Over 200 people came together to recognise the achievements of Bond University’s newest Canadian Law graduates at celebrations held recently in Toronto and Vancouver.
Bond University consistently ranks as one of Australia’s leading universities in independent reviews, and its Law school is rated as one of the best in the country, and #1 for overall student satisfaction*.
Bond University’s Dean of Law, Professor Geraldine Mackenzie, said the events provided the perfect opportunity for the families and friends of the University’s newest Law graduates, as well as the broader Canadian Bond Community, to join in the celebrations.
“Graduating with a degree in Law is a major achievement and momentous occasion for any young scholar, but often for international students, their families and loved ones are unable to attend the official graduation event in Australia,” Professor Mackenzie said.
“So what Bond decided to do was to take the celebrations to our students - by hosting graduation celebrations for the families and friends of our Canadian Law graduates much closer to home, in Vancouver and Toronto.
“We also invited along our Canadian Bond Law graduates from previous years, and some prospective future students, to join in the celebrations,” she said.
“It’s these alumni who often take on the role of mentor to both students and recent graduates, so the nights provide the perfect opportunity to network, identify career opportunities, recruit new talent and swap stories with fellow Bondies.
“Bond University has internships and placement opportunities with a number of law firms and organisations in Canada and has Law graduates working, and networking, throughout Canada and in fact all over the world.”
Bond University offers a trimester schedule meaning students complete their Juris Doctor (JD) in just two years – a full year earlier than at other universities. The small class sizes ensure all students are encouraged to participate and have direct and regular access to their teachers, who are leading experts in Law.
In March 2013, The Honourable Justice Gordon Campbell from Prince Edward Island presented to the students and staff at Bond University’s Faculty of Law on ‘The Importance of Judicial Independence in the Legal System’; an event which was very well received by all students, not just Bond’s Canadian cohorts.
As part of its Juris Doctor (JD) program, Bond Law offers all four of the Canadian law subjects required by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) for foreign trained lawyers as electives - Foundations of Canadian Law, Canadian Constitutional Law, Canadian Administrative Law and Canadian Criminal Law.
Each semester, Canadian Law Orientation sessions and Homeward Bound sessions are held on campus to help orientate Bond’s Canadian students and provide them with a better understanding of what they need to be thinking of before returning home.
Bond Law is internationally recognised for its ‘legal skills focused’ program, and its state-of-the-art Moot Court facilities provide students with ample opportunity to practise what they learn in the classroom.
In the International mooting arena, Bond had a phenomenal win at the 2013 Beijing Foreign Studies University Intellectual Property Law Moot and made it to the semi-finals in both the Philip C Jessup International Law Moot and the Willem C. Vis (East) International Commercial Arbitration Moot.
Bond also placed Second Runner Up at the International Criminal Court Trial Competition in the Hague.
Recent Bond Law graduate, Basil Bansal said he’d already put the skills learned during his Law Degree to use.
“I gained many useful legal skills during my Law Degree at Bond, including mooting, negotiation and client interviewing, and have already had the chance to apply some of these since I started as a Law Clerk at Martin G. Schulz & Associates in Edmonton,” Basil said.
“The staff at Bond make themselves available to assist students outside the classroom and the small tutorial sessions encourage and allow students to speak out and understand the material better.
“The university has great facilities on campus that really enhanced my learning experience and offers a broad range of extra curricular activities and opportunities too.”
Bond’s accelerated program, which runs three semesters a year, allowed Basil to finish his JD in two years, with the electives in Canadian Law equipping him to return to Canada and practice here straightaway.
“I decided to return to Canada for family and because an employment opportunity presented itself, however I've made many lifelong friends at Bond from Australia and around the world who I know I will keep in touch with,” Basil said.
“I can say without any hesitation that studying Law at Bond was a great decision that I wouldn't trade for anything.”
Professor Mackenzie said each and every one of the Canadian graduates had enriched the Bond Law community.
“We were very fortunate to have them, and they are now part of the Bond family of many different nationalities and cultures from all over the world,” she said.
“There is a special bond that exists between Australians and Canadians, and we are thrilled to be able to broaden our Canadian Bond Community to include these new graduates, their family and friends, and some soon-to-be Bondies too.”
* Earlier this month, a survey published by Survive Law, Australia’s leading community of law students online, ranked Bond Law #1 in overall student satisfaction. Bond outperformed the other Australian universities to take the #1 spot for study experience, career support and student wellbeing; the #2 spot for campus life; and #3 for quality of teaching