The Prologue
It
was a hot December day, but inside
the law school a chilly artificial wind blew from the vents. Adam Snider had been streaming Community all day, taking small breaks every so often to browse someone else’s property notes. The grease from the MacShnonalds he had consumed earlier that day lingered on his fingers and resided on the front of his polo shirt– it was this grease that proved he was indeed Adam and not Hanshwen Shan. His stomach grumbled and his lips craved the sweet, sweet taste of $2 coffee. He packed up his belongings for the 10th time that day and strolled into the law cafe. Greeted by the constant hum that emanated from Alecsh McShmay’s vocal chords, and the footy boys updates of various ball sports Adam knew he was in the right place– he was home. As he approached the counter a loud ringing began to sound. He looked to Shmana Hitoshmi for reassurance that it was just another fire drill, her eyes told him he was safe. Adam was too trusting. This was no drill. This was also no fire.
Slowly people left the building. 20 minutes later the Shmooters joined the rest of the law school at the emergency gathering point. Adam looked around wearily, ‘where was Shmana’ he wondered. He ran back into the building in search of her, hoping he would now achieve hero status like he had on many of his igames. He found her. He stood, and stared. Shmana was staring at the coffee machine, her finger reaching out toward the milk frother. Her eyes were rolling back and she was mumbling something in an unfamiliar language. Adam was intrigued... And then his intrigue turned to shock as the coffee machine began to float and then plummeted into the sky, breaking through the roof and taking Shmana with it. He ran outside– screaming for everyone to look up. Adam reached for his device stash hoping he had enough battery to film whatever this was. Would this get him his 30 seconds of fame? Would his footage win him eternal glory... Would he be buried alongside Steve Shmobs? “snap out of it’ he whispered to himself ‘just try and work out what the f*** is happening first’. On an ordinary day he would have looked like a crazy, homeless person muttering away to himself... But this was no ordinary day. His eyes returned to the sky... They widened with fear. This excerpt is from a collection of law school horror stories written by Emily David (Publicity and Marketing Vice-President 2013)
The Presidents Report My fellow Murdochians, Congratulations on making it through first semester! I’m sure by this stage your body has almost burnt up all the caffeine in your system from the exam period and those shakes should be just about gone. For those of you who started at Murdoch this year, you’ve made it past the first hurdle and hopefully only had the odd nervous breakdown or panic attack in non-public areas. But where are we now?
competitions.
You’ve survived Law Camp, gained some insight on the effects of Emu Export on different cultures at the Theme Party and journeyed down the rabbit hole for the Clayton Utz Law Ball. Some of you even tried your hand at competing in the Corrs Chambers Westgarth Junior Trial Advocacy competition or stuck it to the older years in Herbert Smith Freehills Senior Mooting or the Allens Linklaters Client Interview
And that’s only the beginning! In second semester MSLS is ramping up the social events with the return of the Pub Crawl, our annual Cocktail Party and the glamorous End of Y e ar D i n ne r . G e t competitive with competitions such as Negotiations, Clayton Utz Junior Mooting and King & Wood Mallesons Junior Client Interview. Do your bit for a good cause and earn some bragging rights at the
Social Justice Quiz Night. Get sporty as we compete in the Dean’s Cup footy tournament and Super Thursday soccer match. In addition to these events MSLS will be running educational seminars on Interviewing Skills, Resume Writing and Drafting Skills and finally MSLS will be releasing our app! This app is going to be your bible throughout your studies and will be your primary source of information on clerkships, graduate jobs, practical legal training, MSLS events and competitions, MCB competitions and international mooting and ALSA news! If we put anything else it in, it would literally weigh down your phone.* *May not weigh down phone. These are only some of the initiatives we have planned for you in the second part of 2013 so get excited and get involved with MSLS in 2013! Sam Harper President 2013
Careers and Education The majority of the year has been spent developing and selling sponsorship for the MSLS Mobile App. With a July release date in the App will encompass the Careers guide as well as new innovations developed by myself and our president. The App has placed well over $6000 into the coffers of MSLS a welcome boost to our finances. The annual corporate careers day was undertaken in first semester with most of our major firms participating. Numbers this year were well below expected and whilst some firms were happy with the day a lot were not. Having talked to the firms they are unsure wether they will participate in future years. This is not just because of a lack of turn out at Murdoch, most them have been witnessing declining numbers and are looking at alternative options , the app being one of them. Murdoch has formed an alliance with the Law society of WA this year who have been assisting us in getting information out and to firms. We are greatly appreciative of this. The focus on first semester was the App and the ALSA CONFERENCE of which I was the director of socials. I encourage all
of you who did register , to seriously consider attending next year . It's a great opportunity to network with students from around the country and overseas as well as the major firms. Education and Careers will be publishing the semester 2 calendar in the next few weeks. We will be holding fortnightly seminars. If you are interested in us providing a seminar in a certain area please email me at evp@msls.asn.au. Keep an eye out for clerkship information on the APP and the website in the coming weeks.
Joel Steinburg Education and Careers vicepresident 2013
The Role of Social Drinking in Australian Society Since watching ‘The Internship’ last week, which is pretty much “Wedding Crashers go to College”, I have been thinking more and more about the scene in which everyone in the room, excluding Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, vote that it is unacceptable to have a beer with your boss. Firstly, I would like to say that if any of my lecturers or tutors’ wish to grab a ‘cold one’ with me, I would be more than happy to, especially with Jürgen. But to clarify, I do not mean ‘binge drinking’ with your boss or teacher- that has limitless potential to turn out bad. What I do mean is sitting down and engaging in conversation with a person, be it your boss, teacher, colleague, family or friend over a drink. In my mind this this act immediately breaks down any perceived barriers there may have been in getting to know someone. I’m not sure if this is the same in other cultures, but I’m certain it’s the case in Australia. I suppose it is enshrined in our culture as part of our lifestyle,
the way we live and have done for centuries. I’m no historian but I imagine the men building the Sydney Harbour Bridge cracked a coldie after a long days work. I’m sure our tens of thousands of national sporting victories were celebrated with a few drinks. I’m certain a lifetime worth of problems or disagreements were solved over a drink and I’m certain countless friendships were made and mended over a drink. A lot of talk and debate surrounding Australia’s ‘toxic’ binge drinking culture has arisen of late. I suppose that is warranted considering the amount of underage drinking
friend who explains to me that Manchester City are a poor team that need more funding if they want to be any good.
and alcohol-fuelled violence that occurs. However, as long as policy makers don’t treat everyday Australian’s who enjoy a drink like criminals in introducing strict rules and regulations against binge drinking then I’ll be content. Maybe my thoughts reflect those of a young male footy boy who has already been tainted by generations of drinking tradition. Or possibly my views reflect the majority of Australian’s who link drinking to mateship, an entrenched value in Australian culture that no policy maker will ever be able to take from us. To see the role of responsible social drinking in mateship, you need look no further than law school. The day I shared a beer with a foreign Macedonian law student, Jovan Bowden, was the day I made a friend. A friend that to this day gives me his notes, a friend that discusses with me the need for Western Australia to be it’s own nation, separated by a giant wall along the border, and a
So, all I’m saying here is that drinking goes hand in hand with social interaction, a valuable skill and a fundamental part of our society. I would be a lesser man if I had not had a beer with Jovan and taken the time to get to know him and we would, as a nation, be lesser people if social drinking were to become extinct. Should this ever be the case the meme below reflects my feelings. But for now, let this article encourage you to continue social drinking or begin it if you haven’t already, in a (semi) responsible way.
Mitch ‘Tolcsy’ Tolcon Treasurer 2013
Bonjour B*****s!! Welcome to Mel and Lisa’s guide to Geneva! Thought about studying abroad? Lik e chocolate? Enjoy a great internet connection? Like human rights? If at least 3 of those things apply to you then the Geneva Humanitarian Law Program is a great one to be a part of! (spoiler alert, the internet connection is heinous). There are three units available to study here, including Refugee Law, International Human Rights Organisations and the L e ga l Pr otec ti o n of International Human Rights. Furthermore, you will be involved in many site visits, including to the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Department for Immigration and much more. But enough of that, we know you all just want the secret tips on how to really make the most of your time in Geneva.... TIPS AN D TRIX STUDYING IN GENEVA
FOR
+Grocery shopping: Ever heard of Carre Four?? Its likes Bunnings and Coles put together on steroids. A 10 minute bus trip will take you across the border and into France, where groceries are in €uros and relatively cheaper than in Geneva (which
isn’t hard) +Weekend trips: Wanna impress some people with how worldy you are? Travelling abroad is only a train ride away. Toaster, s utr o, val enc ia, an yone? Weekend or day trips can take you to new countries and landscapes so you can update your instagram and facebook to look even more cultured. And filters look way better in other countries. + L a n g u a g e s : o n l y s p e ak English? Or ‘Strayan? Well people in Geneva speak French so maybe try to update your vocabulary a little. i.e. où sont tous les garçons chauds à l'? (where are all the hot boys
at ?) and où puis-je trouver le vin moins cher?(where can I find the cheapest wine ?). These are very common and useful phrases. **disclaimer, google translate may not be the most accurate source for learning french**
+Sightseeing: There’s heaps to see all over Geneva and surrounding areas. Check out the Old Town for some classic European culture and you can hire bikes by the lake +Events: are you one of those people who falsely claims that “omg like no bands eva come to perthhh”, (i.e. a 13 year old girl) then you can stop your whinging because a whole lot more happens in this hemisphere. There’s festivals, concerts and heaps more in and around Switzerland – so look it up online before you go! (we even witnessed a roller-derby party on the foreshore)
chat to us at the msls office or cafe and we assure you there are no evil dictators inflicting fear upon you. Unfortunately we will exceed our word count if we were to tell you all the great things about our time here in Geneva, so swing by and come ask us some questions, I'm sure we will be happy to reminisce. All in all we met some great fellow law students from across the country, ate delicious food cooked by a sexy chef, had some amazing site visits and travelled to m an y c o un tr i es . So to sum it all up with some advice to those considering the program: Do it! JUST DO IT! nO rEgRetS, No V nEckS, no Ed HarDy, No SnaKe SkIn sHoEs, NO HATERS #dsb
+Weather: is about as reliable as the law café coffee machine. We went from a 35 degree day to a crazy hailstorm in less than 24 hours… so be prepared!
Have a well founded fear of persecution from one of the society members? Fear no more asylum seekers, the committee is handing out protection visas to all our fellow society members. Come by and
LVT and MT x
Melanie Tang Secretary 2013 & Lisa Van Toor Social Vice-President 2013
Why Mid-year break sucks (for me) Well, here I am, a couple of weeks after my exams are finished. I was pretty happy to have finished my exams, but as the days pass by, I am becoming increasingly aware that literally everybody from law school is having the time of their lives in Geneva, Macerata or just generally partying in Europe. Mid-year break sucks for the following reasons: 1. All my uni friends are uploading 23894738927 photos of having fun in Europe while I’m working. 2. I’m not in Europe. 3. Mid-year break is shorter than the end of year break. 4. Mid-year break is during winter, therefore less activities to distract me from being sad about not being in Europe. 5. Unlike the end of year break, its not long enough to convince yourself you miss uni, you still want to be on holiday when you get back. Luckily, I have rad friends like Em David to keep me company… until she leaves for Contiki in Europe…
T H R E E R E A S O N S F O R A N N A T O W R I T E M O R E N E X T T I M E
Anna Hitomi Cafe Manager 2013
Mature Age Report I hope everyone has had a successful semester one and is one step closer to completing their degrees. In semester one, MSLS was hard at work organising many exciting, yet informative, events such as the Wine and Cheese night, careers fair and the glamorous Law Ball! The main event on the postgraduate calendar was the Wine and Cheese night. It was an intimate evening with just over 30 guests. It was the perfect opportunity for students to break from their hectic schedule and socialise with one another. Nevertheless, it was not all play. As sponsor of the event, Allens Linklaters had three representatives present on the night. Many students took this opportunity to learn more about internships, expectations from the firm and to network. Previous years Juris Doctor graduates shared from experience on how to stand out and be noticed by a prestigious law firm. Overall, the night was a great success! Big thanks to all committee members who helped set up and clean up afterwards. Feedback, especially from the ladies, was that champagne should be included. Taking this onboard, the next event of fine food tasting will include champagne!
Another event in consideration for this coming semester is a child friendly picnic late in the semester. This is to take advantage of nice warmer weather and to re-energise before the stresses of exam revision begins. Exact dates and details will be finalised in the first few weeks of semester two. Keep a look out for Mel's newsletter and posters around the cafe! Your feedback is invaluable. Please feel free to approach me or send me an email regarding any suggestions or concerns. It was lovely seeing the many caffeine-induced high faces last semester. I hope to see many more in semester two. :)
Moni Tepy Pen Mature Age Student Representative 2013
Ah Geneva... Hey guys, my name is Ashleigh and I thought I would tell you a little bit about my experience on the Geneva Law Program this year. I'm currently writing this while in Geneva, so picture yourself readings this while overlooking amazing greenery, views of endless snow capped mountains and quaint little Swiss villages. Hopefully that was enough to entice you to do the program! The law program runs over 4 weeks here in Switzerland and you have the option of doing either 1, 2 or 3 units. I'm doing 2 units and I would recommend the same just so you have more free time to travel on the weekends! That's the best part of Europe everything is so
close and there is so much to see. Not only do I get to travel to Milan, Amsterdam and Spain... just to name a few, but I love all the new people i have had the chance to meet. Its not only Murdoch students but law students from all over Australia that come and study over here. It really becomes like a mini family over here. The program is amazing with visits to the UN, mingling with interns and Australians working in Geneva, visiting and hearing about the NGOs in Geneva...to music festivals in the street, swimming in Lake Geneva and day trips to Lussaune, Yvoire and Mont Blanc... all of it is possible over here.
about human rights law IN Geneva gives the subject a very real presence.
Ashleigh Antoine General Committee 2013
Classes run for 4 days during the week but in terms of studying its quite relaxed, with most of us just hanging out or going out during the week instead doing our readings! Having a class of 30-40 is such a nice change too..so there's lots of interaction with the lecturers and a very informal feel to everything. I highly recommend that you get involved with the Geneva law program...even if you aren't necessary interested in a career in human rights law it's just such an interesting topic and to learn
My first semester in a page How can one page be so hard to write? It’s not when I’m bulls***ing my way through a literature essay. Quite easy really. But it’s almost impossible when I’m asked to write a page about ANYTHING. Anything is defined in the dictionary as: ‘any thing whatever’. That d o e s n ’ t h e l p . But anything is any thing. So really, I could write about what I’m going to have for dinner, or how I’m really obsessed with that show Orphan Black, or the old lady that comes into my work and tries to haggle for a few chicken strips almost everyday, or even my strange fascination with serial killers. Don’t worry though, I won’t. Instead I’ll probably write about my first semester. I say ‘probably’ because I haven’t really warmed to the idea yet myself. Too soon after exams. Too soon into my h o l i d a y . To be honest, I can’t really remember much of what I did in those 14 weeks. I went to lectures where, for two hours
a day, three days a week, I sat always at the back so no one could glare at me for yawning just a little bit too loudly, and I listened to someone bang on about nothing in particular. I did my shifts in the law café. Which involved learning how to make coffees. Seriously what is the difference between a quarter strength flat white and a latte? Because I haven’t figured that one out yet, but apparently there is. And to all those people I made coffees for, I’m so sorry. What else did I do? Oh yeah,
law camp. Law camp for me, as the socially awkward introvert that I am, was, to say the least, a great weekend. A bit of a blur, but I still managed to retain the best and most important memories. As the biggest MSLS event of the semester, law camp was pretty much unmissable. And Law ball. A classy night out (for some…), law ball proved to be all-round excellent. The music was good, the dancing better. The food was scrumptious. I especially liked dessert. This year it was Alice in W onderland themed and although I don’t remember getting a photo with the giant mushroom, I know it looked sick. And then there were exams. Now that first semester is over, I can’t help but remember wanting to do Great Things or maybe Go Places. Isn’t that what everyone thinks about at the start of ever year, at the beginning of a fresh semester? But instead I’m writing a page of anything about bumming around for a semester. First semester as a second year was pretty much like my first semester as a first year, except
I have friends. Although I don’t know if I will after this. I’m terrible at writing stuff. And that is what my first semester comprised of. Exciting? No. Warranting one whole page about anything? Well, yes. Why is it so hard to write one page of anything?
April Fitzgerald Legal Studies Representative 2013
WHAT DO I ACTUALLY GET FROM A CRIMINOLOGY DEGREE? Person: So what do you do with yourself? Me: I am at uni. Person: Oh okay, what are you studying? Me: Criminology Person: Ohhh (long pause).... so what kinda jobs does that get you into? A few too many times I have found myself in this situation. As a Criminology student myself I admittedly was worried about what I actually would get from this degree. But with a bit of research there are many jobs out there, you just have to find them. As the Criminology Representative in 2013, I will be setting up in conjunction with the Legal studies Representative (April Fitzgerald) a careers day specifically aimed for the Criminology and Legal Studies students giving students an insight into the specific careers that are available. We are looking at having
about ten to fifteen employers to come and give a short talk to you about the types of jobs available within their respective companies. This will give everyone an opportunity to meet and talk with company representative and hopefully being able to make some ‘connections’ that will be beneficial in the long run. Some of particular areas that will hopefully present include: - Law Reform Commission of Western Australia - Western Australian Police Force - Department of Corrective Services
- Corruption and Crime Commission - Drug and Alcohol Office - Department of Justice - Department of Child protection and family support - Outcare – Crime Prevention We will also have some Murdoch University Criminology and Legal Studies graduates, who will be giving us an insight into where there degrees have lead to. However if you have any suggestions in terms of presenters that you would like to see or any other questions, send me an email on: crimrep@msls.asn.au . April Fitzgerald and I will look forward to seeing many students attending this event. However, a final date has not been confirmed, but keep an eye for posters around the law building and the Facebook event on the Murdoch Student Law Society page. Mikaela James Criminology Representative 2013
Surviving Property: 101 Over semester 1 2013 I formulated the opinion that LAW253 was a difficult subject. To analyse the effectiveness and risks associated with the two most common approaches taken by Law students to this subject I conducted a post semester review. (see diagram) While the approaches are significantly different I would postulate that the effort reward ratio of Student 1 is similar to that of Student 2 wi t h r i s k s a p p r ox im a t e l y equivalent for both students. Student 2 can always be consoled in the fact that they enjoyed their semester relaxing in a constant state of denial making the semester itself part of their reward. This could come unravelled however if the High Effort Phase (HEP) exhausts the student just prior to conducting the exam negating all learning during the HEP giving an academic result equivalent to the effort taken in the Low Effort Phase (LEP). This would cause the unbearable result of the student having to repeat the learning cycle of LAW253 next semester. Student 1 however whilst utilising more effort through the larger period (teaching weeks) will have some respite in the weeks prior to the exam knowing that they have given their all to tame the
beast that is LAW253. Reference should be made however to those that are a testament that care must be taken not rest on one’s laurels and missing those vital factoids that just happened to be the whole exam. Despite m y analysis the academic results at this stage are unknown and we can only theorise on how best to approach this subject to ensure high reward. Further study should be completed with a larger sample size and even the addition of a third approach to negate the risks involved with the two approaches considered in this study.
Mollie Hartley General Committee 2013
Student 1
Student 2
Get second hand text book
Buy all prescribed textbooks
Give up on readings
Highlight and tab relevant sections as you go
Print all relevant legislation Attend all tutorials
ATTEND ALL TUTES! R. HONEY ROCKS! TAKE NOTES!!!
LOW EFFORT PHASE
Convince yourself you’ill listen to lectures
HIGH EFFORT PHASE
Do readings
Attend all lectures
Teaching weeks
Produce assignment
Do extensive research
Produce assignment Re-listen to lectures
Print relevant sections
12hour study days every day leading up to exam
Organise your lecture and tute notes
Practice tute and past exam questions
*Stop, collaborate and listen
Create notes*
HIGH EFFORT PHASE
Hire all text books, place them around you as you study. Reading optional.
LOW EFFORT PHASE
Practice tute and past exam questions
Exam Study week
Cross fingers
Competitions Report Elyce Lines & Brenton Panzich DLA Piper Presentation - Will Goodheart Corrs Chambers Westgarth Junior Trial Advocacy - Michael Olds
Hi all, What a crazy semester of competitions it has been! We have seen some excellent competitors and best of all - a bunch of new faces. My main aim this semester was to try and reach out and involve new students in competitions and MSLS. This was certainly achieved and the society has loved all the new friends we've made. Huge congratulations goes out to the winners: Ashurst Trial Advocacy - Lachlan Conroy Herbert Smith Freehills Mooting Chris Terren Allens Linklaters Client Interview -
I would just like to say a massive thanks to everyone who helped me throughout the semester - all the judges, witnesses, clients, people in MCB always printing for me, the Law School staff, and of course the competitors these competitions are just not possible with you!! A very special thank you to my competition coordinators for all their assistance - Clea, Hannah & Josh, Kieran & James and Emily! It has been an absolute pleasure working with you all. Best of luck for our ALSA representatives - I am confident you will make Murdoch proud. Remember everyone to keep an eye out for semester two comps!!!
Nicole Harrowfield Semester 1 Competitions Vice-President 2013
‘Cause this is fiiiiillllllleeeeeeeer’ I’ll be straight up with you, Carpe reader. If you haven’t realised yet, I’m starting to run out of actual ideas for Carpe articles. As a matter of fact, I only wrote this article so that our editor-in-chief Emily David had something to p a d o ut C ar pe wi t h . Nonetheless, I still needed to write something. I was originally toying with the idea of writing a somewhat humorous “how to survive Law Ball” piece. But then I thought about it and concluded that if you can’t survive for five hours in a first world country with the second highest standard of living in the world at a hotel where food and drinks are provided in limitless quantities, you need more help to survive than I can provide in a 500 word article. Then I contemplated the old “which ‘xyz’ are you?” article/ flow chart combination. You know what I mean, they’re like those things that were popular on facebook about four years ago. They’re the
ones that people invariably cheat on until they reach the classification or personality type or Jonas Brother that they wanted from the outset but didn’t actually get the first time round. But then I realised that making one of those things requires moderate proportions of effort, forethought, and planning – all of which I try to avoid having to employ. I also realised at that point that I’d capitalised “jonas brother”, felt sick, and took a break –
only further delaying my article’s progress. Next I considered the classic, if somewhat cliché, “what’s hot and what’s not” list. Whilst always a fan favourite, the only problem with writing one of these articles is that it’s invariably going to ruffle some feathers. Having previously written a Carpe article that claimed Dr. Dre isn’t actually a real doctor, as well as another entitled “Why Harry Potter is Bullshit”, I thought maybe it was time to stop making enemies. I mean sure, with my “hot or not” list I could endear myself with most readers by picking on the usual targets like Justin Bieber and Hitler, but how easy would that be? The answer is “very easy” and it’s perhaps an idea to fall back on for the semester two edition of Carpe.
However, by this stage of article brainstorming, it was becoming pretty clear that I should probably just give up and that’s exactly what I did. Thankfully
though, in failing to write a Carpe article, I wrote a Carpe article. If you actually read this article about nothing all the way through to the end – Thank you? Patrick “why does his nickname always change?” Williams General Committee 2013
DAAD – Encounter Europe At the end of 2012 I was offered the amazing opportunity to attend the Encounter Europe program. While I of course accepted and was delighted to be offered this incredible opportunity, it came with the sad realization that by doing so, I would not have a single day off for the next few months, and there was no guarantee that Legal Aid were going to approve my multiple leave requests for that period. Thankfully, having finished my Equity & Trusts exam on Wednesday and having worked through Thursday and Friday and been given leave, I hoped on a plane Friday night for an eighteen hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany where we were to start our European experience. After the eighteen hour flight and getting out of Frankfurt Airport in a Billabong t-shirt despite the -2 degrees Celsius temperature, I headed to my hostel for a night to get some well-earned rest before
meeting the other course participants at Frankfurt Airport the next day. After meeting at the airport, we then took a three hour coach ride from Frankfurt to what would be our home for the next two weeks, the European Academy at Otzenhausen, a small remote village in the more densely populated Saarland region of Germany. On the journey we met the other course participants, some having already met prior, with ANU, UQ, University of Auckland and Murdoch making up for a large percentage of participants. The coffee shop, Marche, at Frankfurt Airport, served as a meeting point for the Coach and an opportunity for those who had not met each other yet to come together. The first thing
we learnt was that we were from a variety of universities had a variety of different personalities and had studied a wide range of degree disciplines. We also met Elisabeth Schmitt who would serve as the Program Director of the course and chaperone us to our various site visits along with Hans Beitz. We were introduced very early on that this was to be an intensive course, getting up at 7am or earlier for site visits in order to catch the coach and continuing until 10pm at night. We were devastated that our universities did not offer course credit for this program when we discovered students from Auckland were, however this turned to be a blessing in disguise. However there was also a lot of very fascinating extracurricular activities that we enjoyed during our time at Oztenhausen, including a very different version of bowling, wine tasting in the
region and the ability to explore the various cities we visited, although this tended to end up with everyone having lunch in the local pub and taking a very good opportunity to enjoy the local Christmas markets. Having your first white Christmas is one thing seeing how the Germans celebrate Christmas is another. An obvious highlight for me would be seeing snow for the first time, visiting my first Christmas market and discovering gluhwein and visiting the various institutions. The program began with an introduction on European integration and issues which arise from such integration, such as multilingualism and challenges to identity are you German or are you European? This was the hypothetical always being proposed. Our second day saw our first field visit to Trier, the ancient Roman capital, and after receiving a guided tour we were lectured on the political system of the EU
and the issues it faces at the local university. The next day saw us focus on the various decision making capabilities of the EU and its various legal aspects. The following two weeks we were given an intensive understanding of various issues facing both our own countries and the EU as well as learning more about EU practices and procedures and institutions. This saw us attend lectures on various topics including the debt crisis, the European Monetary Union, EU trade policy, climate change policy, sustainable development and the problem of migration. The structure of the course focussed on cross-cultural exchange and as such a key focus was to draw comparisons between Europe and Australia, there current positions in various policy areas and the nature of the work of our various political, legal and economic institutions. We were encouraged to put forward our views, what
works what doesn’t, essentially the structure of the day would usually include an introductory lecture on the topic, with some introductory reading over lunch, followed by a workshop were we would put forward our solutions to the issues we discussed or present on the topic our views on whether or not the current strategies have or would be successful. The food was amazing, being served a three course meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner was something that we were all not accustomed to but something that we quickly became used to. We also met with some incredible people on our site visits and who attended the Academy. There were various academics we spoke to as well as politicians. On the final day we had a panel made of a select few academics and the EU Parliament Member for the region, we were treated to what became a comedic debate between Jorgo Chatzimarkakis MEP and Dr Richter on European debt crisis and Germany’s response to it. Overall the experience was incredible, we learnt a lot and had fun doing it. Not everything went our way, including missing out on seeing the EU
required to wait for two hours for a replacement. Despite this, we did not mind as it was always an opportunity for a good laugh, an excuse to get another drink at the local market or to explore the city further. It was an incredible opportunity, and you leave with a greater understanding and appreciation of European people and culture which will only serve you in the future. I met some extraordinary young Australians and New Zealanders, many of which I still remain in contact with and the memories that I made will stay with me for the rest of my life.
parliament in action in a plenary session due to various unions protesting controversial legislation at the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, which saw several of our access roads cut off and an interesting yet comedic exchange in French between our bus driver and the various police cars, including the misunderstanding that we were students from Canada and New Zealand. Then there was the bomb threat in Bonn, which saw our bus pick up point changed at the last minute and a tactical response group dispatched. The bus also broke down in Luxembourg and we were
I would recommend anyone interested in European affairs to apply for this conference. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dean of Law Professor JĂźrgen BrĂśhmer for making Murdoch students aware of this amazing opportunity as well as Elisabeth Schmitt and Hans Beitz from the European Academy Otzenhausen, the Academy as well as their renowned partners the DAAD, ASKO Foundation and the Centre for International Formation Europe for their support of this program.
Brenton Panzich
Tips for newbie competitors (from a newbie competitor) 1. Be rash In a rush of enthusiasm I thought, what the hey, I am going to sign up for three MSLS competitions: Junior Trial Advocacy, Allens Linklaters Client Interview and Herbert Smith Freehills Mooting. Yay me! My main motivation came from following around a criminal lawyer over the summer, watching her from the back of courtrooms and thinking: “I really don’t want my first time in court to be the first time I ever stand up and talk about the law.” I have done a bit of sitting down and talking about the law since starting at Murdoch in mid-2012, but standing up and talking about the law is a whole other thing. 2. Read the rules So I will be honest with you right up front, I did try to pull out of one of the competitions due to feeling a little out of my depth. I’m only a poor little first year after all! But I was promptly back in the competition once informed that I wouldn’t be able to compete the following semester if I did forfeit (I also worried that the
law café staff might not be quite as friendly when making my tea if I did get thus ‘blacklisted’). So to save yourself from embarrassment, read the rules before you sign up. 3. Summon your confidence (no one will know that you’re faking) I often doubt my abilities, which is probably the same for a lot of you. But once I had resolved to compete in the competition that I had tried to pull out of,* I just resigned myself to doing the best I could. And I was actually amongst those that won in my court – so stop underestimating yourself too and take the plunge! (*Yes ok if you haven’t already guessed it was the moot. I somehow didn’t take note of this sentence before I signed up: ‘The Mooting Competition is arguably the hardest and most prestigious competition that MSLS runs.’ Yikes!) 4. Where’s that jacket? The rest of the campus must be wondering what is going on when they start seeing a bunch
of students hanging out in the law library in their finest suits. And my Moot court judge did tell me off for not wearing a jacket... So start digging around in the cupboard and dusting off that suit from that old corporate admin job. Good thing you didn’t chuck that one away after all! 5. The gold So here is why I recommend summoning your courage and signing up for an MSLS competition (or two, or three!). It is through the competitions that I have really started to feel a sense of belonging at Murdoch law school. I’ve met students from across all years, and now have something in common with those students I’ve been sitting next to in lectures for the past six months and never had a conversation with. Trust me, there is nothing like feeling nervous before a competition and (hopefully) elated afterwards to suddenly have you chatting away with your fellow students. And if friendship and belonging is not enough of a reason for you, at least you would have had some experience standing up and talking about the law.
Michelle Trainer
The First Year Dinner 2013 “The first year law dinner at Kardinya Tavern was an awesome experience and a great way to meet other people starting out with law, JD, criminology and legal studies courses at Murdoch University. Overall it was an incredible night with good company and great free food, and except for the moment when the first years were convinced to try and sing along to Gangnam Style it was a fantastic night. “ - Andy Hunter
“The First Year Dinner was held in week 1 of semester one in the Kardinya Tavern. As wide-eyed students, what more could we ask for than a free meal and a night with people who quickly became our friends. Of course, being a Friday night meant that the entertainment at the Kardy was live… karaoke night. Some of us were brave enough to give it a shot, whereas most preferred not to. However, our desire to stay off the stage and not sing was destroyed by MSLS committee members, who “strongly encouraged” us all to sing ‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Call Me Maybe’. In spite of our umm enthu- siastic renditions, the evening was great and highly memorable.” - Virginia Cole
The Theme Party 2013 “This year’s MSLS Theme Party took us on a trip around the world, with people donning outfits that best represented various cultures and unintentionally -offens ive stereotypes from around the world. It was like a UN meeting with less fighting and far more moderately priced alcohol. The night started like any other: people arrived, people enjoyed some light refreshments, and then people danced. As the night progressed, things got a little odder. I personally witnessed someone dressed as an Irishman who didn’t touch a drop of alcohol, a grown man in a hotdog costume, and at one point I believe Duffman from the Simpsons made an appearance. Nonetheless, the evening continued with great success and everyone dance and socialized well into the night.” - Lachlan Smith
“Held at the Riverton Leisureplex, the Theme Party was 5 hours of great music, dancing and just general fun. The theme, ‘Around The World’ was fantastic and p r o v i d e d f or s o m e g r e a t costumes. Some of these costumes included Duff Man, a Hotdog, a French Canadian and a few Mexicans. Overall, the evening was great, the costumes were awesome and the company was brilliant.” - Virginia Cole
The Law Ball 2013 “The 2013 Murdoch Law Ball was an incredible night. The guys looked sharp in their suits and the women looked stunning in their dresses. The Alice in Wonderland theme created a perfect atmosphere that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. It was a fantastic, memorable night.” - Andy Hunter “If I thought that the MSLS couldn’t get any greater after the other socials that were thrown this year, I was wrong. The Law Ball was amazing. Hosted in the Pan Pacific Hotel, the Ball Room was transformed from normal to magical with an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ theme. The entire evening was fantastic; the food was great, the music was awesome, all the ladies looked beautiful and the men, well, they were all devilishly handsome… ;;P. I’d have to say the one of the greatest parts of the evening was when a large circle was formed, with everyone singing ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ by Aerosmith, it was just so very, very awesome. “ - Virginia Cole
“A classy night out (for some…), law ball proved to be all-round excellent. The music was good, the dancing better. The food was scrumptious. I especially liked dessert. This year it was Alice in Wonderland themed, and although I don’t remember getting a photo with the giant mushroom, I know it looked sick.” - April Fitzgerald
Law Camp 2013 “The 2013 Murdoch Student Law Society Camp at Nanga Bush Camp was a fantastic opportunity to meet and socialise with some of the members of the best club at Murdoch University. The camp was a crazy, memorable weekend involving boat races, scavenger hunts, never-have-Iever, milk runs and centurion. Between the bus ride down and the clean up on the second morning was an incredible weekend of bonding with people who quickly became close friends, diving into the beautiful lake at the camp and maybe sleeping a little between events (or through the entire first night in the case of some people). The camp was an awesome experience and we would definitely recommend it to future MSLS members.” - Andy Hunter “The 2013 MSLS Law Camp, held at Nanga Bush Camp, was an amazing way for the students to let off some steam before the work started piling on. Camp was three days of pure awesome. With events such as the scavenger hunt and boat races, there was seldom a boring
moment. In the spare time, most of the camp goers could be found chillin’ down by the lake. The weekend was amazing, strong friendships were formed and for those of us who do remember camp, some pretty epic stories would be told about these few days.” - Virginia Cole “Hmmm, law camp. What can I say? Only that you’ve gotta go to know. Know what you might ask? Only what everyone talks about for the next month! And only what they can actually remember, ha-ha. The good, the bad, the ridiculous, what you may have conquered (milk run, centurion), and, erm, who, and whatever tomfoolery that went down. Law camp for me, as the socially awkward introvert that I am, was, to say the least, a great weekend. A bit of a blur, yes, but I still managed to retained the best and most important memories. As the biggest MSLS event of the semester, Law camp was pretty much unmissable.” - April Fitzgerald
“It’s 4pm on a Friday afternoon. Law café is a bustling hub of eager faces, packed bags, and mild debauchery. It’s time for Law Camp. You know, that time of the year where a bunch of law students head to a small bush camp down south and get loose. A bus ride, some exceedingly articulate speeches, a mid-trip supply stop, and a few short hours later and we had found ourselves at Naanga Bush Camp in Dwellingup. After a quick briefing, unpacking, and for some, a quick nap, the festivities of the weekend began. Night One started with a hearty dinner, followed by an excessive amount of fine lagers and perfectly mixed “punch-style” cocktails. The Law Camp drink-olympics followed and continued well into the evening, with mighty titans going head to head to see who could put the most alcoholic liquid in their stomach at once. Day Two started with bleary eyes, shameful faces, and a greasy buffet breakfast. This was washed down by some brave souls during the “Milk Run”;; a competition requiring poise, composure, and consuming an unhealthy amount of milk and then exercising. After a relaxing soak in the river, the games continued with the ever-popular and shaming “Never Have I Ever” which then led into the Scavenger Hunt, a no rules race to see who could first cross of the requirements
of the list and break as many health and safety regulations as possible. As the sun started to fall over Naanga, the togas came out, and the real competition began. The Centurion: the ultimate quest for victory, honour, and possible alcohol poisoning. A lot of beer and an hour or so later, our winners were crowned and the festivities continued well into the evening. With the rising of the next sun came the conclusion of Law Camp 2013. After a short award ceremony, the ever-joyful clean up session, and for some a last minute dip in the river, it was time to load back onto the bus and head home.” - Lachlan Smith
The Road to Law Camp The word debauchery is quite well known, however it is rarely experienced. Every year the Law Society likes to kick of social events with a bang, this bang comes in the form of the infamous Law Camp. Every great story starts with an epic journey, this is the tale of that journey. The day of departure started in an excellent fashion, class was skipped, chicken and bacon were consumed and alcohol was bought. We all piled onto the bus and started our journey down to Nanga Bush Camp, little did we know we were to face many plagues along the way down. The first plague took the bus by storm, as the journey started we were blissfully unaware listening to the best the radio had to offer, however as we ventured further into the unknown, radio contact was lost, causing a deafening silence to sweep over the bus. Frantically we search for even simple humming to sooth our ears but there was nothing to be found. There was a hope though, a wise yet,
simple man decided to bring his IPod. In a triumphant moment, the play button was hit, filling the bus with the sweet smooth tunes they had been craving. harmony had once again been restored to the bus, but it wasn’t to last for long. No more then a few minutes later a second plague took control of the bus. This plague was not as dangerous as the first but was frustrating nonetheless. In an attempt to increase morale in the bus after a turbulent period, a man was called upon to provide an inspirational speech, little did we know that the man in fact turned out to be the fabled shrieking siren. Luckily enough the bus knew that if they didn’t show him any attention he would eventually lose patience. Defeated, this man sank back into his goon soaked dwelling. This tale had a happy ending but there was another twist along the way. The Third plague hit the
hardest of, a drought swept throughout the bus and supplies were consumed at an unprecedented rate. Pallets were dry and students were disgruntled, this was a tolling plague but help was in sight. Every story needs a hero and this is no exception. The bus driver true to his reputation engaged in ladsy behavior and pulled over to what some have described as a saving ship on the horizon of sobriety but is commonly referred to as the Pinjara bottle shop. Supplies were replenished and the plagues were over. We had suffered and we were weak, but we knew that we had come out and stronger and better people from these experiences. As the group arrived at the promised lands we piled out of the bus into the Woodshed, fresh air and the smell of promise filled our lungs. We had arrived at Law Camp and we were ready for what promised to be a weekend, which tested our endurance, poise and mental strength. Edward Love