Celebrating Monash Law and Leadership: A Night of Legacy, Laughter and Legal Luminaries
David S Thomson, OAM, FACE, Fellow, Sir Zelman Cowen Centre, Professor Steven Vaughan, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Monash University and Chief Justice Richard Niall, the Supreme Court of Victoria's thirteenth Chief Justice.
On a crisp evening filled with warmth and reflection, Monash Law alumni, students, and distinguished guests gathered to celebrate the faculty’s enduring legacy and its vibrant future. The event, Celebrating Monash Law and Leadership, was more than a reunion - it was a tribute to the transformative power of legal education and the community it fosters.
Celebrating Monash Law and Leadership recognised the appointment of Monash Law alumnus, the Hon Richard Niall, as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, and welcomed Professor Steven Vaughan as the new Dean of Monash Law.
Held on the unceded lands of the Kulin Nation, the evening opened with a heartfelt Acknowledgement of Country by The Honourable Nahum Mushin AM.
The Honourable Nahum Mushin AM.
“It’s particularly appropriate for lawyers to acknowledge the decision of the High Court in Mabo,” he said, “arguably one of the court’s most important decisions”.
He reminded the audience that the late Ron Castan, senior counsel for Mabo, lends his name to the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law - now celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Professor Steven Vaughan, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Monash University.
Welcoming a New Chapter: Professor Steven Vaughan
The newly appointed Dean of Monash Law, Professor Steven Vaughan, took to the stage with humility and humour.
“What a room. Isn’t this a real joy?” he began, visibly moved by the presence of so many alumni and colleagues.
Still just six months into his role, Vaughan acknowledged the learning curve ahead.
“There is still much that I have to learn,” he said, “that includes more and ongoing learning about the rich histories and ongoing connections of the traditional owners of these lands”.
With a touch of levity, he shared his cultural observations as a newcomer to Australia.
“I’ve learned that registration becomes ‘rego’, correspondence becomes ‘coro’, and I genuinely believed… that Noosa was a contraction for New South Wales”.
But it was his personal story that resonated most deeply.
“I come from a very ordinary family in Liverpool,” he shared.
“My parents worked in factories. With my sister Paula, we were the first in our family to go to university. Legal education changed my life. It changed how I see the world.”
“That is why I’m here. I tell my colleagues, we are in the business of hope. It is the hope that legal education can transform lives as it did mine and for so many of you. It is the hope that our graduates go on to shape society.”
A Law Faculty Rooted in Purpose - Clinical Legal Education
Vaughan spoke passionately about Monash Law’s commitment to clinical legal education through Monash Law Clinics.
“This year we celebrate our 50th anniversary - the first clinic in Australia, the largest now by quite some distance,” he said.
“In the past five years, our exceptional clinical staff and hundreds of Monash law students have helped almost 7,000 clients”.
He also paid tribute to the spirit of the faculty.
“Since arriving, I’ve had more than 70 one-to-one meetings with professional and academic colleagues and the faculty. I say, what do you love about working here? And the answer is almost always the same: the chance to make a difference”.
Deputy President of VCAT, Ms Carol Daicic.
Reflections from a Mentor and Friend: Ms Carol Daicic
Deputy President of VCAT, Ms Carol Daicic, brought both gravitas and warmth to the evening.
“It’s a real delight to be here… with so many of my fellow alumni and to be amongst distinguished guests,” she began.
Daicic shared her first impressions of Vaughan when he was a trainee solicitor under her mentorship in London.
“I looked at his CV - oh, not another first-class honours from Oxford,” she joked.
“But within a week, I found Steven was no ordinary trainee. He was smart, he worked hard, and he was very kind”.
Their shared backgrounds as first-generation university students added emotional depth to her remarks.
“Like Steven, my legal education has changed my life. It has provided opportunity, security, and knowledge, but we know too well, with empowerment comes great responsibility, and that is probably why both of us have been drawn into service”.
She praised Vaughan’s leadership, calling him, “a dynamic, modern and young leader running the law school,” and celebrated the appointment of Chief Justice Richard Niall, noting, “ Your honour, justice in Victoria is certainly in safe hands under your esteem”.
Chief Justice Richard Niall, the Supreme Court of Victoria's thirteenth Chief Justice.
A Chief Justice’s Tribute to Monash
Chief Justice Richard Niall offered a thoughtful and often humorous reflection on his time at Monash Law.
“I started my degree in Monash in 1985. I was 17 and the law school was 21, we were about the same age. In comparative terms, the law school was an infant, but even by then, it had found its own identity and was self-assured. I was less formed at that point,” he said.
He spoke of the faculty’s early ambition and excellence.
“The Monash Law Faculty, if it was to meet the serious aspirations of possible students, would have to be professionally impeccable and recognised as having an original flavour of its own. Those conditions have undoubtedly been met”.
Niall highlighted the Law Faculty’s remarkable influence on the judiciary.
“There have been 13 Chief Justices of Victoria, three of whom—the last three—obtained their law degrees from Monash University,” he said.
“ Three out of 13 is quite a feat, but we could put that in context. For the most of the history of Victoria, Monash University did not exist. So I think it is more useful to say that from when Monash University entered into the potential pool of candidates from which Chief Justices could be appointed, let's say around the mid 1990s, we have three out of four.”
He also acknowledged the broader impact of Monash graduates.
“The Chief Judge, the Chief Magistrate, the President of the Children’s Court and the State Coroner are also Monash graduates”.
A Call to Connection and Contribution
In his closing remarks, Vaughan returned to the stage with gratitude and a touch of humour to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Clinical Legal Education at Monash Law.
“Apropos of nothing, we are trying to fundraise for our Monash Law Clinics. If any of you would like to make a donation of $100 or $200 million this evening, we’d be delighted to talk to you”.
He encouraged alumni to stay connected.
“I hope you reconnect your friendships and connections from your time at Monash. It might not be every Thursday that we do this, but we will do this more often, and I hope to see you here again”.