Griffith Law School
Encyclopedia
The Griffith Law School is a school of Griffith University
. The School is spread across three campuses throughout Queensland, Brisbane
(Nathan & South Bank Campuses) and the Gold Coast
Campus. The Griffith Law School is noted for maintaining a culture of social justice and for its high quality.
The Australian government ranks Griffith Law School among the top law schools for quality. The Australian Research Council's 'Excellence in Research for Australia' initiative (ERA) ranked Griffith Law School among the top eight law schools in Australia. With a 4/5 score, it ties with law schools at University of Queensland, Monash, University of Sydney, UNSW and Adelaide, and is just below the University of Melbourne and ANU, both of which scored 5/5. The ERA Ranking places Griffith and UQ Law at the top of Queensland law schools, ahead of QUT (3/5), Bond (2/5) and USQ (2/5). The Australian Research Council also gave a rare A* (highest level) Australian Research Council ranking to the School's flagship research journal, the Griffith Law Review, placing it among the top six of Australian law schools.
Undergraduate (including graduate-entry LLB) degree programs are taught from the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses. Postgraduate research programs (PhD and MPhil) are oriented toward the investigation of law in theoretical and socio-legal context; these programs also are taught at the Nathan or Gold Coast campuses.
The law school has a diverse range of clinical opportunities ensuring that students graduate with practical legal skills. These include the Griffith University Innocence Project and Semester-In-Practice. In addition, the Practical Legal Training course is taught at Brisbane's Southbank campus.
GULS is the largest independent student organisation at Griffith University. It is based at the original Griffith Nathan campus and operates across all of Brisbane. Every year GULS runs a number of major social events, legal skills competitions, educational workshops, equity events, careers support initiatives as well as producing a variety of publications and running an established mentorship program. GULS also represents students to the university, the legal profession and other graduate employers.
The Griffith University Student Law Association (GUSLA) is a student representative group which supports and represents Law students on Griffith University's Gold Coast
campus.
GUSLA provides a variety of services to students including legal skills competitions (which aim to develop students' practical legal skills), and social and networking events. GUSLA also networks with the legal community on the Gold Coast and beyond. The GUSLA also provides Law students with information which looks beyond the traditional path of becoming a solicitor.
A significant number of Australian law academics have received their law doctorates from the Griffith Law School. Among those Australian legal academics who received their PhD in law from the Griffith Law School are:
Griffith University
Griffith University is a public, coeducational, research university located in the southeastern region of the Australian state of Queensland. The university has five satellite campuses located in the Gold Coast, Logan City and in the Brisbane suburbs of Mount Gravatt, Nathan and South Bank. Current...
. The School is spread across three campuses throughout Queensland, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
(Nathan & South Bank Campuses) and the Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
Campus. The Griffith Law School is noted for maintaining a culture of social justice and for its high quality.
The Australian government ranks Griffith Law School among the top law schools for quality. The Australian Research Council's 'Excellence in Research for Australia' initiative (ERA) ranked Griffith Law School among the top eight law schools in Australia. With a 4/5 score, it ties with law schools at University of Queensland, Monash, University of Sydney, UNSW and Adelaide, and is just below the University of Melbourne and ANU, both of which scored 5/5. The ERA Ranking places Griffith and UQ Law at the top of Queensland law schools, ahead of QUT (3/5), Bond (2/5) and USQ (2/5). The Australian Research Council also gave a rare A* (highest level) Australian Research Council ranking to the School's flagship research journal, the Griffith Law Review, placing it among the top six of Australian law schools.
Research centres and projects
Research centres at Griffith Law School include the:- Socio-Legal Research Centre
- Centre for Credit and Consumer Law
- Federalism in Australia
- Innocence Project
- Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture
- Workplace Whistleblowing Collaborative National Research Project
Courses and programs
The Griffith Law School provides an interdisciplinary legal education. Undergraduate degrees are generally taught as combined degrees with other disciplines within the university; however, the option to do a stand-alone (LLB only) law degree is also available.Undergraduate (including graduate-entry LLB) degree programs are taught from the Nathan and Gold Coast campuses. Postgraduate research programs (PhD and MPhil) are oriented toward the investigation of law in theoretical and socio-legal context; these programs also are taught at the Nathan or Gold Coast campuses.
The law school has a diverse range of clinical opportunities ensuring that students graduate with practical legal skills. These include the Griffith University Innocence Project and Semester-In-Practice. In addition, the Practical Legal Training course is taught at Brisbane's Southbank campus.
Student Associations
The Griffith University Law Society (GULS) is a student society which works to support law students in all aspects of their academic, personal and professional development through creativity, inclusiveness and integrity.GULS is the largest independent student organisation at Griffith University. It is based at the original Griffith Nathan campus and operates across all of Brisbane. Every year GULS runs a number of major social events, legal skills competitions, educational workshops, equity events, careers support initiatives as well as producing a variety of publications and running an established mentorship program. GULS also represents students to the university, the legal profession and other graduate employers.
The Griffith University Student Law Association (GUSLA) is a student representative group which supports and represents Law students on Griffith University's Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
campus.
GUSLA provides a variety of services to students including legal skills competitions (which aim to develop students' practical legal skills), and social and networking events. GUSLA also networks with the legal community on the Gold Coast and beyond. The GUSLA also provides Law students with information which looks beyond the traditional path of becoming a solicitor.
Notable alumni
- Andrew FraserAndrew Fraser (Queensland politician)Andrew Peter Fraser is an Australian politician in the Queensland State Parliament. He was first elected into the Queensland Legislative Assembly on the 7 February 2004...
, Queensland Treasurer - Brett MasonBrett MasonDr Brett John Mason , Australian politician, has been a Liberal member of the Australian Senate since July 1999, representing the state of Queensland. He was the Parliamentary Secretary for Health....
, Liberal senator - Larissa WatersLarissa WatersLarissa Joy Waters is an Australian Greens Senator for Queensland.Waters was born in Winnipeg, Canada, grew up in Brisbane and lives in Bardon with her partner and their young daughter...
, Green Party senator
A significant number of Australian law academics have received their law doctorates from the Griffith Law School. Among those Australian legal academics who received their PhD in law from the Griffith Law School are:
- Helen Stacey, Professor of Law, Stanford University
- Jacqueline D Lipton, Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University
- Lee Godden, Professor of Law, University of Melbourne
- Brian Fitzgerald, Professor of Law, Queensland University of Technology
- A.J. Brown, Professor of Law, Griffith University
- Mary Keyes, Professor of Law, Griffith University
- Graeme Orr, Professor of Law, University of Queensland
- Jennifer Corrin, Professor of Law, University of Queensland
- Dr Ian Freckelton, Barrister; Conjoint Professor of Law, Monash University; Editor of the Journal of Law and Medicine; Editor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
- Terry Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer in Law, Queensland University of Technology
- Marett Leiboff, Associate Professor in Law, Wollongong University
External links
- Griffith Law School
- Griffith Law School's Innocence Project
- Socio-Legal Research Centre, Griffith Law School
- Workplace Whistleblowing National Collaborative Research Project
- The Federalism in Australia Project, a Griffith Law School Research Project
- Credit and Consumer Law Centre formerly situated at Griffith Law School
- Australian Centre for Intellectual Property in Agriculture, an Intellectual Property Research Centre situated at Griffith Law School
- The Griffith Law Review
- The Australian Feminist Law Journal