Hello TFB readers! We are proud to share with you Issue 2 for 2009. WAR examines the legal ramifications of the actions of nations in conducting and preventing war. We examine the institutions put in place to prevent aggressive uses of force as well as the people behind some of the 20th century’s most horrendous atrocities. Not only is this edition an analysis of the possibility of a legal war, but it is also a call to the global justice movement.
To download your copy today, please click here (PDF).
A hard copy will be available at Markets Campus shortly.
Happy reading!
- Scott, Olivia and Erin.
Our first edition, ‘A New World Order’, is now available to be picked up around the Markets Campus at UTS. Our second edition, ‘War’, will be out very shortly! Thank you for your patience, and we hope you enjoy these editions.
In the meantime, we are now accepting submissions for our third edition, Law in Cyberspace. The expanding influence of the Internet in business and in our personal lives brings new challenges and problems with the regulation of online activity. Can the Internet be used as a tool for crimefighting? What are the recent trends in computer and Internet crimes? Should there be protections against the court from using personal information? And what are the free speech implications for the Federal Government’s proposed internet filter?
You can download a copy of our storyboard here. Alternatively, you can view the storyboard below, or on our Storyboard page.
Deadline: 6th September, 2009. Maximum word court: 1200 words.
To submit ideas, story submissions, or if you have any comments and questions email Scott Richardson at publications@utslss.com.
Edition #3 Storyboard: ‘Law in Cyberspace’
We are working towards a deadline of 6th September. If you want some time to think about it, you can download this storyboard here.
The new Internet Filter
Are there free speech implications for the Federal Government’s proposed internet filter? Or is it a case of if you are doing nothing wrong you have nothing to fear?
Links
- So Conroy’s internet filter won’t block political speech eh?
- Australia’s compulsory internet filter ‘costly and ineffective’
- The high price of internet filtering
Facebook on trial
A court recently used a police officers personal Facebook account as evidence against him. Should there be protections against the court using personal information in this way? Do social networking sites mean there can be legal consequences to what we do and say ‘privately’?
Links
Computer crime
Computer crimes go well beyond hacking. What are the recent trends in computer/internet crimes? And what should and is being done to stop it?
Links
- Computer Crime Trends (Aust Institute of Criminology)
- Child Porn possession offences (Aust Institute of Criminology)
- Responding to online child sexual grooming: An industry perspective
Internet: The new crime fighter?
Links
If you are interested in contributing, contact us at publications@utslss.com to submit your own story ideas or make a submission. Don’t forget to include your name, contact phone number and email address.
First of all, we here at The Full Bench would like to apologise for the delay in printing the first edition for 2009. However, you’ll be happy to know that the first edition will be available in time for the exam period!
In the meantime, the issue is now available for download for your viewing pleasure. In order to download the edition, please click here (PDF).
Good luck with the upcoming exams!
- TFB (Scott, Olivia, Chris and Erin)
Thanks to the many eager legal eagles who have contacted The Full Bench, the stories we had planned for this edition have already been taken. However, our storyboard is not an exclusive list. If you have another idea for our second edition, drop us a line on Facebook or via email at publications@utslss.com.
We are also searching for looking for advocates for our new section in The Full Bench called The Jury. The Jury is a place where law students can brush up on their advocacy skills and do what they do best: argue. Each issue, we will focus on a topical legal issue, with two students arguing for the prosecution and the defense. If you would like to be the next Alan Shore, email us with your name, email address and a contact phone number.
Just a reminder, the theme for our next issue is War: the 20th century was one of the blood thirstiest one in history. It was also the one that saw the dramatic development of international laws on war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. How successful is international law in stopping crimes in war? Is it possible to have a ‘legal’ war? Does the veto power in the Security Council stifle proper action by the UN? What new laws and sanctions should we be seeing in the 21st century? What is the future role of the International Criminal Court?
Deadline: 17th May, word length: max 1200 words.
To submit ideas, story submissions, or if you have any questions email Scott Richardson at publications@utslss.com.
The theme for our second issue is War. Although a storyboard will be available within the week, if you have any ideas or questions in the meantime, feel free to leave a comment or email us at publications@utslss.com. Don’t forget to include your name, email and a contact number.
We are working towards a deadline of the 17th May, 2009. Again, the word limit for each article will be 1200 words max.
The Full Bench’s first edition, A New World Order, is currently being completed and will be available in print form within the fortnight. Keep checking our blog for updates as to where you can pick up a copy. Alternatively, you can remain in the loop by following us on Facebook.
Happy writing!
The Full Bench has extended the deadline for its first issue to the 12th April, 2009 (Easter Sunday).
This is an additional two weeks to work on your stories for our first issue, A New World Order. If you are interested in contributing, it’s not too late. Email Scott Richardson at publications@utslss.com if you wish to take one or more of the stories on our storyboard, or if you have an idea of your own. Don’t forget to include your name, email address and a contact number.
Welcome to the new blog for The Full Bench, the law journal of The University of Technology, Sydney (UTS). (For more on TFB, click on the About Us tab above).
The Full Bench blog will be your go-to place for news/updates/events and storyboards, and we may also publish the finished articles here too, pending further arrangements. To stay in the loop, subscribe to our RSS feed (this icon 
at the far right of your address bar).
Your Editor in Chief for 2009 is Scott Richardson, supported by an editorial triumvirate of Erin Eagles, Chris Paver and Olivia McDowell. We are all 5th-year Journalism/Law students at UTS, and we look forward to working with all you talented writers and lawyers throughout the year. For more info, click on the Meet The Team tab.
If you have any comments, requests or suggestions, feel free to comment on any of the blog postings, or click on the Contact Us tab for other avenues of communication (email, facebook, etc.)
May your minds be sharp and your pens sharper,
– TFB (Scott, Erin, Chris and Olivia)
The theme for this issue is A New World Order: With a new American President, new personnel on the High Court, and a shockingly new global economic landscape, are we witnessing the start of a New World Order? You can download a copy of the storyboard here, or keep an eye on the blog for updates and user comments.
If you are interested in contributing, wish to submit your own story idea, or you have any questions or suggestions, please email our editor Scott Richardson via publications@utslss.com and don’t forget to include your name, email and contact number.
We are working towards a deadline for the first issue of 31 March 2009 12 April 2009. The word limit for each article is 1200 words max.
President Obama
The world seems to have shifted on its axis since the election of President Barack Obama, but what is the significance to the American legal system? Is this truly the end of Guantánamo Bay, rendition and torture? How many Supreme Court appointments will Obama be able to make (as well as on the lower-profile but still important Federal Court circuit), and who will he choose?
Links
- Geoffrey Robertson on ‘the fate of liberal jurisprudence’ under President Obama.
- Ten picks for Obama’s potential Supreme Court appointments — Justin Jouvenal for Salon.com.
- ‘Obama wants US trials for Gitmo detainees’ — Obama and torture/Guantánamo Bay.
- ‘The legal minefield awaiting Team Obama’ — Richard Ackland on the Obama Administration and the US Constitution.
The Legacy of Justice Michael Kirby
Former Justice Michael Kirby has left the High Court. How will history record his place in Australian legal history? What were the highs and lows, the controversies, the debates and, of course, the great dissents?
Links
- High Court Biography.
- “The plot to destroy Michael Kirby”.
- Australian Law Reform Commission expresses deep gratitude.
The High Court in 2009
Three of the last four appointments to the High Court have been women, and this is the first time that three female judges will sit on the bench: Virginia Bell, Susan Crennan and Susan Kiefel. What does the new-look High Court — with the recent appointment of Justice Virginia Bell and new Chief Justice Robert French — mean for the balance of the court? What will be the important constitutional questions of 2009?
Links
- ‘On a roll: From barrel girl to High Court judge’ — Justice Virginia Bell.
- ‘New chief justice Robert Bell a straight choice’ — The Australian.
Kevin ‘09: What next?
While much of the media attention is focused on the economy and nice little cash-in-pocket handouts, what is happening to the promised law reform regarding Freedom of Information and whistleblowers? And will we see a departure from the hardline approach to national security laws as typified by the Howard years?
Links
- ‘Look to US for guidance on changes’ — FoI law reform, smh.com.au.
- ‘Kessing drops bargain plea for High Court challenge’ and ‘Kessing’s case highlights the media ethics’ — Legal protection for whistleblowers?
- Comprehensive response to National Security Legislation Reviews — from The Attorney-General’s Office.
What does the financial crisis mean for lawyers?
Are lawyers to blame for this global ‘econoclasm’? And faced with a recession, what will become of the stereotypically over-priced, overpaid lawyer? With major companies going bust, are we going to see more litigation, or will the penny-pinching and belt-tightening also mean a reining-in of litigation spending?
Links
- ‘How the fat cats made the quick lawyers jump’ – Richard Ackland.
- ‘Are lawyers to blame for the global financial crisis?’.
- Financial crisis, legal boom — Why corporate crashes are a ‘major litigation event’, Forbes.com.
Facebook
