Issue 19 – May 2018

I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting many members of our community, whether at our Alumni Breakfast Series here in Melbourne, our public lecture series or more formal meetings and functions in both Sydney and Melbourne.

Technology is transforming healthcare research and delivery. But is the law keeping up? A new research team at Melbourne Law School is exploring the key legal challenges and opportunities.

A career in practice – or indeed the law – wasn’t always on the cards for Victoria’s new Solicitor-General, MLS alumna Kristen Walker.

When she graduated with her LLB from the University of Melbourne in 1988, Professor Pip Nicholson did not imagine she would one day be Dean of Melbourne Law School. Thirty years later, she is delighted to take on the role at a time of fundamental disruption.

The Melbourne-born International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October for its efforts to achieve a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons. For MLS alumnus Tim Wright (BA, LLB 2009), ICAN’s Treaty Coordinator, it was the culmination of a decade’s advocacy.

The rise of platforms like Airbnb, Uber and Airtasker is changing the landscape of the workforce, but are labour and employment laws keeping up?

A decade ago, MLS embarked on an educational transformation, becoming Australia’s first all-graduate law school and introducing the Melbourne Juris Doctor. Since then, over 1500 students have graduated with this degree and gone on to a diverse range of careers. MLS News caught up with some of our alumni from the very first JD cohort.

China’s decision to ban the import of foreign waste has put pressure on Australia’s local councils, waste management and recycling sectors. We asked MLS community members to weigh in on what some are describing as a ‘recycling crisis’.

A cryptocurrency revolution is underway and while laws and regulations might be struggling to keep up, the true value lies within the blockchain technology underpinning it, according to several MLS alumni.

Governments around the world are facing a range of troubling policy challenges. It’s an opportunity for universities to help find solutions, according to Professor John Howe, the new Director of the University of Melbourne School of Government.

The Melbourne School of Government this year partnered with the Susan McKinnon Foundation to deliver the inaugural McKinnon Prize in Political Leadership, a new, non-partisan award recognising courageous, visionary and collaborative political leadership.

MLS alumna Madeline Miller has found a way to combine her legal training, social justice aims and love of film in the heart of Hollywood.

Domenic Friguglietti’s career with the ABC has taken him from the forefront of the digital media revolution to delivering essential communication services in remote communities in the Asia-Pacific.

Sir Ninian Stephen led a remarkable life of public service, both in Australia and overseas. Professor Tim McCormack pays tribute to a much-loved member of the MLS community.