Our mission and objectives

School mission

The School’s mission flows from Notre Dame’s Objects, which are:

1. the provision of university education, within a context of Catholic faith and values; and
2. the provision of an excellent standard of -
   
   i. teaching, scholarship and research
   ii. training for the professions; and
   iii. pastoral care for its students.

Our mission is

• A Catholic approach to teaching law: providing opportunities for faith, the virtues and reason to be openly discussed

  The School welcomes people of all religious faiths and of none, together with people from all backgrounds and worldviews. It has a particular commitment to:

  • the rule of law
  • the relationship between the law and moral issues
  • ethics and legal philosophy, and
  • the Catholic intellectual tradition which requires natural law, social justice, ethics and professional responsibility, and community service to be factored into the study of law.

  The School has embedded ethics through all its programs because it aims to assist students to be analytical, critical and reflective thinkers, and to provide students with the skills to make informed ethical decisions in life and in the work force whether they become lawyers, politicians or judges or pursue any other career. The School encourages its students to engage with the community and to participate in community projects for the common good.

• A School which provides an excellent standard of teaching

  In keeping with the priority the University gives to teaching excellence, the School aims to deliver high quality teaching through the appointment of well-qualified and experienced teachers with the support of qualified lawyers and judges already working in the communities served by the School. The School is also committed to engaging students in interactive and participatory classes, with a strong focus on developing both legal knowledge and skills, and professional skills.

• A School which provides an excellent standard of training for the legal profession

  At Notre Dame students can really “Learn the Law from Lawyers”. Many of the School’s academic staff teaching law courses have been or remain practising solicitors or barristers or have worked as lawyers for governments, corporate or religious or charitable organisations in Australia or overseas. The School’s academic staff bring their personal experiences into their teaching of the law – to bring the law to life. The law courses have a particular focus on the Priestley 11 (the basic building blocks of the law) and practical areas such as Advocacy, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Commercial Practice and Ethics. The School aims to go beyond the theoretical and the academic, so that it engages students in the practical. The School provides mentoring and externship opportunities for its students and hosts events such as the Eminent Speakers Series, the Michael O’Dea Oration, the David Malcolm Memorial Lecture and the Annual Lecture and Conference on Religious Liberty. All of these bring eminent lawyers, judges and members of the legal profession to the School and into regular contact with our students.

• A School which provides an excellent standard of scholarship and research

  The School encourages and supports its academic staff and students to engage in scholarship and research, and to present their research findings at national and international conferences, leading to peer-reviewed publications.

• A School which provides an excellent standard of pastoral care for its students and staff

  At Notre Dame each student is an individual – not a number. The School provides a high standard of pastoral care to its students. The Head of School, Deputy Heads of School, Program Coordinators, Course Coordinators and Campus Student Advisers are all available to provide Access and Inclusion support, academic enablement, as well as general and Chaplaincy counselling. The School also aims to provide an excellent standard of care to its staff through their interaction with the Head of School, Deputy Heads of School and through their access, on a completely confidential basis, to the University’s Employee Assistance Program