HUMANITIES

YEAR 11 LEGAL STUDIES COUNTY COURT INCURSION

On Friday 26 November our two Year 11 Legal Studies classes gathered together to dial in to a ‘Zoom’ session with the County Court. 

Ordinarily, teachers of VCE Legal would be able to take students into the city to observe a trial in action and meet with a judge as part of the Court Education program. However, thanks to COVID, many trials are now happening remotely or have been delayed. 

Students were fortunate enough to meet with Her Honour Judge Samantha Marks of the County Court who is a judge working in the commercial division of the County Court. We also spoke with her associate who gave us some background into her work and her tertiary studies leading her into a career in the law. While it took a little while for the students to warm up in the unusual setting, they asked brilliant, insightful questions and gained further understanding of civil law and the court system. 

Many students who undertake VCE Legal Studies at McKinnon have aspirations to study law at university and a great number of past students have gone on to pursue careers in the legal system. It was clear that after our session with Judge Marks, there will be many more students inspired to follow a career in law.

Angela Masterson 

KLA Manager of Humanities and VCE Legal Studies Teacher

If you have ever watched Judge Judy, you may have wondered how she got there, how she feels about her job, and what it actually involves. Most people will never get the chance to speak to a real judge (unless you get arrested) - luckily for the Year 11 Legal Studies classes, we had the opportunity to listen to Judge Samantha Marks of the County Court, who was able to answer all of our questions via zoom. 

Although we weren't able to go to the Court itself as a result of the restrictions, we were able to have more time to speak with her rather than spending all of our time getting through security! Judge Marks was enthusiastically welcomed by our classes, and we listened eagerly as she explained her role to us. Wonderful questions were asked regarding what it means to be a judge, how to get there, how she herself got there, whether she was interested in law from a young age and many more. 

We learnt that to be a judge, you have to go through many years of work, and in Judge Mark's case, through over 20 years of service to the law through being a barrister. She said that being a judge is a great honour, yet it can often be a difficult job, as you have to be impartial at all times, and must disappoint one party. Throughout her years however, she has enjoyed the processes of what being in the legal system has to offer, inspiring many in our class who want to become lawyers, as well as helping others reevaluate their future career options.

Interestingly, Judge Marks hasn't been in court since this time last year due to lockdown, yet this hasn't stopped her at all! Court sessions have been held through zoom, and in some respects, this challenge has been a great opportunity in allowing her to collaborate with people all over Australia rather than just those in Victoria. Speaking to Judge Marks was an amazing experience, which has opened up our eyes to where studying this subject could lead us to in the future.

Alyssa Nikolakopoulos (Year 11I)

The incursion with Judge Marks was both interesting and insightful and helped further explain the way in which the legal system works, as well as give us valuable inside knowledge. I learned about how to get a career in the law started, the proceedings of civil cases, and the differences between positions such as barristers and associates. 

Something that surprised me was how interesting civil law and dealing with civil proceedings can be, as we all know how interesting criminal law is through watching TV shows related to that. This session made me think about the impact that civil law has on our society, and how the legal system has changed in terms of gender equality, as Judge Marks compared the number of female judges when she first entered the legal system to currently. This was an amazing opportunity to further our legal knowledge and ask Judge Marks important questions that may not be covered by the curriculum.

Sophia Diegelmann (Year 11C)

Recently our Legal Class was able to experience an online incursion where we were able to talk to Judge Samantha Marks of the County Court. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised with the experience. The Judge's associate welcomed us first before Judge Samantha Marks joined the call. She was very friendly and enthusiastically answered all of the students' questions about her experience in the court and what the job entails. I truly enjoyed watching everyone ask the burning questions on their mind and get the answer they were looking for. This experience was odd as it was via a zoom call but overall I enjoyed the experience and it made me more interested in pursuing a job in the Legal field.

Bharath Balakrishnan (Year 11A) 

During my incursion with Judge Samantha Marks, she gave great insight into what it's like to work in the legal profession. I developed a very clear understanding on the responsibilities and the distinguishing features between acting as a judge and an associate. This incursion made me think about how judges have an extremely important responsibly, with having to always make the correct decision in court and how important it is to have all the information. I now know the realistic goals I would need to achieve so that I could have the opportunity to build a career in law and how there is an incredible range of jobs that I could do in the legal profession.

Tia Fischman (Year 10D)

The incursion with Judge Samantha Marks of the County Court made me question everything! I had gone into the session with about as much knowledge of the possibilities and roles within the legal system as Elle Woods before law school (and without much interest in such a career if I'm completely honest.) However, after listening to Judge Marks' genuinely passionate explanation of the many career paths within, and how much she herself enjoyed her time as a Barrister and now a Court Judge, really inspired me to seriously consider a career in law. Not only did Judge Marks keep me intrigued the whole time, but her clear adoration of her job, desire to educate, combined with her in depth connection and answers to the Year 11s questions was both impressive and again inspirational. I think Judge Marks surprised the entire room when she said she found Legal Studies at high school boring! However she also noted that the course has changed over time and, (with some first-hand experience) I can confidently say that Legal Studies at McKinnon is far from boring! At the end of the session, I myself and many others walked away having loved the opportunity, and inspired to release their inner Elle Woods (this time after law school!)

Kara Sak (Year 11K) 

On Friday 26 February, the Year 11 Legal Studies cohort attended a zoom session with Judge Samantha Marks of the County Court. During this session, we learnt about how Judge Marks makes her decisions relating to the outcome of cases and other factors that arise from being a Judge, such as the pressure and knowledge required. Judge Mark's perspective on being a Judge taught me that while it does come with some relative pressure, the ability to witness different sides of humanity and help enforce the justice system made the job worthwhile. What surprised me about this meeting however, is the fact that Judge Marks hated Legal Studies in High School! Yet despite this, Judge Marks was very passionate about her career, and definitely persuaded me to consider becoming a judge for my career. Overall, the session was very insightful and I highly recommend students in the future choose to do Legal Studies, as it is very enriching and interesting. 

Archie Redman (Year 11J)  

Fortunately, for the 1/2 Legal Studies classes, we all had the opportunity to speak with a County Court judge by the name of Judge Samantha Marks. It was a very interesting experience that told us more in-depth detail about the legal system, the types of people that you may work with and personal experiences from Judge Marks. One surprising aspect of the lesson was one case about a client who sued their hairdresser over the results of her hair. That was very interesting. Overall, I am grateful to have attended the zoom session despite the circumstances.

Rand Riman (Year 10K) 

I highly enjoyed the session and found it highly informative. I was surprised to see the engagement that the class had with the Judge and I was surprised at the conversation we ended up having in the session in regards to the question being asked and answered. I learnt a bit more about the legal system and the roles of different lawyers and people involved in a case. Lastly, the session made me think about what I can do to serve the law in the best way and to potentially, in the future, pursue a career in law.

Talia Glocer (Year 11E)

HISTORY

Over the past few weeks in History, classes across our year level have been diving into the topic of Ancient Australia. This fascinating subject was both interesting and fundamental; learning about how Mungo Man and Mungo Lady were archaeological evidence to prove the theory that Indigenous people have lived in Australia for more than 40,000 years, and how we know about Ancient Australia.

We studied and understood that the discoveries of Mungo Lady (1969) and Mungo Man (1974) told us more about the lifestyle, diet, health, and culture of one of the earliest humans in Australia. In addition, we have learned how modern Australians have been able to gather evidence and information through permanent structures left by ancient civilizations, oral traditions, archaeological evidence, and the benefits of middens that were considered valuable for archaeologists. 

Overall, our knowledge and understanding of ancient Australia has expanded through various entertaining approaches.

Angela Zhang

Year 7 Student