Melbourne University Law Review
Encyclopedia
The Melbourne University Law Review is a triannual law journal
published by a student group at Melbourne Law School. The journal publishes articles on all areas of law
, as well as case notes, book reviews, and review essays.
, the other being the Melbourne Journal of International Law
. Students who have completed at least one semester of law are eligible to apply for membership of the editorial board
. Applicants are assessed on the basis of their performance in a practical exercise, academic aptitude, proofreading skills, editing skills and enthusiasm. The 2011 editors are David Foster, Timothy Lau, and Julia Wang.
Occasionally, the review produces a symposium issue devoted to a particular aspect of law. Past symposium issues have focused on the centenary of federation, contemporary human rights in Australia, and tort law
.
, on an A*-C scale. Only six Australian law journals received this ranking. The Washington and Lee University School of Law
law journal rankings has ranked the Melbourne University Law Review number one in Australia.
was The Summons. It appeared with the subtitle "A Magazine of Legal and General Literature" and was published by the Articled Law Clerks' Society of Victoria between 1891 and 1903. It was a yellow-covered sixteen-page journal depicting an angel with a trumpet on its cover and served as more of a current affairs magazine
than an academic journal
, publishing reports of moots and discussing topical issues, which at the time included the fusion of the two branches of the Victorian legal profession and the admission of women.
(then dean of the faculty and later governor-general of Australia) re-established the journal along the model of the Harvard Law Review
and renamed it the Melbourne University Law Review. In line with prevailing American practice, the top ranking law students were invited to become members of the editorial board. In 1998, the number of issues published each year was increased from two to three.
. The guide provides Australia with a uniform system of legal citation, akin to the Bluebook
in the United States and the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. The AGLC was first published in 1998. The third edition was published in 2010, which significantly expanded the chapters on foreign jurisdictions. Currently, it has been adopted by over 40 law journals.
Law review
A law review is a scholarly journal focusing on legal issues, normally published by an organization of students at a law school or through a bar association...
published by a student group at Melbourne Law School. The journal publishes articles on all areas of law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, as well as case notes, book reviews, and review essays.
Overview
The journal is one of two student-run law journals at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, the other being the Melbourne Journal of International Law
Melbourne Journal of International Law
The Melbourne Journal of International Law is a peer-reviewed law review associated with the Melbourne Law School which publishes articles in all areas of public and private international law. The journal was established in 2000 and is published twice annually with a particular focus on the...
. Students who have completed at least one semester of law are eligible to apply for membership of the editorial board
Editorial board
The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take.- Board makeup :...
. Applicants are assessed on the basis of their performance in a practical exercise, academic aptitude, proofreading skills, editing skills and enthusiasm. The 2011 editors are David Foster, Timothy Lau, and Julia Wang.
Occasionally, the review produces a symposium issue devoted to a particular aspect of law. Past symposium issues have focused on the centenary of federation, contemporary human rights in Australia, and tort law
Tort
A tort, in common law jurisdictions, is a wrong that involves a breach of a civil duty owed to someone else. It is differentiated from a crime, which involves a breach of a duty owed to society in general...
.
Rankings
The journal has been awarded an A* ranking by the Australian Research CouncilAustralian Research Council
The Australian Research Council is the Australian Government’s main agency for allocating research funding to academics and researchers in Australian universities. Its mission is to advance Australia’s capacity to undertake research that brings economic, social and cultural benefit to the...
, on an A*-C scale. Only six Australian law journals received this ranking. The Washington and Lee University School of Law
Washington and Lee University School of Law
The Washington and Lee University School of Law is a private American Bar Association-accredited law school located in Lexington in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Facilities are currently on the campus of Washington and Lee University in Sydney Lewis Hall...
law journal rankings has ranked the Melbourne University Law Review number one in Australia.
The Summons
The first periodical published at the Law School at the University of MelbourneUniversity of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
was The Summons. It appeared with the subtitle "A Magazine of Legal and General Literature" and was published by the Articled Law Clerks' Society of Victoria between 1891 and 1903. It was a yellow-covered sixteen-page journal depicting an angel with a trumpet on its cover and served as more of a current affairs magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
than an academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
, publishing reports of moots and discussing topical issues, which at the time included the fusion of the two branches of the Victorian legal profession and the admission of women.
Res Judicatae
In 1935, the students of the Faculty of Law established Res Judicatae — roughly translated as "things that have been judicially adjudicated on" — which was intended to provide a forum for discussion and debate among students of the law. Published by the Law Students' Society of Victoria, it focused on legal journalism.Melbourne University Law Review
In 1957, Zelman CowenZelman Cowen
Sir Zelman Cowen, was the 19th Governor-General of Australia. He is currently the oldest living former Governor-General of Australia.-Early life:...
(then dean of the faculty and later governor-general of Australia) re-established the journal along the model of the Harvard Law Review
Harvard Law Review
The Harvard Law Review is a journal of legal scholarship published by an independent student group at Harvard Law School.-Overview:According to the 2008 Journal Citation Reports, the Review is the most cited law review and has the second-highest impact factor in the category "law" after the...
and renamed it the Melbourne University Law Review. In line with prevailing American practice, the top ranking law students were invited to become members of the editorial board. In 1998, the number of issues published each year was increased from two to three.
Alumni
Notable alumni of the Melbourne University Law Review include:- Hilary CharlesworthHilary CharlesworthHilary Charlesworth is considered as the pioneer in feminist international law scholarship. Her groundbreaking book titled The Boundaries of International Law: A Feminist Analysis has been awarded the Certificate of Merit by the American Society of International Law in 2001...
, Law Professor at Australian National UniversityAustralian National UniversityThe Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, Editor 1979 - Gareth EvansGareth Evans (politician)Gareth John Evans, AO, QC , is a former Australian politician from 1978 to 1999 representing the Australian Labor Party, serving in a number of ministries including Attorney-General and Foreign Minister from 1983 to 1996 in the Hawke and Keating governments. He was president and chief executive...
, Former Commonwealth Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Australia)In the Government of Australia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs is responsible for overseeing the international diplomacy section of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In common with international practice, the office is often informally referred to as Foreign Minister...
, Member 1965-66. - Kenneth HayneKenneth HayneKenneth Madison Hayne AC is a Justice of the High Court of Australia which is the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy.-Education and professional life:...
, Justice of the High Court of AustraliaHigh Court of AustraliaThe High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
, Editor 1966 - Susan Kenny, Justice of the Federal Court of AustraliaFederal Court of AustraliaThe Federal Court of Australia is an Australian superior court of record which has jurisdiction to deal with most civil disputes governed by federal law , along with some summary criminal matters. Cases are heard at first instance by single Judges...
, Editor 1976 - Stephen McLeish, Solicitor-General of VictoriaSolicitor-General of Victoria (Australia)The Solicitor-General of Victoria, Australia is the state's Second Law Officer, behind the Attorney-General. The holders of this office are appointed by Cabinet on the basis of their legal expertise. Solicitors-General are members of the Executive...
, Editor 1984 - Robert RichterRobert Richter (lawyer)Robert Richter QC is a prominent Australian barrister, based in Melbourne.Born in Kyrgyzstan c 1945, Richter's family arrived in Australia in 1959. Richter was admitted to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws in the late 1960s. He was "called to the bar" on 5 August 1971...
, Prominent Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, Editor 1966 - Ronald SackvilleRonald SackvilleRonald Sackville AO is an acting judge of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and a former judge of the Federal Court of Australia.-Career:...
, Former Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, Editor 1962 - John WinnekeJohn WinnekeJohn Spence Winneke AC, RFD, QC, RANR is a former judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the President of the Court of Appeals division of the Supreme Court of Victoria, which is the highest ranking court in the Australian State of Victoria.-Early life:John Spence Winneke was born to Sir Henry...
, Former Justice of the Supreme Court of VictoriaSupreme Court of VictoriaThe Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, Member 1958-60
Australian Guide to Legal Citation
The Melbourne University Law Review, in collaboration with the Melbourne Journal of International Law, publishes the Australian Guide to Legal CitationAustralian Guide to Legal Citation
The Australian Guide to Legal Citation is published by the Melbourne University Law Review Association Inc in collaboration with the Melbourne Journal of International Law Inc, and seeks to provide the Australian legal community with a standard for citing legal sources...
. The guide provides Australia with a uniform system of legal citation, akin to the Bluebook
Bluebook
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation, a style guide, prescribes the most widely used legal citation system in the United States. The Bluebook is compiled by the Harvard Law Review Association, the Columbia Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the Yale Law Journal....
in the United States and the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. The AGLC was first published in 1998. The third edition was published in 2010, which significantly expanded the chapters on foreign jurisdictions. Currently, it has been adopted by over 40 law journals.