Welcome from the Dean

As the Dean of the Law School of the University of Sydney, I am fortunate to have an opportunity to build upon the strengths of this 150 year old institution and to develop a research and teaching programme for 21st century needs. The Law School is at a vital stage in its development. In February 2009, we moved to a new building at the Camperdown campus that has been designed for legal education and research, with sophisticated moot court facilities, technical teaching support and a world class library. I am confident that the new building will ensure a rewarding university experience for our students, most of whom combine their studies in law with other scholarly disciplines. The vastly improved teaching spaces will also stimulate a rich lecture and seminar progam ensuring that the ‘Sydney choices’ in tertiary education meet the highest international standards.

We know that bricks and mortar do not make a law school. The special strengths of the Sydney Law School are its high calibre student community, world class legal research and the integration of the legal profession in its activities. It will be important to ensure that all those lawyers who have taught the curriculum, participated in postgraduate courses and supported our activities will remain committed to the Law School over the coming years.

It seems there has never been a greater demand for legal advice and innovative approaches to problem solving than today. A degree in law will provide the analytical tools to respond to contemporary legal problems as a barrister or solicitor and in the many varied ways in which legal skills are valuable. Indeed, over 50% of law graduates do not practice as barristers and solicitors. Rather they are engaged as corporate counsel, government policy advisors, teachers, business executives, novelists, journalists and artists. A law degree develops skills of analysis, research, writing and advocacy and prepares our students for work in the increasingly globalised environment for legal services.

One of the vital assets of those trained in the law is the ability to adjust to contemporary issues. The challenges posed by global warming require creative legal solutions; Australian trade measures must comply with the rules of the WTO and international trade agreements; intellectual property rights need protection within Australia and globally; the jurisdictional reach of criminal laws extend to the acts of Australian armed forces overseas and also to the international activities of directors of Australian corporations. Lawyers need specialist legal training to respond to these demands. Underscoring the importance of international legal skills is the recent report by the International Legal Services Advisory Council to the Commonwealth Attorney General that 16 % of legal export earnings are provided by the overseas offices of Australian law firms; a figure that will probably rise. It is also likely that this trend will continue.

We know that Australian trained lawyers are highly regarded in North America and the United Kingdom. I have already welcomed overseas law firms seeking recruits from the Sydney Law School. The Law School staff is committed to ensuring that our students are fully prepared for a highly competitive international and transnational legal environment. My task is to facilitate their efforts and to ensure that the tradition of scholarship and teaching is maintained and developed to respond to contemporary needs.

I have an ‘open door’ policy and look forward to hearing your ideas for the development of the Sydney Law School.

Professor Gillian Triggs
Dean, Sydney Law School