Dear Alumni and Friends

The first semester is now in full swing and MLS has welcomed a steady stream of visitors through our doors. Last week NSW Solicitor-General and alumnus Michael Sexton SC delivered a Guest Lecture to students; Indonesia’s first Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Professor Dr Jimly Asshiddiqie, delivered the 2009 Seabrook Chambers Lecture on the major challenges he faced in that role; and, Law Deans from across Australia converged on MLS for the first meeting for 2009 of the Australian Council of Law Deans.

Mooting season is also upon us! Last week we toasted the Law School’s national Jessup Moot winners and wished them all the best for the International Rounds in Washington. We also have great hopes this month for the MLS team competing for the first time in the Oxford International IP Moot at St Catherine's College, Oxford, and for our World Trade Organisation Moot team.

Professor James Hathaway
Dean and William Hearn Professor of Law

Join our Alumni and MLS Events

Reflections on the History of Women in Law. Canadian Professor Mary Jane Mossman (pictured left), a leading figure in feminist legal thought, delivers the 27th Allen Hope Southey Memorial Lecture, 19 March.....more

Court Security in an Age of Terror: Can Architecture Interfere with Justice? Panel speakers include the Hon Justice B D Bongiorno and Frank Greene, a leading NY court architect, Tuesday, 24 March.....more

Challenging Women: Towards Equality in the Parliament of Victoria. Authored by Dr Madeline Grey, this book will be launched by Minister for Women’s Affairs, Maxine Morand, 24 March.....more

State Building and International Law: Problems, Paradigms and Prospects. IILAH presents Professory Antony Anghie, University of Utah, Wednesday 25 March.....more

Reprieve Australia seminar. Richard Bourke, LLB (Hons) 1995, director of the Louisiana Capital Assistance Centre, shares stories from the front line of fighting the death penalty in the southern United States, Wednesday, 25 March.....more

Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage. American University law professor, Nancy Polikoff presents an International Public Lecture, Thursday 2 April.....more

War Crime Trials, Solemnity and the Problems of Evil. Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor Gerry Simpson, Wednesday 8 April.....more

Full listing of MLS lectures, seminars and events.....more

Alumni Benefits

MTC UNDER 30s MINI SUBSCRIPTIONS To celebrate the first year in our new theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company is offering Law alumni under 30 a great subscription discounts with no restrictions.....more

$15 discount to Internet content & ISP-level filtering, the Australian experiement seminar, 17 March.....more

Honours, Awards and Achievements

Dr Denny Indrayana (pictured left), PhD Law 2005, Special Adviser of the President of Indonesia for Legal Affairs, was awarded the 2009 Australian Alumni Award for Sustainable Economic and Social Development award on 21 February, Jakarta..... more

Matthew Bell, LLB (Hons) 1995, MConstrLaw 2005, lecturer and director of Studies for Construction law, and Trevor Thomas, LLM 2007, senior associate at Clayton Utz, received a highly commended and commended, respectively, by the London-based Society of Construction Law Hudson Prize judging panel. Each year the prize is awarded for substantial essays on a construction law topic..... more

Professor James Hathaway was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa by Belgium's Université catholique de Louvain on Friday 6 March 2009. Professor Hathaway was featured in La Libre Belgique. .... more

Alumni in the News

“Sport’s sad new reality after terrorist attack, Malcolm Speed (pictured left), LLB 1970, writes in The Herald Sun, 5 March..... more

“The self-perpetuating oligarcy”, David Wishart, LLB (Hons) 1976, LLM 1980, writes in The Australian, 12 March..... more

“UN Official Calls for Dismissal of Keny’s Police Chief, Attorney General”, Voice of America quotes UN Special Rapporteur, Philip Alston, LLB (Hons) 1973, LLM 1978, 25 February..... more

“Retired boomers who reject children live in an unhealthy world”, Randa Abdel-Fattah, LLB (Hons) 2002, writes in The Age, 23 February..... more

“Deafness not an option after disaster”, Tony Cutcliffe, MCommrcLaw 2003, writes in The Australian, 19 February..... more

Legal Innovation Grants

The Victorian Law Foundation offers, twice-yearly, a round of 'General Grants', each over $5,000, for innovative legal projects that benefit Victoria. The next General Grants round closes 9 April 2009..... more

New Publications

Death of Labour Law? Comparative Perspectives
Associate Professor and Reader Martin Vranken retraces the birth and subsequent growth of labour law and argues that it is essentially a mechanism for employee protection not labour market regulation.

More about the book here
About Associate Professore Martin Vranken here

Examining Practice, Interrogating Theory: Comparative Legal Studies in Asia
Edited by Associate Professor Pip Nicholson and Associate Professor and Reader Sarah Biddulp. Contributions to this book analyse particular legal changes in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

More about the book here
About Associate Professor Pip Nicholson here
About Associate Professor and Reader Sarah Biddulp here