Centre
bare-bones cost guide for the most exhilarating time of your life. Besides, if nothing else, everyone in Britain loves the Aussie accent, so you have a better than usual chance of scoring. Why wait? You only live once. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
Career Development Support for Flinders students
We offer a range of career services and programs for all Flinders University students - first year students through to graduate job seekers and postgraduate students. Programs are dedicated to developing workplace skills, raising awareness of career opportunities, and the skills needed to succeed in the modern workplace.
Some of the programs and services available include: • Graduate vacancies and opportunities • Internships, vacation work and degree-related work experience • Skill development and leadership programs • Mentoring programs • Degree-related career fairs, information sessions and employer presentations • Jobs search programs and comprehensive careers resources • Career development consultations Work towards achieving your career success - take full advantage of all the programs, support and resources available to develop YOUR employability.
CONTACT US Top floor, Student Centre P: 8201 2832 E: careers@flinders.edu.au www.flinders.edu.au/careers CRICOS Provider No: 00114A The Jurist – Issue 3, 2010
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The Versatility of Your Law Degree
The Memoirs of El Snitchó
Jack Hetzel-Bone
Part III: In which student politicians are deterred
S
o you’re either graduating soon, interested in your job prospects in the future, or interested in finding out more information. What can you expect from the SA job market? How many graduates find full time employment, what areas do graduates find work in, and what is the average salary?
tainment sector (as evidenced by The Chaser and Shaun Micallef), as a Member of Parliament, Reconciliation Australia, or an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development. Thinking outside of the box is essential, as there are literally limitless options available.
Well, you’re in luck, because thanks to the Flinders Careers and Employment Liaison Centre we have access to detailed statistics for you!
Of course, law is a competitive field, and students should focus upon achieving that highly desired edge which will make them stand out from other applicants. Remember to know your strengths, how to sell them, and how to make yourself into an asset that your potential employer simply can’t do without.
We’ve all heard the rumours going around that the job market is grim for law graduates. Well, according to the GradsOnline website (available through the Careers and Employment Liaison Centre website), 92.2% of graduates find full-time employment, with a median salary of $45,000 a year. Interestingly, 37.5% of respondents found employment as a Legal Professional, 18.4% as Business, Information and Marketing Professionals, and 33.4% as Clerical and Administrative Workers. Although detailed information was not provided as to what constitutes “Clerical and Administrative Workers”, this statistic may point towards the supposed gap in the job market that finds expression in the whispers of frightened Flinders law students on cold, stormy days. But there is one thing that all law students should keep in mind: a degree in law is one of the most flexible out there. Despite the categories listed above, a graduate can find employment in the Arts & Enter-
Further information regarding careers in the legal profession: • www.flinders.edu.au/careers/degree/laws-andlegal-practice.cfm • http://www.lawsocietysa.asn.au/other/careers_ in_law.asp • The FLSA Legal Careers Guide and Alternative Careers Guide (limited copies available from the FLSA office, supervised 11am–2pm Monday Friday). • http://www.flinders.edu.au/course-navigator/ Primarily for prospective students, may assist in relation to alternative law careers.
Eat your heart out, Stig: Not only can El Snitchó drive any car while drinking the rarest vintages and battling the angriest brown bears, he can also woo the ladies with his thick, Spanish accent. This ex-Flinders student has agreed to go deep undercover in one of Adelaide’s oldest law schools: to dish the dirt and give Flinders students something to read about.
T
oday I was greeted with the news that Adelaide Uni’s postgraduate students would have unfettered access to the Law School’s new coffee machine. This was music to my ears, for the sludge I purchased earlier from Hungry Jacks (which they mysteriously market as a ‘cappuccino’) was rancid and dreadful. That said, it was no more sickening then the Liberal Party’s election mandate. At the time of writing we still have no Prime Minister, and I, El Snitcheo, am considering running for office. I once started a miniature revolution back in Madrid, my hometown: I entered a Dominos Pizza outlet and mistakenly asked for ‘meat supreme’ instead of their brand’s ‘meatosaurus’. Instantly, chaos reigned. Rioting masses rushed to the streets, hurling firebombs and abuse. It was like being in the home supporters’ section at a Collingwood game. I survived and fled to Australia where civilians can roam free without interference (except for that toothless chap who was gang-tackled by a horde of police on North Terrace a few moments ago – I suspect if he wore clothes and weren’t drunk he wouldn’t have been bothered).
still going on here, and last week I did have one student tell me she would ‘lower taxes’ if I voted for her. I am almost certain she was lying: how can you trust anyone wearing an orange beanie? These candidates persist, though, thrusting all manner of brochures in your face to lure away your vote. I had to think of some way to repel them, and while I was shopping in Sanity the answer became clear: Justin Bieber. I soon retrofitted an 80s stereo unit with back straps and twin megaphonic speakers and played that hideous track ‘Baby’ on loop whilst I walked (I was immune, for I had earphones – as the Spanish would say, genio!) As I predicted, they fled. Like the aftermath of my slip-up in Dominos, the crowds went screaming and crying. Tears, shouting, screams of anguish – it was almost as if Big Brother had returned to our screens. It wasn’t exactly as I’d imagined, but it was a revolution nonetheless. My work, for now, is done. I will now move onto a much greater challenge: selling doors door-to-door.
Alas, there is no news of note from within the Adelaide University grounds. The student elections are
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The Jurist – Issue 3, 2010
The Jurist – Issue 3, 2010
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Edition 3 of The Jurist proudly supported by
FLSA would also like to thank our ongoing sponors
Allens Arthur Robinson Baker & McKenzie Clayton Utz The College of Law Colthorpe Lawyers Cowell Clarke Kelly & Co. Lipman Karas Minter Ellison Wallmans
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The Jurist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Issue 3, 2010