Young legal eagles flock to USQ

Debbie Perrett, Dr Marie Kavanagh, Dr Michael White QC and Dr Noleen McNamara

Senior school students from around the region converged on USQ Springfield campus this month (March) for the 2010 Legal Studies Conference.

Organised by the Bundamba State Secondary College in collaboration with USQ Law lecturers Dr Noeleen McNamara and Associate Professor Anthony Gray, the annual event provided Year 12 Legal Studies students from school in Brisbane’s West and Ipswich with the opportunity to hear from a range of legal experts.

Dr McNamara said the conference, now in its 15th year, was a chance to show students how the topics they had covered in class related to the real world of Law.

'One of the great things about having legal studies in schools is the lessons are designed to be very practical, so the students can learn about how our criminal justice system works,' Dr McNamara said. The co-organiser of the conference is also in the photo, Mrs Debbie Perrett of Bundamba Secondary College, then Assoc Prof Marie Kavanagh, then Dr Michael White QC then me (Dr Noeleen McNamara).

'This year the students heard from keynote speaker Dr Michael White QC.

'Dr White had a distinguished career beginning in the Royal Australian Navy where he served as a seaman officer in various establishments, ships and submarines for about ten years in Asian, Pacific and European waters.

'He resigned as a Lieutenant-Commander in 1969 to study law and has since obtained degrees in Commerce and in Law and was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy in Law with his research thesis on the conventions and laws of marine pollution from ships.

'He was admitted and practised as a barrister from 1974 and made Queen’s Counsel in 1988 and became a legal academic in 1999 until retiring from full-time academia in 2004. Dr White is now an Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Marine Studies and also the Law School at the University of Queensland.

'He has written numerous books on law and history and through his wide experience was able to give our students some unique perspectives of the Law.'

Dr McNamara said the University was proud to host the conference for the third time this year.

'It was a wonderful opportunity for us to work with the region’s schools and meet with students who had an interest in legal studies. We hope to meet some of them again over the coming years if they decide to follow a career in Law.

Bundamba State Secondary College conference coordinator Debbie Perrett said the aim of the day was to provide participants with information to enhance their understanding of Legal Studies.

'This is achieved by students attending a variety of workshops on topics relating to their current studies,'' Mrs Perrett said.

'It was fantastic that such a wealth of knowledge could be provided from speakers who are involved in the legal profession.'

The students heard from representatives of USQ Law, the University of Queensland, IDEALAW and First National Real Estate.

Another Legal Studies Conference for Year 11 students will take place on 14 May.

Contact Details:
Jo-Ann Sparrow, USQ Media, +61 7 3470 4119 or 0438 309 096