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Indigenous Law Bulletin

Indigenous Law Bulletin
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Gibson, Melodie-Jane --- "What it's Like: UNSW Pre - law 2001" [2001] IndigLawB 4; (2001) 5(5) Indigenous Law Bulletin 22

What it’s like: UNSW Pre-law 2001

By Melodie-Jane Gibson

From January 8th to February 1st 2001, the Indigenous Pre-law Program ran for its seventh year at the University of New South Wales. Since its inception in 1995 more than 100 participants have completed the program. The aim of the program is to help indigenous people have an understanding of what it is like to study law. Its continuing success lies with the support of the UNSW Law Faculty especially the Program Co-coordinator Phyllis Lee, nicknamed ‘Mighty Mouse’ for her enthusiasm. It was clear from the outset that Phyllis knew how to get her students motivated and to prepare them for the big haul. Phyllis’s own commitment made a huge contribution to our ability to believe that five years of intense studies, while not easy, is not impossible if you do your readings.

We were initially welcomed to the program by law academics and staff from the Aboriginal Education Program. It was also the first day I was to meet my new found friends, people like me who wanted to study law. Altogether there were seventeen students from across Australia, from places as diverse as Byron Bay (New South Wales), Malak (Darwin), Salisbury (Adelaide) and Yungaburra (North Queensland). With welcomes over we were immediately whisked away to a class taught by Dr Stephen Hall (UNSW) and introduced to the history of English law, and the idea that natural law is the basis of our legal system.

The first two weeks were taken up with the subject of Legal Processes and Legal Technique. Christopher Enright (Australian Catholic University), who has published many books on the subject including our guide, Studying Law, was our teacher. For most of us, this was the first time we’d experienced academic learning and these classes provided a serious lesson in how to study the law. It was like learning to read and write all over again. The first two weeks finished with a two and a half hour exam.

In the third and fourth weeks we studied Criminal Law, Indigenous Legal Issues and Academic Skills. Criminal Law was the most interesting of all subjects. Our teacher Chuan Ng (Police Prosecutor) explained that by the end of the course we would have a sound understanding of how the criminal justice system operates. Considering the majority of us had already experienced the system some time in our lives, being exposed to the legal principles proved much more interesting. We studied the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and how to apply facts to law when dealing with problem questions. This subject was more practical than the previous ones and everyone in the class did better in this exam than any other.

Professor Garth Nettheim was our lecturer for Indigenous Legal Issues but not the only speaker. There were three special guests, Jason Behrendt (native title solicitor), Terri Janke and Robynne Quiggin (intellectual property solicitors), all of whom are Indigenous solicitors in private practice in Sydney. Their personal experiences as students were inspiring as were their lessons in their area of law. The last day of Indigenous Legal Issues posed questions closer to our own experience, where the principles of native title shifted to intellectual and cultural property. We were required to think beyond the current law and look at how Indigenous concerns might be met to achieve fuller protection of cultural and spiritual rights.

The program was generously supported by many talented people, including members of the Law Society of NSW, Young Lawyers Association, NSW Bar Association, UNSW Law Students Society and especially Phyllis Lee, Paula Dewis (Aboriginal Education Program, UNSW) and Professor Paul Redmond (Dean of Law School, UNSW).

The introduction to legal education and the practice of law provided by the Pre-law Program was challenging, quick paced and required a high level of energy to get through. The students that completed this course have the potential to become solicitors, barristers and maybe high court judges.

Some might say you are either made for law or you’re not. This was an issue I did struggle with but with programs such as this one there is no doubt that Indigenous people in Australia will continue to study law and become influential leaders in our community and country.

Melodie-Jane Gibson, works at the Indigenous Law Bulletin and is currently studying in her first year of a Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Laws at the University of New South Wales.


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