Monash Law 2025: A year of impact, innovation, and community
More than a hundred attendees at the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education Annual Conference at Monash University Law Chambers in November, 2025.
2025 was a year of firsts for Monash Law. The first year for our new Dean of Law, Professor Steven Vaughan, who arrived in his office on the day Monash University reopened for 2025. The first time that three Monash Law alumni consecutively held the office of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. And the first time we hosted Pink Drinks for LGBTIQA+ members of theVictorian legal community, with our guest of honour Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG.
This year, we celebrated milestones that define our difference as well as our raison d'etre. We celebrated 50 years of the Monash Law Clinical Program and 25 years of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.
This was a year defined by achievement, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to justice. Across our classrooms, clinics, research activity, and global networks, the Monash Law community has demonstrated what it means to lead with purpose and shape a better future through law.
Honouring leaders who inspire
In 2025, Monash University conferred honorary doctorates upon three exceptional Monash Law alumni whose careers are an inspiration to our current students: The Honourable Debra Mortimer, Dr Patrick Loftus Hills, and Dr Deborah Glass OBE. Their contributions to law and public service remind us that leadership grounded in principle can change lives, strengthen institutions and make a positive difference.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering, the Honourable Debra Mortimer, Monash Chancellor Dr Megan Clark AC, and Professor Steven Vaughan.
At our first Pink Drinks for LGBTIQA+ members of the Victorian legal community, we were honoured with the presence of a leader who has inspired thousands of Monash Law students.
Our guest of honour Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG was introduced by Catherine Wicks and Elio Ross from Monash Law Students' Society. Alongside them were well over 100 judges, lawyers, academics, law students, activists, campaigners and policy makers who were keen to bask in the pink glow at Monash University Law Chambers.
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.
Earlier in the year we gathered at the same location to celebrate the elevation of Chief Justice Richard Niall, a Monash Law alum, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. He follows in the footsteps of the immediate past two Chief Justices (and alums), the Honourable Anne Ferguson and the Honourable Marilyn Warren AC KC; all three of whom are in the photograph below (with The Hon Chief Justice Deborah Mortimer, Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, 2023 - present and Monash Law and Jurisprudence graduate) kindly shared by Chief Justice Warren.
In March this year, three maestros of our Monash Law academic community were presented with 25 Year Anniversary Awards from the Chancellor of Monash University, Dr. Megan Clark AC, and the Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering.
Associate Professor Gaye Landsdell’s research focuses on legal practice, legal education, ethics and professional responsibility and criminal law practice. Professor Gerry Nagtzaam’s research focuses on research the intersections between environmental law, politics, history and economics. Associate Professor Julie Debeljak researches in the field of international human rights law, comparative human rights law, domestic human rights institutions and laws, constitutional law, and public law.
Celebrating alumni excellence
Beyond the four Chief Justices noted above, our alumni continue to make their indelible marks on the world, and this year we proudly recognised Phoebe Dunn and Robyn Campbell with prestigious alumni awards.
For over a decade, the Monash Council has awarded Fellowships for Monash alumni which are given in recognition of distinguished service across arts, science, and industry. Phoebe Dunn is an accomplished legal, public policy, investment leader and Monash Law alum who was added to the Roll of Fellows. As Chief Executive Officer of mRNA Victoria, she spearheads the Victorian Government’s strategy to position the state as a global leader in mRNA research, commercialisation and manufacturing.
Tim North OAM KC and Robyn Campbell in 2024.
The Monash University Distinguished Alumni Awards recognise the outstanding achievements and exceptional qualities of Monash graduates worldwide. The awards celebrate alumni who have made significant contributions in areas such as professional excellence, community service, and leadership. Robyn Campbell had a long and fulfilling career in Human Resources/People Management, largely in law-related organisations, in the public sector, consulting, and university environments. Last year Robyn celebrated her own half century of alum friendship with fellow Monash Law graduate Tim North.
Further afield in the legal industry, Monash Law alumna Gabi Crafti SC was appointed to the Board of the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner. This is a role of genuine significance. A role that shapes the ethical foundations of our profession and safeguards public trust in the law.
These achievements underscore the enduring influence of a Monash Law education - one that equips graduates not only with knowledge but with the values to lead and serve.
Community and legacy: 50 years of Clinical Legal Education
One of the year’s most significant celebrations was the 2025 Gala Dinner, marking 50 years of Monash Law’s Clinical Legal Education Program. Hosted by Dean Professor Steven Vaughan, with a keynote by Commissioner Meena Singh, the event honoured a legacy of advocacy and service. Over five decades, Monash clinics have assisted tens of thousands of clients, providing access to justice while training generations of lawyers committed to community impact.
Commissioner Meena Singh delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Monash Law Gala Dinner.
We began our clinical program in 1975. In the last 20 years alone, we have delivered free legal advice to over 40,000 real life clients through and with thousands of our law students, supervised by our in-house lawyers and a wealth of external partners and collaborators.
Jacqui Weinberg, Professor Jeff Giddings, Sara Koval, Melissa Fletcher, Associate Professor Joel Townsend, Sally Anderson and Associate Professor Ross Hyams from the Monash Law Clinical Program at the 2025 Monash Law Gala Dinner.
And we began our celebration of 50 Years of Clinical Legal Education with a gathering of the pioneers of the program at the Monash Law Clinics in Clayton.
Simon Smith, Professor Jeff Giddings, Gerry Nash and Jon Faine at the pioneers celebration of 50 years of Clinical Legal Eduction at Monash Law.
Professor Jeff Giddings, Associate Dean Experiential Education addressed the founders, pioneers and alumni at the event, reflecting on his own experience as a student of Clinical Legal Education at Monash Law.
“In 1984, it was electrifying, is the way I would describe it. The law went from black and white to technicolor and it really was fantastic in so many ways. We are really lucky,” reflected Professor Giddings.
Patrick Gerard (Gerry) Nash at Monash Law Clinics CBD office in 2024.
We were also very lucky to have Patrick Gerard (Gerry) Nash, former Dean of Law, and first clinic supervisor, attend the pioneers event, the 2025 Gala Dinner, and to share his memories of the early days of the program.
Alumni stories shared during the anniversary highlighted the transformative power of clinical education, not only in shaping careers but in embedding values of empathy and responsibility. To capture these stories, we enlisted the support of 50 current students in the Monash Clinical Program to interview 50 alum of the program.
The result was a beautiful coffee-table book, ‘50 Years / 50 Voices’ edited by Adrian Evans, Melissa Fletcher, and Ross Hyams. Click here to preview some of the stories in the book and to purchase a copy of the book. This book project was started, worked on, and delivered over a matter of months: an incredible hive of activity from professional and academic colleagues, our students, and our alumni.
In this short video, founders, supervisors, lawyers and leaders share their earliest memories, most meaningful moments, and their vision for the future of the Monash Law Clinical Program.
One very tangible moment in our celebration of 50 years of the Monash Law Clinical Program, that showed so well the power of experiential education, arrived just before the end of the year. Our clinics, in the form of our supervisor Emily Singh and her clinic students, had a stellar win in the Full Court of the Federal Court in mid November with a legal team including current Monash Law students Mitch Dickin and Sheena Zhu, and former Law student and now paralegal Remeny Twigden. Emily and her students were representing clients refused Age Pension because of lump sum payments received in respect of underpaid wages. The team's success will make a significant difference to their clients, and to so very many others in similar situations.
At the hearing, Justice Charlesworth directly thanked Monash Law Clinics, acknowledging that legal centres, student clinics, and those offering pro bono representation are the reasons that matters of public importance, like the current matter, are ventilated.
Student success: Advocacy, scholarship, and global engagement
Monash Law students have excelled, as they so often do, on national and international stages in 2025. In mooting, our teams shone at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot, the IBA ICC Moot Court Competition, and the Michael Kirby Contract Law Moot, where Monash students earned accolades for advocacy and written submissions. The inaugural Administrative Review Tribunal Moot saw Monash reach the Grand Final, while the Victorian Law Firm Moot championed diversity with an all–people-of-colour bench and a human rights-themed problem.
L to R: Gabriella Lennon, Prudence Spencer, Haneen Ashmeel, Serena Malatesta, Adj. Prof. William Lye OAM KC at the Opening Ceremony. Photograph: Monique Shaw.
Beyond the courtroom, our students embraced the global opportunities that only a school like Monash Law can offer. Jing Wang’s New Colombo Plan journey in Beijing deepened his expertise in international arbitration, while others gained insights through internships in Singapore and Jakarta, and through the Global Immersion Guarantee program. These experiences reflect Monash Law’s commitment to preparing graduates for a world where their lives and their careers transcend borders.
Emma, Sophie and Geoff visiting the Asia-Africa Conference Museum in Bandung as part of the Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS) Law Professional Practicum in Jakarta, Indonesia.
At our annual academic prize ceremonies, we saw through the exceptional achievements of our Monash Law students how the future is in safe hands. The Best Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Student was presented to Maya Ranganathan, who captivated the audience with a deeply personal acceptance speech.
“I hope that over the course of my career I can contribute to a profession that is increasingly egalitarian and progressive, that is humble enough to recognise its own defects and commit to addressing them, and which doesn’t lose sight of the humanitarian instincts at the heart of its doctrines,” said Maya.
Watch Maya Ranganathan’s acceptance speech for Best Bachelor of Laws (Honours) Student.
The Chief Justice Marilyn Warren Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student, was awarded to Ellen Searle, who also received the Monash Faculty of Law Prize for Best Juris Doctor Student.
“I had the privilege of being taught by Jennifer Paneth and I can say with confidence that it was that subject and your teaching that ignited my love for the law,” shared Ellen Searle.
Watch Ellen Searle’s acceptance speech for Best Juris Doctor Student.
Once again we congratulate Maya and Ellen and all of the academic prize winners who were acknowledged this year.
In August, we welcomed thousands of prospective law students and their families and supporters to Monash’s Clayton campus as part of the university’s Open Day; a day made possible because of our brilliant Law Students' Society volunteers, led by LSS President Sarah Tok, alongside Faculty academic and professional colleagues - all there to share their insights, expertise, and experiences with the next generations of our Monash Law community.
Research that shapes the future
Throughout 2025, Monash Law academics and researchers have led conversations on issues that matter on a local and global scale.
Associate Professor Ronli Sifris discusses her new book Towards Reproductive Justice on ABC TV News Breakfast.
Associate Professor Ronli Sifris, Deputy Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, kicked off the year with the release of her book ‘Towards Reproductive Justice’. Shortly afterwards she was appointed Assistant Commissioner for the Australian Law Reform Commission's Review of Surrogacy Laws.
Associate Professor Gerry Nagtzaam and Associate Professor Cheng-Yun Tsang at the first workshop of the collaborative research project with the Taiwan Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing Academy.
Associate Professor Cheng-Yun Tsang and Associate Professor Gerry Nagtzaam were awarded a $150,000 grant to undertake a collaborative research project with the Taiwan Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing Academy (SFIIA) and a number of local universities. This two-year initiative aims to address the legal and regulatory challenges in sustainable finance and to promote stronger sustainable finance co-operation.
Our scholars contributed to global discourse through panels and conferences, such as the EU Sustainability Directive forum in London, chaired by Professor Jennifer Hill, Director of the Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS).
International scholars also visited our law school, further underscoring Monash Law’s role in shaping policy and practice for a more equitable and sustainable world.
Associate Professor Joel Townsend, Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng, Fiona Mcleay, Victorian Legal Services Commissioner and Professor Richard Moorhead.
Professor Richard Moorhead, of University of Exeter in the UK, delivered a searing analysis of one of the UK’s most devastating legal failures - the Post Office scandal. His lecture coincided with the announcement that Professor Moorhead has officially joined us at Monash Law as Professor of Law.
Dr. Mary Tumelty, Associate Professor Genevieve Grant and Nick Mann, Founder and Principal of Polaris Lawyers.
Dr. Mary Tumelty, a Senior Lecturer at the School of Law, University College Cork, presented her research at a seminar for the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation (ACJI) at Monash Law. Her seminar, titled ‘(Mis)Understanding the Role and Potential of Mediation in Resolving Medical Negligence Disputes in Ireland,’ delved into the complexities and potential of mediation in the context of medical negligence.
Dr. Angela Paul with fellow researchers in the Monash Law Staff Library.
Dr. Angela Paul, a Research Fellow on the PROBabLE Futures project at Northumbria University, UK, led a roundtable discussion titled 'The Past, Present and Future of Technology and Law Enforcement: Lessons from UK and Australia.' This event was jointly hosted by Monash Law’s ACJI, the Transnational Criminal Law Group, and the Digital Law Group.
One of the highlights of the research calendar is the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law Conference. Each year in July, the warmth of this gathering shakes off the midwinter chill with genuine hope for the future.
Hugh de Kretser, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, delivered the keynote address, ‘Achieving stronger legal human rights protections in Australia’. While his presentation had the Castan Centre conference audience hanging off his every word, it was a text message from his mum that won hearts and minds. Having moved from Melbourne to Sydney to work with the AHRC where the weather is warmer, the message expressed her concern that he had left his childhood home that morning with a lack of warm clothing and a fold up umbrella.
Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Steven Vaughan, delivering the first of the refreshed Inaugural Professorial Lecture Series.
Dean of Law, Professor Steven Vaughan, introduced and delivered the first of the refreshed Inaugural Professorial Lecture Series, titled 'What’s the Point of Lawyers?'. The inaugural lecture was chaired by Fiona McLeay, Victorian Legal Services Commissioner, with Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sharon Pickering opening proceedings.
“When lawyers choose to act with independence and with integrity, when lawyers choose to show moral courage, even when it's hard, we become something more than service providers. We become stewards and agents of the rule of law actively working to improve the quality of justice, and that I think is the point of lawyers,” concluded Professor Vaughan.
Professor Paula Gerber at Avid Reader bookshop in Brisbane with a queue of signature seekers.
Professor Paula Gerber’s new book ‘Sex, Gender & Identity: Trans Rights in Australia’ was a bookend to a year of research in more ways than one. The release of the book coincided with the Tasmanian parliament passing the Expungement of Historical Offences Amendment Bill 2025. It also precipitates her next big move in research as Professor Gerber takes up her role as the 2026–27 Visiting Professor of Australian Studies at the University of Tokyo’s Centre for Pacific and American Studies (CPAS).
While only a snapshot of the active and diverse research undertaken at Monash Law, the above speaks to what so many of the Faculty are deeply committed to doing: research that makes a difference and that speaks to as many audiences within and beyond the academy as possible.
Teachers who transform
Our colleagues continue to demonstrate enormous passion and dedication through and with their students. This year, Monash University recognised eight Law colleagues - Sally Andersen , Marnie Brown, Paul Burgess, Paula Gerber, Rachel Kessel, Steve Kourabas, Brandon D. Stewart, and Jacqueline Weinberg - in a ‘Teaching That Transforms’ campaign.
As the campaign made clear, the influence of exceptional educators, ‘reaches far beyond the classroom: fueling ideas that shape industries, inform policy, and uplift communities. They empower students with critical thinking, creativity, and confidence. Every day, they inspire hope and maximise potential’.
Two colleagues - Liam Elphick and Paula Gerber - also took home awards following student nominations in the Monash Student Association education awards ceremony.
Looking ahead
As we close the chapter on 2025, we do so with gratitude for the achievements of our students, staff, alumni, and partners. This year has reaffirmed that Monash Law is more than a faculty, it is a community united by a vision of justice and a commitment to shaping law for the public good. Next year, we welcome 20 new members of ongoing academic staff, at all levels from lecturer through to professor. These new academics are some of the leading legal thinkers from around Australia and internationally, and represent a very concrete example of how we are investing in the Faculty and its future.
In 2026, we will build on this momentum, deepening our global engagement, advancing research that addresses society’s most pressing challenges, and continuing to nurture the next generation of legal leaders. Together, we look forward with hope, purpose, and the unwavering belief that law can, and must, be a force for positive change.