Dean’s Welcome

CHAPTER 1 / AN INTRODUCTION

DEAN’S WELCOME

Since its foundation in 1964, the Monash Law Faculty has been a strong advocate for social justice and equity, embodied in its teaching programs, scholarly research, and community outreach. A genuine collective and individual commitment to social justice and broader access to justice is a critical commitment for any law school, now more than ever. It remains an essential part of the Law Faculty’s contribution to Monash University’s aim to influence and enhance the human condition at home and abroad.

This is reflected in Monash Law’s ongoing mission. As a leading international, clinical, and digital law school in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region, Monash Law is committed to improving access to justice in Victoria, Australia, and the region through world-class scholarship, education, and external engagement that enhance all forms of political, economic, and social justice and help to counter poverty, inequality, and injustice. The Social Justice & Equity Portfolio of the Monash LSS is paramount in providing a meaningful contribution to this important cause, and the 2021 Guide is a great resource to introduce students to the abundance of opportunities available to them.

Monash Law students have a range of educational, clinical, research, volunteering, and other options for studying and doing something about social justice, within and beyond metropolitan Melbourne. Clinical legal education is just one way in which the Faculty provides opportunities for students to engage with the community and provide free and accessible legal services to the most vulnerable, disadvantaged, and marginalised members of society. This program was an Australian first for law schools, beginning in 1975, and remains a key feature of Monash Law and the student experience to this day.

Our long-standing involvement with community legal services at Springvale and Oakleigh has provided thousands of students the opportunity to gain first-hand practical legal experience, whilst also making a meaningful impact in the community. This opportunity through Monash Law Clinics has now been diversified in the range of clinical areas and expanded with a series of newly established CBD legal clinics in our city chambers at 555 Lonsdale Street, enabling our students to provide these crucial services to an even larger number of people. The opportunity to gain first-hand experience, whilst making a positive social impact, is now available to every commencing Monash Law student in both the LLB (Hons) and JD degrees through our Clinical Guarantee. Now more than ever, the community legal services provided with student clinics and volunteering through Monash Law Clinics are critical to helping those who are hardest hard in these pandemic times.

CHAPTER 1 / AN INTRODUCTION In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion as an overriding orientation for our own students and staff remains paramount. The Faculty has a Director (Indigenous, Equity, and Diversity), currently Dr Caroline Henckels. The Director promotes equity policy outcomes, by improving access to the Faculty’s courses for students from disadvantaged backgrounds including, but not limited to, rural and Indigenous students and students with a disability. The promotion of equal opportunity for students of all sexual orientations and genders and from all backgrounds is highly encouraged.

For example, the Law Faculty has also recently established additional pathways for Indigenous students to access Law, and we are delighted that there has been a significant increase in enrolments of Indigenous students from across Victoria in recent years. From 2017 onwards, the Faculty also introduced new pathways for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. We continue to support these students during the course of their studies through tutoring and mentoring services.

Social justice and equity is nothing if not lived and demonstrated by an inclusive academic community. Monash Law strives to ‘walk the talk’ about being such a community – a community of staff, students, alumni, and partner organisations – that is committed to meaningfully advancing the cause of social justice and equity through law and justice. In doing so, the staff of the Faculty are proud to work hand in hand with the hard-working Monash LSS and our law students in their pursuit of these worthy aims.

As we begin reactivating our on-campus operations, and more student experiential opportunities become available, we encourage our students to make full use of this Guide and warmly invite you to get involved to make a real difference to others. In light of the ongoing impact of COVID-19, there is no better time to become involved in the community and support those who most need what Monash Law students can provide.

Bryan Horrigan BA, LLB (Hons) (UQ), DPhil (Oxon) Executive Dean, Faculty of Law