Year 12 Legal Studies
Her Honour Jane Patrick visits MSC students
Unit 3 Legal Studies examines the methods and institutions in the justice system and considers their appropriateness in determining criminal cases and resolving civil disputes. Students consider the Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Supreme Court within the Victorian court hierarchy available to assist with cases. A particular key knowledge point is the roles of the judge, jury, legal practitioners and the parties, and the ability of sanctions and remedies to achieve their purposes. We have studied many real cases and hypotheticals in class to help us evaluate the extent to which the principles of justice (fairness, equality and access) are upheld in the justice system.
To deepen our understanding of Unit 3, our Year 12 Legal studies class was visited by former Magistrate and County Court Judge, ‘Her Honour Jane Patrick’. The presentation which included an opportunity for Q&A, was indeed a personal, honest and informative discussion of Ms Patrick’s experience as both a former Magistrate and County Court Judge. Her role and experience as a Magistrate and Judge was explained with real life examples and scenarios which demonstrated when justice was achieved and times when it could have been done better. Fortunately, this was a great segue to the factors that affect the ability of the criminal and civil justice system to achieve the principles of justice and possible recommendations for reforms. The insightful discussion about the role of a Magistrate and Judge and extent to which the principles of justice are upheld as a result, was one that the students do not learn from a textbook.
A number of students bravely and eloquently asked questions during the Q&A part of the presentation. This reflected their positive level of engagement and modelled positive and active participation. From a teacher’s point of view, it is a proud moment when your students actively participate in an ‘opportunity of a life time,’ and also represent the voice of their peers, as I have no doubt many others in the room would have been thinking of asking a similar question.
Ms Jane Patrick emailed me after her visit and wrote: ‘… I enjoyed my time with your students very much. They definitely seemed to understand the subject matter and could relate what I was describing to what they had studied. If they do think of any other questions please feel free to email me and I’d be happy to visit again.’
Overall, the Year 12 Legal Studies students are to be congratulated for their punctuality, respectful and active participation. We are most grateful for Ms Patrick’s visit to MSC. Overall, the incursion proved to be motivational and an effective means of enhancing our classroom learning and curriculum.
Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC)
On Thursday, 1 August, Nick Gadd a member of the Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) and Lawyer Emma Larking visited Melton Secondary College and presented to the Year 12 Legal Studies class.
The role and impact of the Victorian Law Reform Commission is relevant to Outcome 2 in Unit 4 of the Study Design, so this incursion was most relevant and beneficial to the students.
The VLRC came into operation on April 2001. It is an independent, government- funded organisation. It was established to investigate areas of law in which government feels there is a need for reform and to monitor and coordinate law reform activity in Victoria.
Nick and Emma presented an engaging workshop explaining the role of the VLRC in influencing a change in the law, with reference to the contemporary example of The Role of Victims of Crime in the Criminal Process. The students gained a deeper understanding of the VLRC functions and process in law reform.
The Year 12 Legal Studies students are to be commended for their extensive note-taking, enthusiastic participation and respectful behaviour throughout the presentation.
