University of Auckland Law School
Encyclopedia
The University of Auckland Law School is one of the nine faculties that make up the University of Auckland
. It forms part of the city campus but is separate from what is termed the "main campus" which spreads across four blocks, two on each side of Symonds Street. In contrast, the Law School sits between Waterloo Quadrant and Eden Crescent, in buildings formerly used by the High Court of New Zealand
in Auckland
. Prior to that, the land was used by an ice cream
manufacturer, leading to its nickname "the ice cream factory". One courtroom has been retained unaltered for moots
.
The law school is accessible by a right of way down a small hill from Waterloo Quadrant. Originally, this was only a mud track nicknamed the Ho Chi Minh
trail but this was paved when the Davis Law Library was completed and replaced Eden Crescent as the main entrance into the Law School grounds.
Until 1991, the Law school was formerly based on the top three floors of the University Library building. Acting Dean Peter Watts confirmed in 2004 that after departments in the Faculty of Business and Economics vacate the main "100" sector to relocate to the Owen G Glenn Building, the Law School will relocate to the area currently occupied by the Commerce A, Commerce B and Upper/Lower Lecture Theatre buildings. The Davis Law Library will take up residence in Old Choral Hall after an extensive refit, and it is intended that it will contain some of the most advanced mooting facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.
While the project was due to be completed by 2009, when the Law School's current lease with the Melanesian Mission Trust expires, the delay in completing the Owen G Glenn Building and subsequently the vacating of the area earmarked for the new law school development, have cast this timeline into doubt. Law school lecturers have subsequently confirmed to students that it is highly likely the University will exercise its five year right of renewal in its lease with the Melanesian Mission Trust, meaning that the new law school will not be completed until, at its earliest, 2014.
An elected student body, the Auckland University Law Students Society (AULSS Website), represents students and helps organise social events such as "Steins", publication of the serious academic Law Review, an annual Law Revue
, mooting competitions, and participation in sports and events such as the Round the Bays fun run. Law students traditionally dominate both competition and administration of both the Auckland University Debating Association and the Auckland Debating Association.
In 2007, University of Auckland students won three of the four competitions at the New Zealand Law Students Association conference in Christchurch: mooting, client interviewing and witness examination. This qualified the mooting and client interviewing teams to represent New Zealand at the worlds in each of their respective disciplines - the mooting team to the 2008 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
in Washington DC, and the client interviewers to the 2008 worlds in Bangalore, India. New Zealand, as represented by the University of Auckland mooters, advanced to the quarterfinals in Washington before being defeated by the University of New South Wales
on a split bench; the best result for an Auckland team in Washington for at least the last ten years.
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
. It forms part of the city campus but is separate from what is termed the "main campus" which spreads across four blocks, two on each side of Symonds Street. In contrast, the Law School sits between Waterloo Quadrant and Eden Crescent, in buildings formerly used by the High Court of New Zealand
High Court of New Zealand
The High Court of New Zealand is a superior court of New Zealand. It was established in 1841 and known as the Supreme Court of New Zealand until 1980....
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. Prior to that, the land was used by an ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
manufacturer, leading to its nickname "the ice cream factory". One courtroom has been retained unaltered for moots
Moot court
A moot court is an extracurricular activity at many law schools in which participants take part in simulated court proceedings, usually to include drafting briefs and participating in oral argument. The term derives from Anglo Saxon times, when a moot was a gathering of prominent men in a...
.
The law school is accessible by a right of way down a small hill from Waterloo Quadrant. Originally, this was only a mud track nicknamed the Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh
Hồ Chí Minh , born Nguyễn Sinh Cung and also known as Nguyễn Ái Quốc, was a Vietnamese Marxist-Leninist revolutionary leader who was prime minister and president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam...
trail but this was paved when the Davis Law Library was completed and replaced Eden Crescent as the main entrance into the Law School grounds.
Until 1991, the Law school was formerly based on the top three floors of the University Library building. Acting Dean Peter Watts confirmed in 2004 that after departments in the Faculty of Business and Economics vacate the main "100" sector to relocate to the Owen G Glenn Building, the Law School will relocate to the area currently occupied by the Commerce A, Commerce B and Upper/Lower Lecture Theatre buildings. The Davis Law Library will take up residence in Old Choral Hall after an extensive refit, and it is intended that it will contain some of the most advanced mooting facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.
While the project was due to be completed by 2009, when the Law School's current lease with the Melanesian Mission Trust expires, the delay in completing the Owen G Glenn Building and subsequently the vacating of the area earmarked for the new law school development, have cast this timeline into doubt. Law school lecturers have subsequently confirmed to students that it is highly likely the University will exercise its five year right of renewal in its lease with the Melanesian Mission Trust, meaning that the new law school will not be completed until, at its earliest, 2014.
Student activities
The University of Auckland Law School is the home of volunteer (pro-bono legal services) organisation, the Equal Justice Project (www.equaljustice.co.nz). Founded in 2005, with approximately 120 members it is one of the largest pro bono organisations in New Zealand.An elected student body, the Auckland University Law Students Society (AULSS Website), represents students and helps organise social events such as "Steins", publication of the serious academic Law Review, an annual Law Revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, mooting competitions, and participation in sports and events such as the Round the Bays fun run. Law students traditionally dominate both competition and administration of both the Auckland University Debating Association and the Auckland Debating Association.
In 2007, University of Auckland students won three of the four competitions at the New Zealand Law Students Association conference in Christchurch: mooting, client interviewing and witness examination. This qualified the mooting and client interviewing teams to represent New Zealand at the worlds in each of their respective disciplines - the mooting team to the 2008 Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, also known as the Jessup, is the largest and most prestigious moot competition in the world, attracting participants from over 500 law schools in more than 100 countries in recent years. The competition is a simulation of a fictional...
in Washington DC, and the client interviewers to the 2008 worlds in Bangalore, India. New Zealand, as represented by the University of Auckland mooters, advanced to the quarterfinals in Washington before being defeated by the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
on a split bench; the best result for an Auckland team in Washington for at least the last ten years.