obiter, issue 2, semester 2, 2013

Rachel Bennett, Social Justice Director: The International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia

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 Four Semester TwoVolume Two 201302

notre dame sydney law society

2

From theEditor

Caroline MiChel

Hello all,

As I write this, Chopin’s ‘Aeolian

Harp’ (also known as Etude in A

Flat, Op. 25 no. 1 plays through

my headphones and a pile of

work is looming closer to my

computer, no matter how far

down the desk I place it (and

yes, it is a literal pile of work). I

have taken a day off my nerdy

campaign job with a federal

MP to enjoy even more nerdy

pursuits it seems. Alas, the life of

a law student.

Really though- I’m listening to

this music because sometime

before I started this whole law

thing, I was classically trained

in piano. I have been slaving

over this piece all week, trying

to remind myself of how easy it

used to be. Also, classical music

stimulates the brain more than

the top 40 hits. Apparently. I

have no source for that.

As you enter a busy time in

the semester, when work can

literally pile up on your desk

while you try your best to ignore

it, it’s important to keep in mind

the myriad of other talents,

skills and qualities you possess

other than being a busy student.

Though it seems like a lifetime

ago, I enjoyed creative pursuits.

I danced, I played piano, and I

wanted to be an actor. Whilst I

will embarrassingly admit that

I still do all those things, more

often than not, I find that we are

quick to place the sports and

activities that make us happy

and relax us on the backburner.

I think it should be the other way

around. My goal for this week

has been to procrastinate in

useful ways! Instead of baking

an impromptu cake, I pulled

out some old music to learn.

Instead of sitting and watching

TV, I went for a walk in the sun.

Procrastination isn’t always a

bad thing- it’s important to take

a break from busy work and

study periods to give yourself

some time to focus on what

makes you happy, and what you

enjoy doing. It makes returning

to the looming pile of work that

little bit easier!

Don’t forget that NDSLS

committee voting opens

next week! Voting only

takes a minute and is really

important in ensuring that

next year’s committee is the

best representation of student

interests…your interests.

That’s all for now!

Caroline

acknowledgementsObiter Issue Two, Volume Two

EditorCaroline Michel

ContributorsEden ChristopherSean D’almada-Remedios

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

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

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

http://www.ndsls.org

the obiter, issue two, volume two 2013

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From the President, Eden ChristopherWeek 4 already.

Elections next week.

I don’t know about you guys but there is a lot going on! We had

a modest turnout to our mature age meet up on Wednesday -

nothing like our first one - and it has encouraged me to do it again

later this semester. What it also has made me realise is the real

need for a mature age representative on the NDSLS, and to have a

representative every year.

The year representative roles have usually been quiet and a way to

see what happens on the society before putting your hand up to take

on further responsibilities... but, I think we will see these roles grow in

significance next year and into the future.

My first assessments are in Week 5, so I’m a little bit worried heading

into this weekend. I’m hoping to come out of it with a lot less stress

and a lot more knowledge.

I hope all of you can relax a little coming into final semester and that

you come out of this semester as a whole having achieved everything

you’ve wanted.

We also say goodbye to Roszanna next week! Roszanna is the heart

and soul of this institution and has been a big part of the culture

we all enjoy today. I hope you can all make it to our event next

Wednesday to celebrate Roszanna’s time and to enjoy some time with

each other as we head into a new chapter for the Law School.

Yours in law,

Eden

el presidente’

In this issue:

Calendar

NDSLS Online

Farewell to Roszanna

Competitions at ND!

Inaugural Social Justice Lecture

Law and Politics

Welcome Back College of Law!

Student Profiles

YourSay

4

5

6

8

9

10

12

13

16


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Upcoming Events

august 26 NDSLS Committee voting opens

27 Pirate Themed Social Event(5pm, The Lansdowne)

28 Mooting Practical Workshop(12:30pm, Law School)

30 Mooting and Paper Presentation registration closes

2 2014 NDSLS Committee announcedsept


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The NDSLS Online

Connect with us on all of our online portals

to make sure you never miss a story!

facebook.com/NotreDameSydneyLawSociety

twitter.com/NDSLS

youtube.com/NDSLS

www.ndsls.org

Social media enquiries: Alexander Carlos, Marketing DirectorWebsite enquiries: Peter Gray, IT Director

https://www.facebook.com/NotreDameSydneyLawSociety

https://twitter.com/NDSLS

http://www.youtube.com/NDSLS

http://www.ndsls.org

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

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


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At the NDSLS, our focus is on students, and

enriching the student experience. However,

the wonderful effort our dedicated Law

School staff put into their work every day does

not go unnoticed. Whilst the NDSLS does its

best to aid and help students in all of their

endeavours, the faculty at our wonderful

university work even harder for this goal.

One faculty member we would like to thank

in particular is Roszanna Hazlewood, the

Law School’s Senior Administration Officer.

Roszanna will unfortunately be leaving our

Law School next week. There is no doubt

that Roszanna’s smiling face and calming

presence has assisted each and every one

of us at some point in our degree, when

we realise we have no idea what our Arts

or Commerce major is, or when we want to

graduate but haven’t finished Logos. I also

know that she has assisted a lot of students

who were feeling overwhelmed or behind in

their studies; a lot of people have said to me

that “without Roszanna, I wouldn’t be doing

Law”. Roszanna was and still is a mentor,

guide and friend to all of us, and she will be

fondly remembered. We wish Roszanna the

best of luck in all of her future professional

and personal endeavours. Best of luck for

your bright future Roszanna!

Farewell to Roszanna

Introduction by Caroline Michel


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A person’s time at University puts

them in contact with many extremely

influential and intelligent people-

as law students that statement is

doubly true. To consider who tops

that list would be very difficult with

such a highly esteemed academic

staff, guest legal practitioners and

gifted peers. However, for me, one

person stands out on the list of

influential and intelligent- and that

is Roszanna Hazlewood. My first

reaction on hearing Roszanna would

be leaving us was in the realm of

“Oh crap, there goes my degree”, a

sentiment that I know was mirrored

by several of my peers.

Roszanna has been so instrumental

in the lives of the Law Students of

this university, from her calming

words, administrative magic, and

helpful assignment and study tips.

In a School with a very open door

policy to begin with, Roszanna

always seemed to go above and

beyond in ensuring that her door

was never closed at any time of the

day and I am sure in that regard she

has missed her lunch break on more

than one occasion.

I would like to wish Roszanna

every success in all of her future

endeavours. Wherever she goes

next will have gained an immense

asset- an asset that will be truly

missed in our Law School.

Goodluck and Goodbye

Anonymous

A Reflection


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Competitions at ND!Don’t forget to sign up to our Semester Two

competitions: Mooting and Paper Presentation!

Sign up for both of these competitions closes

on Friday 30th August 11:59pm. You can sign up

online here.

Mooting:

To moot is to simulate a mock case whereby

in teams of two solicitors, there is a given

fact scenario which teams are to appeal the

fictional judgment of. This requires the research

of relevant law which is formulated into a

submission and then delivered orally. Oral

presentations take the form of a conversation

between the solicitor and a judge, where the

judge may probe the case of each side with

questions. Submission may last up to 45 minutes,

after which each side will receive a critique of

their case in the form of a deliberation, with a

final judgment ruled on.

This year, we’ve altered the judging structure

so that although you compete in a team of two,

you are each scored individually. The individuals

with the highest scores will then progress to final

rounds.

Don’t forget! That we are holding another

Mooting Practical Workshop on Wednesday

August 28th at 12:30pm in the Law School

Boardroom. Our very own Robert Pelletier, who

will be judging the competition, will run this

session.

Paper Presentation:

The Paper Presentation Competition is the cutting

analysis of a legal topic. A silent competition,

Paper Presentation involves researching and

writing a legal essay of between three to five

thousand words and then presenting it before

a panel of judges. Competitors compete

individually and the papers may be written on any

legal topic. The aim of the presentation to assess

the competitors knowledge and engagement with

the subject matter and as such the panel may

ask questions to test the understanding of the

competitor on their chosen topic. Competitors

are assessed on both the essay and the delivery.

http://www.ndsls.org/competitions/


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Inaugural Social Justice Lecture


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Law and Politics: An Interview with Emily Dunn

With the federal election rapidly approaching

and the campaigns of all parties well and

truly underway it is an interesting time to

note what the politicians hopeful to keep

or gain their seats share in common. Across

party lines something is clearly noticeable,

a considerable number of politicians past

and present have had a legal background.

To name a few- John Howard, Julia Gillard,

Phillip Ruddock, Joe Hockey and Greens

MP Adam Bandt. The list goes on; in fact 12

out of 23 of Australia’s prime ministers had

been lawyers prior to their political pursuits.

What’s the connection? Is it that those in

law have a genuine interest in the public

sphere? Or possibly that the skills and

knowledge possessed by lawyers gears

them for success in politics? An answer to

this would require much more of an enquiry

than this article can provide but perhaps a

more interesting question that may ignite

some personal reflection is - have you ever

thought about entering politics?

If so, when? Maybe after a fruitful legal

career or maybe a bit sooner. Final year

Notre Dame Law student Emily Dunn has

started early and in the upcoming federal

election is a candidate contesting the seat

of Reid for the Democratic Labor Party. I

had the pleasure of meeting with her and

discussing how her legal education interacts

with her political aspirations. Here are her

insights.

By Sean D’almada-Remedios


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What drew you into politics?

My main drive was based on the fact that we

live in a democratic society where there is

nothing stopping anyone from participating

in the law making process to amend wrongs

and injustices. I wanted to be part of that

process.

Where those aspirations around before

you started studying law?

Yes. Studying law might have strengthened

them but it wasn’t a case of my experiences

at law school making me want to enter

politics.

What has your political involvement so

far been?

I have been involved with the DLP for some

time now. I contested a seat in the 2011

State election, and had also contributed to

policy development prior to that.

Has studying law helped?

Definitely, especially in regard to

communication skills. Writing or speaking

concisely in plain language that gets an

argument across is an important skill that

I have developed in my time at law school.

Also the ability to think quickly and respond

to questions on the fly is another skill that is

well developed by a legal education.

What will happen if you win your seat in

the election?

I am realistic in regards to the chances of

a minor party taking a seat when they are

up against the major parties who have

the resources to fund a full scale election

campaign. Our results are more important

in regards to preference distribution in their

effect on overall outcome. However, on the

optimistic side I’d still have time to finish

this semester and graduate before making

the move to Canberra.


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We would like to acknowledge the College of Law for being a loyal Notre Dame Law sponsor.

We thank them for their continuous support and their commitment to ensuring we have

access to be the best information when it comes to getting admitted to practice in NSW

and around Australia.

We encourage all of our penultimate and final year students to attend our second PLT

seminar which will take place later this semester. Find out more about the PLT programs

offered by the College of Law here.

Once again we thank the College of Law for being a sponsor in 2013 and we look forward

to building on this brilliant partnership into 2014 and beyond.

http://www.collaw.edu.au/shop/practical-legal-training%3Flocation%3D102


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I’m pleased to announce that we have a new addition to the

fortnightly Obiter - Student Profiles! The idea is to interview

a friend or colleague of yours studying Law at Notre Dame,

and send it in to us to include in the next edition! You can

send or ask these questions to anyone - a close friend, a

lecturer, or someone you’ve just met in class.

It’s a great way for all of us students to get to know each other

better and learn something new about the people we see

everyday. Anyone can submit a profile- you can use the set

of questions I have included in this edition as a framework

or add some fun/interesting questions of your own!

Student Profiles! Our newest segment


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Age: 19

Degree: Bachelor of Laws/Arts

(Major: Politics & International

Relations)

Current year of degree:

Second Year

What area of the law

interests you the most?

International law has always

fascinated me from a young

age. I think it is really interesting

to see its impact (or lack of)

on both the international and

domestic spectrum.

What do you enjoy most

about studying law?

I love studying law because

it impacts on every aspect

of our lives. From how we

conduct ourselves in public to

buying things from a shop –

it’s fascinating to see how the

law dictates so many things we

simply take for granted.


about Notre Dame?

The university’s ‘small town’

feel is definitely one of its

greatest assets. Here at ND,

I know my all lecturers on a

talking basis, which means

that their help and advice is so

accessible.

On top of that, the amazing

people I have befriended at

this uni means that I love

coming in everyday without

fail. The small class sizes mean

we all get to know each other,

which creates an awesome

support network. One of the

best things I’ve gotten out

of the uni so far is making

awesome friends who I know

will be mates for life.

What are your goals for the

future?

Admittedly, I hate this question

because I find it so hard to

answer!

By the end of my degree, I

honestly hope that I’m able

to work in an area of law that

I’m passionate about. I’m still

unsure of what that area is,

but I’m sure I’ll find out soon.

Favourite hobby outside of

uni

Naturally, I like arguing with

people so debating has been a

thing of mine for a while. Apart

from that I dabble in playing

guitar really badly and looking

up dog-breeds for a pet my

parents still won’t let me have.

Person you admire the most

It would have to be Miss

Caroline Michel for putting her

blood, sweat and tears into

getting this publication out

every fortnight. You go gurl.

Elyse Di Stefano


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Age: 19

Degree: Law/Arts (Politics &

International Relations)

Current year of degree:

Second Year

What area of the law

interests you the most?

So far, I’d have to say that

criminal law has been the most

interesting. I love reading

really old, bizarre cases and

seeing how our attitudes have

changed over the years.


about studying law?

Law really is the backbone

of our society - the more we

enquire into it, the better off

we all are. I also love learning

about the way that justice is

carried out so that some day I

can be part of that process in

some way. (Actually no, all of

that’s a lie. I really just want an

excuse to work obscure Latin

phrases into my vocabulary)


about Notre Dame?

What I love about Notre Dame

is, coincidentally, the thing I

was most concerned about

before coming here: the size.

I often call our uni a ‘small

town in the middle of the city’,

meaning we really get the

best of both here. It’s also

great that it’s so new- I look

forward to watching ND grow

and develop further over the

years.

What are your goals for the

future?

At the end of my degree, I hope

to have some idea of what I

would like to do with the rest

of my life (because right now

I have no clue)! But I know

that I’ll leave here with lifelong

friends and a great start to my

tertiary education. I aim to

keep on learning, more than

anything else.

Favourite hobby outside of

uni

As my major suggests, I’m a

bit of a politics nerd, so I’ve

been getting quite involved in

the ALP election campaign. I

also love to make and listen to

music of all sorts, and I dabble

in some intervarsity debating

here and there.

Person you admire the most

Julia Gillard (I’m sure you saw

that coming, but bear with

me). I’m in awe of her strength.

Regardless of whether we

agree or disagree with her

politics, she has gone where

no woman has gone before,

and has helped pave the way

for women in male-dominated

professions, reminding us we

are capable of anything.

Amber Wallace


16

YourSay

Recently, the WA Supreme Court ruled against Gina Rinehart in a case

involving Western Australian Newspapers and Journalists. Rinehart’s ‘failed

bid’ was to force a Perth journalist to reveal his confidential sources.

The decision has been described as positive for the journalism community,

by enacting ‘shield laws’ to protect journalism ethics of confidentiality.

Do you think that journalists should be legally protected from revealing

sources? Or does this allow corruption in journalism?

Have your say by submitting 100 words or less 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.

How to Contribute

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.

http://www.ndsls.org/publications/%23tab-your-say

http://www.ndsls.org/publications/

mailto:publications%40ndsls.org?subject=


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Australia, its affiliates or its employees do not necessarily endorse any facts or opinions contained within this publication.

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sponsors have been with us for many years and have made significant contributions to YOUR

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on how they can help you more.


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obiter, issue 2, semester 2, 2013

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