Member networking evening and book launch

At a recent gathering, The Hon. Justice Matthew Connock, Supreme Court of Victoria, launched three CLARS books and announced two CLARS Awards for Indigenous Student Excellence in Commercial Law.

Dr Tim Bowley, The Hon. Justice Matthew Connock, Dr Joanna Kyriakakis and Dr Steve Kourabas

6 April 2023

The Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS) held its first networking event for 2023 which was attended by Centre members and affiliates, PhD students, and guests from the legal and business profession.

This gathering was an opportunity to launch three new corporate law books written by CLARS members. They were; Dr Tim Bowley, Activist Shareholders in Corporate Governance; Dr Steve Kourabas, Global Finance in the 21st Century; and Dr Joanna Kyriakakis, Corporations, Accountability and International Law. CLARS is grateful to The Hon. Justice Matthew Connock, Supreme Court of Victoria, who launched and spoke about each of the new publications.

Danielle Gower and The Hon. Justice Matthew Connock

At the networking event, CLARS Director, Professor Jennifer Hill also announced two CLARS Awards for Indigenous Student Excellence in Commercial Law. In 2022, CLARS introduced a new award recognising outstanding academic achievement by Indigenous students in the corporate/commercial and regulatory space. CLARS made two $1000 Awards for Indigenous Student Excellence. The recipients of these awards were Danielle Gower and Jessica Bennett.

Jessica Bennett (she/her) is a proud Ngunnawal woman who grew up on Wiradjuri Country in Albury, NSW. In 2022 Jessica completed a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Human Rights and Indigenous Cultures in Histories, and her honours work explored the practical realisation of the right to self-determination through the implementation of Victorian treaties. Jessica is passionate about human rights and education and hopes to have a career as a legal practitioner where she can apply an ethics of care approach to her work. Jessica will take a place in the Victorian Legal Aid Graduate Program in early 2023.

Danielle Gower recently completed her first year of a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Indigenous Cultures and Histories at Monash University. She is a proud Aboriginal woman and has a particular interest in the ways that Indigenous Australians intersect with the modern legal system. She is currently completing an internship within the Victorian Government as a member of the Land Rights team under the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Danielle has a growing interest in contract law and is looking forward to undertaking further research and opportunities in which she can combine her interests.

This story was featured in the first edition of CLARS Highlights. Download the first edition.