Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 39, Number 14, 5 July 1976.

Law Conference... Flop

Law Conference... Flop

Recently Victoria University Law Faculty Club was Host to the New Zealand Law Students' Association Annual Conference. Part of the conference was a seminar entitled "The problem of Legal Education". The pamphlet advertising the conference stated that a "leading practitioner, an educationalist, plus a former gang member (now a social worker)" would address the seminar. Prior to the conference the President of the Law Faculty Club, Deidre Milne addressed law students in class on the wisdom of attending the seminar. The draw card was "the former gang member (now a social worker)" as this was continually emphasised.

Students arriving at the seminar expected also to meet fellow law student from all four law faculties in New Zealand. That was after all the intention of the conference. They were to be disappointed. A lone law student had arrived from Otago. None had come from Canterbury. Two law students had arrived from Auckland. Those two knew better however and were studying in the library.

The seminar commenced with 28 students from Victoria present and about 5 staff members. The most significant question raised during the seminar was made not by a law student but by the Dean of the Law Faculty Mr J. Thomas. He asked whether any student from any other centre had any questions to ask. Members of the executive of the Vic Law Faculty Club could not understand the significance of that question. If they had they would not have been amused. Any other New Zealand university club holding an annual conference and finding only one person from another university would realise something was wrong with the organisation. Not so for Law students. Other students should be sympathetic to law students lack of imagination and foresight.

The advertised "leading practitioner" was Dr Richardson who is a member of the University Council. Dr Richardson admitted to not knowing what method of teaching the Law Faculty was engated upon since he left the Faculty three years ago. As a member of the university council Dr Richardson should be more aware of what is going on in the university. Dr Richardson thought legal education should provide general information about the legal systems and also a total immersion in case law. During questions Dr Richardson eluciated an interesting comment to the effect that he found Magistrates courts in South Africa much fairer than Magistrates Courts in New Zealand.

Next speaker was an educationalist Dr Nicholls. He suggested that the development of Moral reasoning was important in legal education. Laws he suggested should be criticised and evaluated by people standing themselves outside these laws. During his address Dr Nicholls enunciated that "planets went round the earth". Obviously educationalists are not in tune with the rest of society who believe planets travel round the sun.

Next speaker was "the gang member (and now social worker)". This turned out to be Dennis O Reilly. Dennis would have done better by bringing some of his friends and having a rumble with Deidre and the executive of the Law Faculty Club. Dennis talked about lawyers being parasites feeding of an expensive joke called justice. He stated that the police realised that certain types of people were not interested in having a lawyer because of expense and consequently the police overstepped the law prosecuting and persecuting such luckless victims. Dennis's speech was the most interesting. No doubt because he is not an academic.

During questions Deidre Milne stated there was too much learning and not enough teaching of skills such as under-standing people.

Professor Palmer made his presence known, at the meeting. He has definite ideas of legal education in New Zealand. All of them borrowed from America. Law students wish he was still in America. Prof. Palmer might learn more about the real educational needs in New Zealand by talking to New Zealanders.

New Zealand Law Students Association Conference was a dismal failure. This was due in part to disinterest shown by law students. The real failure belonged to the Law Faculty Club, executive committee. Apart from one member, John McBride, the Law Faculty Club is the most reactionary student club on campus. When the executive was elected by law students at the beginning of the year the staff were jubliant, They were not fooled by the low calibre of the executive. The students who elected this committee were duped. Many things are wrong with the Law Faculty Department, but the Law Faculty Club are oblivious to the difficulties. The club has spent most of the year organising the New Zealand Law Students Association Conference at which only themselves turned up.

Who's in charge here? giggle!