Postgraduate Prize Ceremony Acknowledges Top Law Students
The top postgraduate students studying law in Melbourne as part of Monash Law’s graduating class of 2023 have been acknowledged at the Postgraduate Prize Ceremony.
Joshua Finn was presented with the Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student prize at the ceremony held at Monash University Law Chambers on Wednesday 16 May 2024.
Law Faculty Interim Dean, Professor Marilyn Pittard with winner of the Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student prize, Joshua Finn and Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC.
Higher Degree Research was also recognised on the night with Dr Neerav Srivastava winning the prize for Best Research Publication.
Monash Law alumnus and prize donor Mark Hayes with Best Research Publication winner, Dr Neerav Srivastava and Emeritus Professor HP Lee.
Occasional address presented by Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC
The Postgraduate Prize Ceremony was an opportunity to recognise and hear from an inspiring alumna in special guest Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC who delivered the occasional address.
Director of Monash Law’s Juris Doctor course, Associate Professor Eric Windholz expressed the Faculty’s gratitude to the organisations and individuals who generously support our high achievers with financial rewards that accompany these prizes.
“We hope that tonight's ceremony provides an opportunity to showcase some of the Faculty's finest talent and to inspire all of our students to pursue their academic goals with dedication and passion,” said Assoc Prof Windholz.
Interim Dean of Law, Professor Marilyn Pittard introducing guest speaker Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC.
Interim Dean of Law, Professor Marilyn Pittard also congratulated the roomful of high achieving legal innovators, impactful researchers and inspirational leaders of our future. She reminded them that each of their career journeys will be a singular experience as she introduced the special guest speaker.
“Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC is a distinguished Monash Law alumna. She started her professional career as a researcher in Pure Mathematics, then ran a bookshop for eight years. In her 30s she returned to study to complete an LLB, became a member of the Victorian Bar in 1989 and took silk in 2003,” explained Professor Pittard.
Dr Hanscombe KC is a Law alumna of Monash University (LLB(Hons) 1989) and has a broad administrative law, commercial and equity practice, and a particular interest in engineering and scientific matters.
Dr Kristine Hanscombe KC presenting the keynote address at the Postgraduate Prize ceremony.
“If you keep your mind open to new possibilities, you will find that unexpected things which cross your path pretty well all the time may be of real utility,” urged Dr Hanscombe.
“I began my professional life with a firm view of myself as a theoretical physicist, committed to the mathematics of quantum mechanics. But I turned out to be a barrister.”
“My experience has been that my legal skills have integrated well with my previous scientific life,” reflected Dr Hanscombe.
In a stirring speech, Dr Hanscombe aligned her experience of career change through postgraduate studies with the Postgraduate Prize winners.
“Overlaps in knowledge and training happen much more often than you might expect. And that’s likely to be especially true for you, who by definition already have another professional degree in your kitbag,” encouraged Dr Hanscombe.
“Each of us here has been nourished by Monash; we share that, whether we are prize-winners today, or friends or family members who have seen our particular prize-winner flower, or faculty who’ve nurtured them. I hope that what each of you has gained from your time here will continue to nourish you, and I wish each and every one of you a fulfilling and exciting time ahead.”
As Dr Hanscombe’s speech concluded, the presentation of the Postgraduate Prizes began.
Best Juris Doctor Student awarded to Joshua Finn
Joshua Finn was presented with the Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student prize.
Prior to studying law, Mr Finn worked in policy after studying Arts and majoring in political science and English literature. At Monash University, Joshua pursued interests in constitutional, international, human rights and mental health law. He also tutored students through the William Cooper Institute, and provided support as a teaching associate for the Master of Mental Health Science.
With Monash Law’s Clinical Legal Education program Mr Finn participated in an in-house clinic and worked with the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law. On behalf of the Castan Centre and Mental Health Victoria, Joshua wrote The Human Rights Roadmap: 40 ways to operationalise human rights in Victoria’s mental health and well-being system.
“Human rights has a language that is deeply humanising. It can help us better articulate the rights and interests of people with mental health challenges: the right to liberty helps to explain the disempowerment of compulsory care; right to privacy helps to explain its intrusiveness; rights to employment and housing explain some of the perverse consequences,” explained Mr Finn.
“I think the practice of thinking and talking about human rights can help to cultivate decision-making skills that better deal with the complexity of human diversity,” said Mr Finn.
The Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student was awarded to Joshua Finn.
Best Research Publication awarded to Dr Neerav Srivastava
Higher Degree Research achievements were also acknowledged at the Postgraduate Prize ceremony with Dr Neerav Srivastava winning the prize for Best Research Publication.
The Emeritus Professor HP Lee Students’ Publication Prizes are made possible by a group of alumni including Mark Hayes, Robyn Campbell, Katherine Sampson and Jane Hodder. The prize is named in honour of Emeritus Professor HP Lee who commenced his academic career as a Teaching Fellow at Monash University in 1973. He held the Sir John Latham Chair of Law and was also Deputy Dean in the Law Faculty for a number of years.
Emeritus Professor HP presented the prize for Best Research Publication to Dr Neerav Srivastava for ’Heritage and Vitality: Whether the Rule in Antony Gibbs Is a Presumption’, which appears in (2021) 29 Insolvency Law Journal 61.
2023 Postgraduate Prize Recipients
The following prizes are proudly supported by the legal community and industry.
Australian Italian Lawyers Association Prize for Advanced Property Law
Mengzhen Yu
Mengzhen Yu won the Australian Italian Lawyers Association Prize for Advanced Property Law which was presented to her by Assoc Prof Emmanuel Laryea.
Baker McKenzie Prize for Principles of Company Law
Sam Darmann
Carmen Qin
Carmen Qin won the Baker McKenzie Prize for Principles of Company Law which was presented to her by PeterLucarelli from Baker Mckenzie.
Clayton Utz Prize for Contract Law B
Tracy Denning
Coghlan Duffy Prize for Private Investment Law
Jai Tan
Davies Collison Cave Prize for Intellectual Property
Angel Xu
Angel Xu won the Davies Collison Cave Prize for Intellectual Property.
DLA Piper Prize for Principles of Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Alexander Swebeck
iappANZ Prize for Privacy and Surveillance: Law, Policy and Governance
Supported by the International Association of Privacy Professionals
Emily Harris
Emily Harris won the iappANZ Prize for Privacy and Surveillance: Law, Policy and Governance, which was presented to her by Emeritus Professor HP Lee.
Maddocks Prize for Principles of Administrative Law
Matthew Harris
Mahlab Recruitment Prize for Ethics in Legal Practice
Hilary Pammer-Green
Society of Construction Law Australia Prize for Contemporary Perspectives on Construction Law
Jarred Balm
Jarred Balm won the Society of Construction Law Australia Prize for Contemporary Perspectives on Construction Law, which was presented to him by Emma Lampard from Society of Construction Law Australia.
Taussig Cherrie Fildes Prize for Principles of Trusts
Elishia Brown
Ellen Searle
Thomson Reuters Prize for Principles of Constitutional Law
Elishia Brown
The following prizes are proudly supported by the Faculty of Law at Monash University.
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Advocacy
Max Castle
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Australian Legal Reasoning and Methods
Walter Batt
Jia Tan
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Competition Law
Jack Connock
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Negotiation: Essential Skills for Dispute Resolution
Jessica Low
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Law of Employee Relations
Hailey Holloway
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Contract Law A
Rosemary Bagaric
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Criminal Law and Procedure
Vishva Weeratunga
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Equity
Elishia Brown
Bakhtawar Singh Gill
Elishia Brown won the Taussig Cherrie Fildes Prize for Principles of Trusts, the Thomson Reuters Prize for Principles of Constitutional Law, and the Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Equity.
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Evidence
Jiajia Cui
Ellen Searle
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Taxation
James Langford
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Principles of Torts
Sarah Pearce
The following prizes are named in honour of individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Faculty of Law and supporting organisations
Annie Moylan JD Professional Practice Prize
Supported by marshalls+dent+wilmoth lawyers
Bradley Joseph
Lily Polak
Lily Polak won the Annie Moylan JD Professional Practice Prize, Supported by marshals+dent+Wilmoth lawyers, which was presented to her by Emeritus Professor HP Lee.
Lachlan Brown Memorial Prize for Principles of Property Law
Supported by The Brown Family
Elizabeth Pearce
The Honourable Chief Justice William Alstergren AO KC Prize for Principles of Family Law
Supported by The Honourable Chief Justice William Alstergren AO KC
Samreen Shakeel
Samreen Shakeel won the Hon Chief Justice William Alstergren AO KC Prize for Principles of Family Law, which was presented to her by the Hon Justice Bennett AO.
The Honourable Pamela Tate AM KC Prize for Principles of Public Law and Statutory Interpretation
Supported by The Honourable Pamela Tate AM KC
Nathanael Mancev
Nathanael Mancev won the Honourable Pamela Tate AM KC Prize for Principles of Public Law and Statutory Interpretation, which was presented to him by Interim Dean of the Law Faculty, Prof Marilyn Pittard.
BEST RESEARCH PUBLICATION
Emeritus Professor H P Lee Student’s Publication Prize
Supported by Robyn Campbell, Mark Hayes, Jane Hodder and Kathie Sampson
Prize Winner: Dr Neerav Srivastava
Runner-up: Dr Yohannes Ayalew
RUNNER-UP BEST JURIS DOCTOR STUDENT
Monash Law Alumni Excellence Prize for Runner-up
Best Juris Doctor Student
Supported by Robyn Campbell, Phoebe Dunn, Robyn Griffin, James Hawkins, Andrew Kroger, Tony Pane and John Steven
Alexander Swebeck
Alexander Swebeck won the Monash Law Alumni Excellence Prize for Runner-up Best Juris Doctor Student, which was presented to him by Robyn Campbell.
BEST JURIS DOCTOR STUDENT
Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student
Supported by Professor the Honourable Marilyn Warren AC KC and a prominent group of generous alumni from the Monash Faculty of Law
The Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student
Joshua Finn