Postgraduate Research Guide

Judges, senior barristers and leading solicitors from around Australia provide input on an ongoing basis to ensure that the Notre Dame Law curriculum is of the highest quality and relevant to today’s legal profession. Many teaching staff have significant professional experience – as judges, barristers, solicitors or canon lawyers in Australia or overseas. The School’s research degrees are designed to provide an exceptional level of support which extends to the design and development of individual research topics to ensure that the results of each study make a substantial and original contribution to the body and knowledge of the law under investigation. HIGHER DEGREES BY RESEARCH: › Master of Laws (LLM) › Master of Philosophy › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) RESEARCH FOCUS Current research in the School of Law is extensive and includes the following: › administrative law; › civil litigation; › constitutional law; › consumer law; › corporate insolvency and restructuring; › corporate law; › criminal law; › energy, mining and resources; › ethics; › education law; › freedom of religion; › health law; › human rights; › intellectual property; › international and comparative law; › law of armed conflict; › legal philosophy; › liability for cyber-bullying; › property law; › social media and the law; › succession; › taxation; › torts; › under-representation of women at the highest levels of the legal profession; and › work health and safety law. Completing a research degree through Notre Dame’s School of Law offers unique access to supervisors who are experienced in their field and support by other staff within the School who are invested in academic achievement. INDEPENDENT REVIEW LEADS TO MAJOR LAW REFORM An independent statutory review which resulted in a major overhaul of Western Australia’s Construction Contracts Act 2004 has had a significant impact on the State’s law reform and public policy. The review, conducted by Professor Philip Evans from Notre Dame’s School of Law in Fremantle, contained 28 separate recommendations designed to ensure more efficient payment and contract administration practices in the WA construction industry. It assisted with the introduction of government initiatives designed to provide a means of investigating and disciplining registered building contractors who have engaged in unfair behaviour or systematic non- payment of subcontractors. A number of recommendations have been incorporated into an industry code of conduct, with the aim of actively weeding out bad behaviour on building sites, poor payment practices and anti- competitive behaviour. “This is an outstanding example of how academic lawyers can make a very big impact on law reform and public policy,” said Professor Joan Squelch, Dean of the School of Law, Fremantle. Postgraduate degrees by coursework are offered in Law. Please see the Postgraduate Coursework Guide for details. 34 Notre Dame Research Guide