There’s more to becoming a global legal professional than what you learn in the classroom, which is precisely the reason the Bond Law EDGE extracurricular seminar series has proven so popular with students.
Professor Nick James, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law said the topical and informative guest lectures which were introduced last year looked set to become a fixture on Bond’s legal calendar in 2016.
“We realised there was a lot interesting material we’d like to teach our students, but it just didn’t fit in our curriculum,” Professor James said.
“The EDGE provides a great opportunity for our law students to engage and interact with staff and industry experts, outside of class, on current real-world topics that are thought-provoking and relevant.
“It offers our students that little extra edge to help ensure a smooth transition from university to work as a global legal professional in the 21st century.”
The series, which is free to attend and open to all Bond students and staff, features a guest speaker or panel of speakers – including legal practitioners, residents and visiting academic experts – followed by a Q&A session and interactive discussion.
Previous EDGE topics have included law student resilience, the impact of new technologies on legal practice, and ‘how to eat, dress and play like a lawyer’.
Zeina Abu-Meita is a second year Juris Doctor (JD) student from Alberta, Canada. She was a regular attendee of the 2015 seminars and said they encouraged her to focus on the bigger picture.
“The EDGE series helped me to look, think and act like a lawyer in the real world and most importantly focus on my long-term career,” she said.
“The sessions got me thinking about my future in law in a different way, for example what role will technology play and how can I stay ahead of the curve?
“I could really relate to the session on resilience and mental health last semester too. It helped me understand it’s normal to feel pressure being in such a competitive environment and it’s also normal to sometimes feel exhausted.
“Most importantly I came out of that seminar feeling a sense of relief that Bond has people I can talk to and free services here on campus that can help me.”
The first EDGE Seminar of 2016 will be on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex Queer (LGBTIQ) diversity in law schools and legal practice, and will be held on Monday 8 February 2016, from 5.30pm to 6.30pm in Case Study 2 of Building 4.
The Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Brenda Marshall, together with a panel of practitioners, students, and academics, will engage in a conversation about the perspectives and experiences of LGBTIQ law students, lawyers, clients and colleagues. The panellists will include Matt Knoetze - President, Bond Pride Alliance; Derek Cronin – Founder, Cronin Litigation; Lara Sveinsson - Special Interest Director, Bond University Student Association; and Clinical Associate Professor Libby Taylor - Associate Dean (Student Affairs and Service Quality).
“A legal professional must be aware of, and sympathetic to, the full diversity of perspectives and experiences that co-exist within our profession and our community,” Professor James said.
“This first EDGE seminar for 2016 will provide the perfect forum for Bond law students to share their experiences, learn from others, and continue the conversation that began with Dr The Hon. Michael Kirby’s visit to Bond in 2015.”