Issue 14 – October 2015

It is hard to believe that it is now nearly five years since I started as Dean at Melbourne Law School. The Council has recently been good enough to extend my term for an additional five years and I am looking forward to continuing to work with our staff, students, alumni, friends, international partners, the legal profession and all the many other people who make this role such an enjoyable one. Many thanks to so many of you for your support of the Law School during my first term – I look forward to continuing to work with you during my second term.

Governor of Victoria Linda Dessau (LLB (Hons) 1973) is reflecting on her first few months in the vice-regal role, since assuming office in July this year.

Summer is almost upon us, and with it comes a rush of enough sporting fixtures to satisfy even the most die-hard fans, from international and domestic cricket to the Australian Open, the A-League, and the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Women fighting corruption, championing ethics, challenging discrimination and bullying and dealing with balancing family and work: these were central themes when a delegation of leading Victorian barristers and judges

Four very different paths have taken each of these Melbourne Law School alumni to all corners of the globe pursuing careers in technology, human rights, digital marketing, premium furniture design and production.

Australia's system to establish native title rights is a complex test and often proves onerous for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups trying to prove that their laws and customs provide a continuing connection to their traditional country.

A former High Court Justice once said that working at the High Court of Australia you get to witness the whole spectrum of human behaviour. Accompanied by the variety of legal issues and factual scenarios that are discussed before the Court, it is a fascinating schooling in the law

International Law expert Professor Hilary Charlesworth will return as a teacher to Melbourne Law School, with her first class to be in the new Master of Human Rights Law, launching in 2016.

Since the establishment of the Asian Law Centre (ALC) 30 years ago by Professors Mary Hiscock, David Allen and Michael Crommelin under its inaugural Director Professor Malcom Smith, it has undergone substantial change. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Centre in 2015, it is time also to reflect on these changes and future directions.

The Honourable Sir Anthony Frank Mason AC KBE GBM QC can recall many highlights from his 23 years as a Justice of the High Court of Australia, including eight years as Chief Justice (1987-1995).

Speaking of his Holocaust survival, Melbourne Law School alumnus Dr Samuel Pisar AO told the New York Times: "I muted the past. I turned to the future with a vengeance." Dr Pisar lived up to that pledge to himself. When he passed away in July he was lauded across the world as an international lawyer, humanitarian, human rights advocate, adviser to presidents, governments and major companies.

The case Hockey v Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd highlighted the risks around defamation. Now debate is growing as to whether defamation legislation needs to be updated, or if it can keep up with the rapid evolution of social media.

The Honourable Alan Goldberg AO QC's service to law and the community has been recognised by having a perpetual scholarship named in his honour.

Social media is a crucial part of commercial and personal communication. In legal and other professional services, one platform has almost monopolised the field: LinkedIn.

Working on the world's largest initial public offering and witnessing first-hand the Occupy Hong Kong movement are just two stimulating experiences Melbourne Law School alumnus Antony Dapiran has had since relocating to Asia for a successful legal career.