Undergraduate Course Guide Fremantle 2020

27 APPLY DIRECT NOTREDAME.EDU.AU Even before they graduate Notre Dame Law students get a taste of real life courtroom experience, pitting their skills against top undergraduates from around the country. And they have notched up some impressive case histories. In October last year, Notre Dame claimed its fourth title in the annual Government Administrative Appeals Tribunal’s (AAT) National Mooting Competition . Law students Yasoda McGeary, Emily-May Roberts and Daniel Purdy competed in five rounds at local, state and national levels against teams from other law schools, debating hypothetical scenarios in administrative law. At the final round held in Hobart, Notre Dame competed against the University of Tasmania. Debate revolved around a GST dispute between the Australian Taxation Office and a large supermarket chain. “Making our case in the court room was only half the battle. Research and critical analysis of the different scenarios preceded every round and gave us the edge over the competitions,” says Emily-May. “Knowing the law isn’t enough, you need to bring a new approach to each case if you want to beat the other teams.” Notre Dame’s historic Justice Owen Courthouse was the scene of the 2018 Australian Red Cross International Humanitarian Law Moot where students were tasked with defending a fictional army commander alleged to have committed war crimes. In the setting of an international criminal tribunal, ten students in five teams took part in the Moot which demanded not only excellence in oral advocacy but also a firm understanding of the core principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Representing both the prosecution and defence, the teams presented written and oral arguments to the expert panel which included former WA Supreme Court Justice and former Judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia, the Honourable Kevin Parker, and Red Cross IHL WA Committee chair, Emily Camins. “This case was a test not only of their grasp of international law but of how they can bring critical and ethical thinking to the court room,” says Assistant Dean, Dr Lara Pratt. “Students got to use what they are learning in issues that international courts and lawyers are facing today and our experts were there to make sure they really knew their stuff.” Students also assist at Notre Dame’s Law Clinic which helps hundreds of people every year. > Discover more about our Law degree on page 62. Mooting excellence “Making our case in the court room was only half the battle. Research and critical analysis of the different scenarios preceded every round and gave us the edge over the competition.” “Combining Philosophy with Law built my ability to question and analyse, to delve beyond the surface. It developed both my critical thinking skills and myself as a person.”