Griffith University Law School
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The Griffith University Law School teaches undergraduate degrees in law, as well as provides postgraduate courses and a Practical Legal Training (PLT) course. It was opened in 1992 and is spread across three of the five Griffith University campuses.
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[edit] Prestige
The law school achieved five-star rating for educational experience: graduate satisfaction in the "Good Universities Guide", both in 2005 and 2006, and was ranked Australia's leading public university law school in 2006. However, it has not achieved five-star ratings in the student demand, staff qualifications, getting a job or positive graduate outcomes ratings.
[edit] Courses and programs
The law school at Griffith University provides an interdisciplinary legal education, offering undergraduate combined degree programs taught from the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses, and postgraduate and professional programs taught from the Legal Practice Centre located at the South Bank campus. It is noted for its culture of leftist social justice and boasts Australia's most diverse range of clinical opportunities, with ballot-entry electives such as the Griffith University Innocence Project and Semester-In-Practice ensuring that some students graduate with a host of practical legal skills and real-world work experience under their belts.
[edit] Staff
Professor Rob McQueen is currently the Dean of the Law School [1]. Previous Deans include Justin Malbon, Rosemary Hunter, John Dewar and Sandra Berns. It's understood that Dr William MacNeil is a key "numbers man" when it comes to securing votes for the prestigious position. Another strong influence is Katherine Van Doore, who is known as the ‘first year life saver’ when it comes to Legal Theory and Contracts; Ms Van Doore is an absolute asset to the faculty, as are all of the Law School academics.
The law school at Griffith University is overall rather left wing, with personalities such as Sandra Berns (a feminist) [2], Rosemary Hunter (feminist)[3], Zoe Rathus (feminist)[4], Roshan de Silva Wijeyeratne (Law and Postcolonial Studies)[5], Phillip Falk (Aboriginal rights activist), Geoff Airo-Farulla (a former anarchist)[6], Phillipa England (environmentalist)[7]and others influencing the overall political leanings of the faculty.
[edit] Left bias?
The political leanings of staff have lead to critics alleging bias with regards to what is taught at the law school.
[edit] Left wing subjects
Critics argue that throughout the law degree, students are taught left wing theories such as Hegel, Marxist theory, feminism and postmodernism whilst advocates of private property and individual freedom such as Adam Smith, Friedrich von Hayek Ayn Rand and Australia's very own Keith Windshuttle are never discussed. However, Dr John Touchie is a world renowned authority on Hayek, see J Touchie "Hayek and Human Rights: Foundations for a minimalist approach to law" (Edward Elgar, UK 2005).
[edit] Mabo and Terra Nulluis
Critics also claim that lecturers in Property Law criticise the High Court's decision in Mabo as having been too conservative, even though the decision was a departure from Australian precedent and generally considered by most observers to be progressive. The doctrine of terra nullius is also assumed to be the justification for the invasion of Australia by the British, in spite of recent authors arguing that terra nullius was a legal fiction created by the left in the mid-20th century[8].
[edit] Support and favours for Di Fingleton
In Floodgates 2004, Rosemary Hunter wrote that she was saddened to hear about the imprisonment of former Queensland Chief Magistrate and affirmative action appointee[9] [10]Diane Fingleton for the intimidation of a witness. Upon her release, her comrades at the law school arranged for her to be given a job at the law school, where she worked for a year. Fingleton’s conviction was later quashed by the High Court [11] [12].
[edit] Linda Lavarch
Further evidence of left bias in the Griffith law school occurred when Dr Elena Marchetti of the law school defended disgraced Queensland Labor Attorney-General Linda Lavarch for refusing an offer by Dr Jayant Patel's lawyers for him to arrive in Australia voluntarily to face charges of manslaughter. Lavarch's decision was contrary to the advice of the Queensland Department of Public Prosecutions and was made when the 2006 Queensland elections were imminent.
In an interview with The Courier Mail, Marchetti argued that Lavarch was correct in declining the offer, since Dr Patel would have been able to return to the Unites States between court appearances, and hence may have been able to escape proceedings by fleeing to another country. In actuality, Dr Patel would have had to submit his passport to the Unites States authorities upon his return to that country, and hence would have been unable to leave the United States, save for arriving in Australia to face trial[13].
The Beattie Labor government was comfortably returned to power after the offer was declined, but before knowledge of the offer became public. Lavarch resigned from the position of Attorney-General less than a week after the scandal broke out, alleging that she was suffering from depression. Dr Patel has still not been extradited to face the charges of manslaughter in Queensland.
[edit] Griffith University Law Society
Suzannah De'Juliet is the President of the Griffith University Law Society (GULS)[14], a group of law students that organises social events, competitions, career events, mentorship programs and informative publications for law students at Griffith University. The social events include balls and pub crawls, whilst competitions usually consist of moots, witness examinations, client interviewing and negotiations, all of which help develop the skills of students before they enter practice.
The Student Law Association (SLA) performs similar functions on the Gold Coast campus, to support students at that location.
[edit] External links
[[Category: List of law schools in Australia]]
