Obiter, Issue 5, 2013

The Maurice Blackburn Law Ball 2013

obiterthe ndsls

t h e n o t r e d a m e s y d n e y l a w s o c i e t y

Week Ten Semester OneTuesday 7 May 201305

2 | The Obiter, Issue 5

Notre Dame Sydney Law Society

From theEditor

CAROLINE MICHELHi everyone,

Despite a much needed mid semester break, I have to say that somehow, for me, this week has been the busiest of the Semester. There has been a lot going on in the NDSLS recently. Our annual Law Ball was a great success, and I’d like to especially thank our Social Director, Dominique Hermo, for all the hard work she put in to ensure that the night was fantastic!

The NDSLS has also been busy planning the annual Careers Week, which begins next week! Careers Week is a highly anticipated week on our calendar, and I’m personally looking forward to all of the great events and opportunities we have on offer.

Our second competition for the year, Allens Client Interview, also begins next week. After the success of the Clayton Utz Negotiation Competition earlier on in the year, I am really excited for Client Interview. I am competing this year for the first time, as are many of my fellow competitors. I would like to wish my colleagues the best of luck, and congratulate the many first timers who are taking the plunge and giving competitions a go!

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoy this fortnight’s Obiter…it’s a jam packed edition with everything you need to know for Careers Week!

Best Wishes, Caroline

acknowledgementsObiter Issue Three

EditorCaroline Michel

ContributorsEden ChristopherJake Lowther

Special ThanksPeter GrayAidan Williams

DesignAlexander Carlos

NDSLS Committee 2013ExecutiveEden Christopher, PresidentNatalie Baladi, Vice-PresidentDaniel Austin, SecretarySean D’almada Remedios, Treasurer

DirectorsJacob Deigan, CareersJulia Lavers, CompetitionsAidan Williams, EducationPeter Gray, ITAlexander Carlos, MarketingCaroline Michel, PublicationsDominique Hermo, Social EventsRachel Bennett, Social JusticeLauren Absalom, Sponsorship

Year RepresentativesAdrian Vincent, First YearShelby van Ooran, Second YearCaitlin Gallagher, Third YearSean D’almada Remedios, Fourth/Final Year

Contact the EditorContact the Committeewww.ndsls.org

The Obiter, Issue 5 | 3


in this issue

President’s NoteThere is obviously a lot to talk about from NDSLS events recently. The Law School had a great showing at the Annual Notre Dame Gift and our first competition was completed last week. So firstly, congratulations to all four of our Negotiation Competition grand-finalists. The grand final winners were Dominic Rohde and Scott Rogers. Runners up were Daniel Austin and Caroline Michel. Negotiation is my favourite competition and it was a pleasure to be involved this year guiding students through such a great competition.

The annual Law Ball, organised by our wonderful Social Director, Dominique Hermo, could not have been closer to how I wanted it. I never expected a night out to go from excited, stressed, nervous and tearful to relief, amazement and incredible fun. I just had the best time and so many of you have passed on this same sentiment, which is great for us to hear.

The three speeches on the night all had a common element - to celebrate the community here at Notre Dame and to enjoy the time here with each other. Already this semester we’ve had an

Amazing Race, Negotiation Competition, Maurice Blackburn Law Ball, Notre Dame Gift, Study Boot Camp Lite and the regular after-class drinks on a Wednesday night to take advantage of $3 tacos. These moments are what we will all look back on, remember and love about Law School.

It’s surprising this has all come up around the time of ANZAC Day - my favourite day of the year. A day that celebrates the mateship and sacrifice of young adults and teenagers, just like us, and many others who contributed to the war effort throughout the years both at Gallipoli and Afghanistan. I hope you all got out to a dawns service and had a game of two-up with family and friends because that’s what it’s all about.

I’ll finish with the great news that we’re past the halfway mark for Semester One. Personally, I have only just started going back over lecture notes (now my assignments have almost come to a close). I encourage everyone to make this upcoming exam period (yes, it’s just around the corner) their best and to take time to be grateful and appreciative of what we all have and that is each other.

Yours in law,

Eden Christopher“O Captain, My Captain”President

6 Careers Week 201313 Maurice Blackburn Law Ball 2013

15 ALSA 201317 Allens Client Interview Competition

18 YourSay



Upcoming Events and Notices

May6

May7

Careers Week BeginsFacebook Event Here

Allens Client Interview CompetitionBegins

May8

Registration for ALSA Conference General Delegates closes



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CAREERS WEEK 2013INTRODUCTION BY CAROLINE MICHEL

SEE OUR FACEBOOK EVENT HERE

It’s that time of the year again! Our annual Careers

Week begins Monday Week 10. We have organised

many great events that all students are welcome

to attend. The aim of these events is to enrich

the student experience by providing important

information regarding the many options and paths

that are available to pursue with a law degree.

Careers Week is also a great way to meet, talk and

create connections with professionals in the legal

sphere. This year, the agenda consists of in-class

specialty talks, a clerkship seminar, alternate careers

fair and a PLT presentation from the College of Law.

You can find all the information regarding these

events further down, but also on our website. We

hope to see you all there!

In-class Speciality Talks

(Monday 6 May to Friday 10 May)

With help from the NDS staff, we have organised

several ‘specialty talks’ during class times. Many

professionals who have a specialty or connection

with the subject have been invited to come into class

and speak to us about their career and experiences.

Students who are not enrolled in these classes are still

very welcome to attend!

Alternative Careers Fair

(Thursday 9th May 12:30-1:30pm, NDS2/209)

Ever wondered what you could do with a law

degree if you didn’t want to work at a firm? The

opportunities are endless! This year we are very

excited about our Alternate Careers Fair. We have

invited representatives from several legal and

educational institutions to talk about alternate legal

careers outside of the ‘typical’ law firm path. All

students are welcome and encouraged to attend.

PLT Presentation

(Thursday 9th May 5:00pm, NDS5/403)

Presented by The College of Law, the PLT evening

will provide students with the information they need

regarding Practical Legal Training. The College of

Law is the main provider of PLT (which is required

before you are able to practise law) so this is a

fantastic opportunity to hear directly from them. We

highly recommend 4th/5th year students to attend,

but also welcome all students.

Clerkship Seminar

(Monday 13 May 12:00-1:30pm, NDS2/201)

Come along to our Clerkship Seminar evening event

to hear personally from representatives from several

top-tier firms. Each of them will be providing details

regarding the seasonal/summer clerkships that they

offer students, and the application details for each.

Whilst this Seminar is aimed to 3rd-5th year students,

everybody is welcome to attend! It is never too early

to find out about the many clerkship opportunities

available.



96 | Careers Guide 2013


Legal Specialty TalksSchedule Overview

Date Time Location Speaker

Monday

6 May

9:30amPrinciples of Contract Law

NDS5/304John Cooper

1:30pmPrinciples of Equity

NDS5/304Diccon Loxton

4:30pmFamily LawNDS2/222

Richard Maurice

Tuesday

7 May

8:30amAdministrative Law

NDS2/222Dennis Wilson

1:30pmPrinciples of Contract Law

NDS2/324Ian McGill

Wednesday

8 May

8:30amLegal Research and Writing

NDS5/203Denise McConie

9:30amCommercial Law

NDS15/103Michael Popkin

Thursday

9 May

9:30amPersonal Taxation Law

NDS5/410Chris Peadon

9:30amPrinciples of Torts

NDS5/203Jenni Priestley

1:30pmPrinciples of Torts

NDS5/209Mark Lindfield

Monday13 May

9:30amConstitutional Law

NDS2/222Philip Taylor S.C.

Thursday

16 May

9:30amCommercial Practice and Ethics

NDS2/201Jim Dwyer

4:30pmCommercial Practice and Ethics

NDS15/102Matthew McLennan



LEGAL SPECIALTY TALKS:CONTRIBUTE YOUR THOUGHTS

We have a great line up of guest speakers attending classes next week, and we would love to

hear first hand about what they have to share. We are looking for keen writers to contribute

articles (short or long, doesn’t matter!) about a specialty talk that you attended, or occurred in

your class.

Your work will be published in future issues of the Obiter. We have included an example written

by a student last year. Please email your article to Caroline: [email protected]



Everyone has probably looked up to someone in the legal industry, on the sporting Þeld or in their jobs and asked themselves,

“How do I do what they do?”

In fact, the desire to go to Law School is probably a manifestation of your desire to learn to, ‘do what they do’.

The Protagonist ...

An attempt to publish the value of the unit and the talk would be futile, nothing can replace being there and hearing the frank and eye-opening thoughts of this engaging man. Mr Simpson retold his life story with a colour not often associated with the status quo lawyer image so many of society are used to. The talk was reminiscent of an Ian Lloyd Criminal Law class, full of life and anecdotal humour.

On the industry...“If you’re doing this course you should be reading like crazy...”

A Þeld as dynamic as the entertainment industry requires constant updating, reading and learning. The many mediums which society communicate through, the hundreds of possible revenue streams, the sale-power of stars and talent behind these creative outlets leaves a lot to be exploited. A noteworthy conviction of Mr Simpsons was that the best money spent was the money spent before the deal, in the preparation and research to save on the money wasted getting out of a bad deal. It was made clear throughout the talk that working hard, being diligent and ultimately being worth the money you charge is the key to success. The age-old proverb that ‘knowledge is power’ was put across in multiple ways, through anecdotes and advice,

“You have to know about the industry and environment you’re practicing in, not just legally but the lingo, common practice, who owns who, who commissions what work, who does

what and what is the legal relationship...”

Mr Simpson is the man to speak to in the industry, in fact he wrote the book on it. His words to those with shallow intentions of parties and celebrities were probably not suitable

The summer school elective was Entertainment Law, taking place over the Þrst two weeks of February with an exam the week before everybody returned to the corridors of ND.

The class had the privilidge of hearing the thoughts and story of a great mind in this niche Þeld, Mr Shane Simpson.

LEGAL INSIGHT:SHANE SIMPSON



to this publication. He spoke of his love for the work he does even if aspects such as celebrity merchandising agreements bored him to tears and the amount of theatrical precedents hardly justiÞed a folder in his practice. Knowing the industry allows you to apply your legal skills and creates value for you and your practice.

“What has driven me all along is that you must remember you are a lawyer, not a media person, not an entertainment player... you are a lawyer...”

The client takes preference in his ofÞces, he made it evident that what differentiates the industry from other legal Þelds is the client and that is what interests him. Essentially, his legal toolkit is the same as any lawyer no matter the area; contracts, torts, copyright, equity and so on, simply applied to the Entertainment Industry.

“I know what clauses they need, the wording that will protect the client from risk, it may not have happened in Sydney but it did in Arkansas, California and Auckland...”

Again, the point comes across that the value is the legal knowledge, the reading, learning and re-learning of the principles and concepts applied to new situations, such is the Brave New World of entertainment law.

On Law School...The story of Mr Simpson sent a message of developing the core skills because they all are relevant and apply to any Þeld of law. The constant thread of working hard, reading widely and constant development of skills learnt through law school carries on into employment,

ÒItÕs all about self-improvement and self-education, especially in my Þeld...Ó

An emphasis was put on good marks and that this comes with persistence and hard work. It can be hard to picture the use of the material learnt today in the applications of tomorrow. Law school is so important because it teaches a student how to think, analyse, appreciate the law and emphasise a precision in thinking.

ÒYou need a Þre in the belly to go and do stuff yourself, Þnd out what the good books are - it’s not hard...”

On gaining employment...Most lawyers who give talks often begin with the phrase, Òthe last thing I wanted to be was a lawyer when I left law schoolÓ, right before they swing into action with a re-telling of their life of success in law and the fulÞllment of using their mind in something they love.

“What I never wanted to be was a commercial lawyer... now I’m a commercial lawyer... my tools are corporate structure and tax, deals and copyright.”

The topic of graduate employment is a top priority of every student and the message was clear,



BY EDEN CHRISTOPHER

The Obiter welcomes original student written pieces. If you would like to have something included in our

publication, don’t be shy- we are now accepting a range of original works whether they be short articles,

long essays or maybe just a piece of advice for other students. As long as they are focused on a legal or

university related issue/topic we would love to publish your work! If you are a budding writer why not send

us something? You can either upload your document here, or email it directly to Caroline, the Publications

Director at [email protected]. It’s that easy. We look forward to hearing from you.

How to Contribute

ÒDonÕt be all talk, what are you really doing to show youÕre serious? My Þrst question would be ‘What are you reading? What have you read? And why entertainment law? Why

because there must be some reason you have decided to do this for the rest of your life...

The last time a job vacancy opened up there were 157 applicants. It’s a tough industry and what you do now will determine your success or not. Marks are not everything, an active role in the industry you’re interested in scores highly and work experience also sets an applicant apart from the pack.

The profession is well remunerated and what still endures from the hours spent with Shane Simpson is the pleading to be, ‘Worth your hourly rate’ best summed up in the line,

“I will make those shoes perfect for you...”



MAURICE BLACKBURN LAW BALL 2013

BY JAKE LOWTHER

On a rather out-of-character whim, I boldly booked

ball and plane tickets for the Maurice Blackburn

Notre Dame Sydney Law Society’s annual ball. Quite

a mouthful; and indeed the food was good, but this is

somewhat jumping around.

By way of context, I recently returned to Fremantle

after a lovely year in the suave city of Sydney.

The foundations of firm friendships were laid, and

the opportunity to build upon these was not one to

be lightly dismissed. YOLO, YOYO, carpe diem -

whichever you may follow, be sure to follow faithfully.

Upon my return, it was immediately apparent that

I had made the correct choice. The sun shone. A

Paddington tailor, in the midst of relocating to the

Strand arcade, gifted me a handmade, heteroclite

handkerchief of a pocket square (in my haste I had

forgotten to pack one). Excellent cocktails were

available at AUD$12. Such fun.

I had the good sense to enter a raffle for a round

of cocktails with the President of the NDSLS, Eden

Christopher, and three friends. Although belated by

tiresome traffic, we entered the charming Shangri-

La Hotel at the Rocks, bee lining for the lifts. At floor

36, we entered 2010’s Bar of the Year, the New

York-inspired Blu Bar. Reconnecting with friends over

an espresso martini, whilst overlooking the glorious

harbour at night is an activity I highly recommend.

Following this, we ear-poppingly descended to the

ballroom for the main event. A charming space

greeted us: crisp, white tablecloths, silver service

and the bubbling effervescence of excited and

partly inebriated chatter. Drinks à gogo; bread rolls

helpfully present.

The night opened with speeches. Mirroring the

changes in Fremantle, the new Dean Professor

Michael Quinlan spoke first. Chaplaincy Convenor

Patrick Langrell said Grace. Finally the President, a

reluctant public speaker, referred to the recent and

tragic passing of much-loved student Chris Drake,

whose parents were in attendance. It was a reminder

of the closeness of the community at our young law

school and how privileged we are to attend, be it

west or east coast.

With the formalities over, the aforementioned

food was served and it was topping. Particularly

pudding, but then, in that department I am rarely

disappointed. The obligatory Macklemore inspired

many a honky to take to the dance floor. This

included the doyenne of the Sydney Law School’s

administration, Roszanna Hazlewood, who was in

fabulous form. The wonderful event put on by the

NDSLS included a decadent photo booth, where

many forgotten moments could be recalled the

following under-the-weather day.

Many thanks go to Eden Christopher and the NDSLS

for having me to such a delightful night.

ÒDonÕt be all talk, what are you really doing to show youÕre serious? My Þrst question would be ‘What are you reading? What have you read? And why entertainment law? Why

because there must be some reason you have decided to do this for the rest of your life...

The last time a job vacancy opened up there were 157 applicants. It’s a tough industry and what you do now will determine your success or not. Marks are not everything, an active role in the industry you’re interested in scores highly and work experience also sets an applicant apart from the pack.

The profession is well remunerated and what still endures from the hours spent with Shane Simpson is the pleading to be, ‘Worth your hourly rate’ best summed up in the line,

“I will make those shoes perfect for you...”





ALSA 2013BY EDEN CHRISTOPHER

Over the weekend of the STUVAC, as the President

of your NDSLS, I attended a Special General

Meeting (SGM) of the Australian Law Students

Association (ALSA), which the NDSLS is affiliated

to. The SGM was hosted by the University of

Wollongong Law Society and we all stayed in the

wonderful Chifley Hotel in Wollongong.

ALSA is the peak student body that represents all

the Law Student Societies (LSSs) in Australia (alsa.

net.au). Each year they host an annual conference

in a rotating roster of capital cities in Australia, and

this year the conference is in Perth, WA! We’ve had

four competitors register to represent us, and two

councillors will go along to do all the admin work

(unfortunately this is me).

You don’t have to be anyone in a competition or

as part of the NDSLS to attend, you can go as a

General Delegate (GD) and experience all the fun

stuff (Balls, cocktail nights, talks from some of the

great minds of Law in Aus) or just visit the sights of

Perth or even Margaret River! If you’re interested,

email Aidan our Education Director to get the info -

http://www.ndsls.org/contact-edu/.

Now back to the Council...

Basically what happens at the April Council (and

again in September) is the Presidents and Education

Directors from each LSS come together to share

knowledge, develop proposals and discuss issues

currently facing law students or the LSSs. Some LSSs

make presentations on things they’ve done well and

overall we all develop best practice and procedure

protocols to be used and shared for all LSSs.

One of the most interesting talks was the

development of an iPhone app by Murdoch LSS

(Perth, WA). The app made information available

through your phone of every major firm that sponsors

the app with critical information such as the HR

rep from each firm to contact, grad/clerkship

applications opening and closing dates as well as

push notifications to remind you of LSS events (no

more Facebook spamming! lol jks).

The recent tax liability on Sydney University Law

Society made all LSS Presidents (personally liable

for our LSSs) sink in their seat a little and led to the

generation of many meme’s during council.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a law student conference

without the provision of free alcohol (after council

of course) with two social nights arranged including

dinners and drinks at cocktail bars and the like. As

well as the alcohol, there is plenty of banter including

motions to have a harlem shake video recorded

and to always refer to the University of Queensland

LSS President as, “the Chad” (both motions passed

unanimously). Your very own LSS President was able

to keep his nose clean and not get into any trouble

(more so, I was not caught), which our Notre Dame

Fremantle LSS sisters were not so fortunate to avoid.



To say the crowd is interesting is an understatement.

You’ll get someone like me (who practices ‘selective

input’ techniques in group discussions) and others

who turned a talk about stopwatches in the National

Competitions into a 10 minute shouting match over

who would fund the stopwatches - that escalated

quickly!

Having said that, everyone was so awesome and

easy to deal with. Many new friends were made

from all over the country and a lot of ideas are

now down in my notebook ready to unleash for your

benefit! It is absolutely mind-boggling what some

LSSs are able to provide their students and they are

all so willing to share their information, spreadsheets,

cost analyses and advice to budding LSSs like us.

Surprisingly, we had some stuff they wanted too!

The SGM lasted over 24 hours over 3 days; filled

with discussion, voting, workshops, Q&As and

showcases. It was an amazing experience and is

another benefit of getting involved with your LSS or

any other student body. You never know who you

might meet, what you might learn or where you might

go.

I will definitely be attending the next council meeting

in September hosted by Macquarie University. I’ve

committed to the ALSA Conference in Perth in July

and would love to see more General Delegates come

along. It’s $850 for registration and accommodation,

and we’re looking into providing you guys with a

subsidy!

Check out the Facebook page for the July ALSA

Conference - https://www.facebook.com/

alsaconference



ALLENS CLIENT INTERVIEW COMPETITION

Next week, our 2nd competition begins! After the success of the Clayton Utz Negotiation Competition earlier

on this semester, the NDSLS is very excited for this year’s Client Interview Competition, sponsored by Allens.

Good luck to all of the competitors!

Competitors and clients can check the competition schedule for times and rooms by clicking here.



This week:

The high price of legal services means that many Australians would find

it difficult to pay for a lawyer for anything but the most basic legal

issues. When people who can’t afford a lawyer turn to government

funded legal assistance services, they find that due to chronic funding

shortages, ongoing help is often restricted to those on the lowest

incomes, and then only for a limited range of mainly family law and

criminal law issues.

Unike the health and education system in Australia, there is no

universal safety next for legal help: report by Community Law

Australia, July 2012.

We have Medicare and public hospitals, as well as free public

schooling. Why is there so little in the way of schemes and funding for

universal access to lawyers?

Let us know what you think! Jump online and send us your thoughts to have your say published in

the next Obiter! Contribute by clicking here.

Disclaimer: All submissions will be considered for publishing provided that they do not contain offensive language or

themes. The NDSLS reserves the right to refuse a submission if it is inappropriate.

YourSay Issue Five


Copyright and Disclaimer© The Notre Dame Sydney Law Society.

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This is a publication of the Notre Dame Sydney Law Society. Its sponsors, contributors, the University of Notre Dame Australia, its affiliates or its employees do not necessarily endorse any facts or opinions contained within this publication

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Obiter, Issue 5, 2013