Now is the time

Descriptive transcript

Good evening, and I'm very grateful that you're here tonight attending our virtual Annual Law Awards Ceremony. My name is Lesley Hitchens, and I'm the Dean of the Faculty of Law here at UTS.

Our Annual Awards Ceremony and Graduation Ceremonies are two of the highlights of the Law Faculty. Certainly for me, they're events that I look forward to in particular every university year. But sadly, this year, we have not been able to hold graduation, but we can at least do this small event to celebrate and to honour our students, and also those of you who generously support us through donations and through the other ways in which you support our students, whether it's through mentoring or teaching guest classes and so forth.

And so, I'm very grateful to have you here this evening, and I hope that you'll enjoy what will be quite a brief ceremony.

Before I go on, I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose ancestral lands our city campus now stands. I'd also like to pay respect to the Elders, both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for this land.

So as I said, it's a very great pleasure to welcome you here this evening, whether you're a student, a family or friend of the students, or you're a friend of UTS Law. And as I've said, importantly, having those of you who donate prizes to our students, you are especially welcome in making this ceremony, but also our prizes system, possible. We're especially grateful to you for your continuing generosity and interest in the Faculty of Law and our students. Your support is more important than ever.

As a faculty and as a university, we face some ever-growing challenges in the years ahead, as you'll be aware.

I'd like to particularly acknowledge and welcome this evening the Honourable Michael Kirby, AC, CMG, to our event. Michael Kirby has been a great friend to the Law Faculty and has continued over a number of years to mentor individual students, something he always takes very seriously. And I know that it can often be a life-changing experience for the students who are being mentored.

If I could just also remind you that this is being recorded this evening, and it will be available on our 2020 Law Awards Hub.

This year, I think perhaps it's more important than ever to stop and acknowledge the remarkable achievements of you, our students. We want you to know that we admire your resilience, your adaptability, and your desire to succeed, no matter what obstacles are put in your path.

When our students start out, they think they have a long journey ahead of them, whether it's three, four, or five years. But it passes very quickly. And I never cease to be amazed that students I got to know in their first year, often in their first weeks, are, in what seems like a moment, now advanced students, or they've even graduated.

However, that connection doesn't stop there. One of the privileges as academics is to be able to see the successes of our graduates as they progress in their careers, and to remain connected with them as alumni, and through the many ways in which they help the law faculty and our law students to flourish.

The faculty, too, has been active in developing opportunities for lifelong learning. And we hope that the short courses that we've been developing will be of benefit to our alumni.

And it's why I'm also pleased that tonight, we're able once again to have an alumnus of UTS Law as our guest speaker this year. It's another opportunity to mark the journey of our graduates, and to draw wisdom from them.

But I want to take this opportunity also to acknowledge the faculty's academic staff. It's their excellence in research and teaching, supported by our dedicated professional staff, that sustains the reputation of UTS Law. It's their commitment to the classroom that enables and inspires our students.

This year, I have been particularly impressed, amazed actually, and humbled by their resilience, by their ability to adapt quickly to the changing environment. They moved to online teaching within a week. And it seems as though there is a new situation and a challenge almost on a weekly basis. And yet they did that with a great spirit of collegiality, and of service to the faculty and to the students.

The demands of moving online, and for many of our colleagues, homeschooling at the same time, as well as travel limitations, have had an inevitable impact on research this year. And yet, despite these challenges, the faculty has continued its commitment to impact and social change.

Thus, colleagues have used their expertise to raise concerns about the impact of COVID on Indigenous Australians and prison communities, exploitation of international students through low forms of low wage labour, and potential international environmental disasters.

At the beginning of the year, we were very excited to move into our beautiful new faculty home, UTS Central. And I am sitting here in the building tonight, where I had hoped to be able to welcome you, so that you could see what a beautiful building it is. It's state of the art, it's contemporary, innovative, and just such a beautiful space. It's very much like our faculty. But sadly, at present, we've had very little opportunity to experience this. Within a month of moving here, we had to go into lockdown and work from home.

But we do hope in the near future, that we will be able to make full use of this space to welcome you, our students, guests and friends of the faculty, and to make it a hub for new and bold ideas within the precinct.

Tonight, we are here to celebrate our students' achievements. Whilst we can't celebrate you in person, and give you your moment to walk across the stage and receive your award, I want you to know that we recognise and applaud your hard work and perseverance. Your achievements reach across a broad spectrum, reflecting the key components of what we aim to achieve through the legal education we provide at UTS.

Many of the awards honour academic excellence. And of course, we value excellence, and we value the fact that our students are prepared to strive for that excellence, and to take pleasure in their learning and their achievements. But we also value the development of skills, skills that are necessary to ensure that our graduates are equipped to apply their knowledge as professionals.

Some of the awards acknowledge success in those skills, skills that are embedded within the formal curriculum, but also beyond through activities and competitions organised by the faculty and student body. As well, our awards recognise service that many of our students have made to the faculty and to the university and the wider community.

Leadership through service is an important value in our faculty. It is part of what it means to be a professional. And I'd like here just to acknowledge two prizes that I always regard as very special at the annual awards ceremony. The first is the Dean's Leadership Prize. And that has been awarded this year to Ben Fong, who was president last year of the Law Students' Society. And the Dean's Service Prize, which has been awarded this year to Margaret Cai. And I will say a little bit about Margaret Cai in a moment so that you will get a sense of why she has been awarded that prize.

So the recognition that we give to students, whether it's through skills or extracurricular activities, through service and leadership, is as important as the recognition we give to all other awards. It's what being a law student at UTS means: disciplinary knowledge, professional skills, service.

To our students, my congratulations to all of you who are receiving awards this evening. And to our donors, family and friends, thank you also for your support to our students and to our faculty.

I hope as students this evening that you will take the time to reflect on your achievements. And in spite of all the difficulties we are facing at the moment, enjoy your success. And as I said, we're looking forward to the time when we can properly all be back together again in this beautiful faculty.

Now I would like to introduce you to Nicholas Saady, our speaker this evening. Nicholas joins us from California. He graduated from UTS with the University Medal and First Class Honours in 2018. He worked as a graduate lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills and then went on to study a Master of Laws at New York University Law School, where he has since graduated. He studied there on a Dean's Graduate Award Scholarship and the Elias Lieberman Fellowship. Nick will sit the New York Bar in September 2020 and commence working as a second year attorney in the Civil Litigation Group of Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York City in October 2020.

It's a great pleasure to have you here tonight. Nick, welcome.

Thank you, Lesley. I'll start with some good news. Tonight is a testament to your immense intelligence and skill. You've been aptly rewarded for your diligence and dedication. Savour the moment and enjoy it with your loved ones. The even better news is that your journeys have just begun.

If you're a first or second year student, you have a cacophony of subjects to go. If you're a latter year student or recent grad, you have a lifetime of work to go. Look forward to your paths ahead.

This pandemic has shown that so much needs to change in this world. Big questions have been raised about the role of government, the power of corporations, the importance of listening to experts, and social, racial and generational inequality. In addition to those big questions, we still face the challenges posed by climate change, white nationalism and human rights abuses, to name just a few.

We need to address those big questions and challenges. In the words of former US President Obama, now is the time where we need to prove that together, ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

But you are not just ordinary people. As UTS Law students and graduates, you stand in a privileged position. With such privilege comes responsibility. You now have a duty, and that duty is to make an impact. That's the first of my two messages to you tonight. Go out and make a positive impact on your communities, your country and your world. Taking on the big challenges and addressing those complex questions.

Your impact might be achieved through your academic work, pro bono work or legal practice. It might be big, it might be small. It might occur now, it might occur in a few years' time. Whatever it is, make sure that it counts.

Your education and experiences at UTS Law have equipped you with the capabilities to do this. You've been trained to think critically and constructively by the best academics and practitioners in Australia. You survived the readings. You survived the exams amidst the lure of the tab machines and the bars at Wentworth Park. You navigated the stream of interesting individuals at Central Station. You managed to stay healthy despite the delicious, steady stream of Asian restaurants in Haymarket. You balanced the risks of arriving too early at networking events with arriving early enough to get the best appetisers and firm merchandise. And then you got through a semester of what Fatboy Slim would call eat, sleep, study, lockdown and repeat.

And that leads me to my second message to you tonight. In the current climate, how can you successfully make a positive impact? A tough research question.

Using my impeccable research skills, I googled. I consulted the oracle of all worthwhile knowledge: UTS Law. Typing that into the Google search bar, I then found the UTS Law website. And the first thing I read was this: "A dynamic and innovative law school achieving great success for the quality of its legal education and research." In there, there are three critical, amazing words: dynamic, innovative and success.

Those three words are critical for you as you continue on your journeys and seek to positively impact the world. First, be dynamic. Don't be afraid to change things up, whether that be your career path, your interests or even your location. Your education at UTS has equipped you with the capabilities to adapt.

And innovate. Don't be afraid to be different. Whether that be through embarking on a unique area of legal practice, starting a non-profit or pro bono organisation, or investing your time in a start-up.

And then if you add another two factors to the four-factor balancing exercise which you'd be accustomed to, which are hard work and perseverance, you'd be on the way to the third word: success. Dynamism, innovation, hard work and perseverance. Like the maxims of equity, ingrain those four words into your brain and you'll be on the path to success.

Now, some of what I'm saying might seem a bit crazy to you. It might seem out of reach. Let me tell you that it's not. If there's any imposter syndrome, drop it now. I can remember it eating away at me during my time as a student. Questions like, "Should I be here? How did I get that mark? Am I good enough?" The answers to all of those questions are yes.

Just remember, Michael Jordan was cut from his varsity basketball team during his sophomore year. Bill Gates' first company failed miserably. Einstein couldn't get a job for two years after he graduated. And J.K. Rowling's first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 different publishers.

Now, you are some of the brightest legal minds in our country. Remember that. Let it inspire you as you embark upon the remainder of your legal careers and your degrees here at UTS. You're going to need every ounce of confidence in the current world. It's not an easy place.

But you need to look on the bright side. The radically different reality in which we now live presents opportunities for you to be dynamic, innovative, and successful.

As well-educated and driven youth who are willing to work hard and persevere, now is the perfect time for you. So, as UTS Law students and graduates, let's shake things up. Let's make an impact. And in doing so, remember that we're in this together.

This world-class institution has created an unbreakable bond between us. We stand together as UTS Law. We will work together as UTS Law. And ultimately, we will make a positive impact as UTS Law. Congratulations again and enjoy tonight.

The future is bright for all of you. Now, together, let's go forth as a new generation of dynamic and innovative individuals. And let us dream of a future where our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren look back on us with gratitude that we were successful in fulfilling our duty to positively impact our communities, our country, and our world.

Nick, thank you so much for that. I'm pleased to see that despite having the achievements of a university medal, you were still able to understand all the other aspects of life as a student around UTS, such as the food offerings and so forth. I'm glad none of the experience was lost on you. But more importantly, thank you for the words that you've just conveyed, because we are facing really challenging problems, I think. And yet, I see amongst our students just incredible opportunities for having impact for change. And I really encourage students to think beyond that. And you, I know, Nick, are a great example yourself of someone who is not only focused on study, but really thought about the future impact that you can have, and for example, how you can support other students coming through as well. So thank you again.

Thanks, Lesley. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.

And we probably should doubly thank you, because I think it's about midnight where you are.

So we're very grateful. I want to now turn to Margaret. And Margaret is one of our current students. And as you heard, Margaret was awarded the Dean's Service Prize this year. She's currently President of the Australian Law Students' Association, which is the body that brings together law student societies from across Australia. And I know personally that she has been very active in bringing change this year, and ensuring that students have a voice on significant issues affecting their future careers, and so forth.

She is currently a finalist in the 2020 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Student of the Year category. And we've all got our fingers crossed, Margaret, for that outcome. We're yet to hear the results. And you will have seen as well that she, or you may not have seen, but she also appears this evening on the Dean's Merit List, which is the first time that we have had a Dean's Merit List. And so we're very excited to see the students who are appearing as part of that recognition as well.

So I'd like to hand over to Margaret now. Thank you.

Thanks so much for that, Lesley. Thank you, everyone, for having me today. And congratulations to every award recipient in this virtual room right now.

I've been invited to share a bit about my experiences at UTS, so I thought I'd start at the beginning. I first set foot in a UTS building almost six years ago, as an 18 year old with a bit too much attitude. The gravity of my first days at uni never really struck me until recently.

When I started, my plan was a simple one. I would study hard. I would hopefully make some friends. And after five years, I would graduate with two degrees that I'd probably forget about after I used them to land my first job. It was a very clinical approach to a university and law school that is anything but clinical.

This year, in my role as the President of the Australian Law Students' Association, I work with students from law schools across Australia. When I started my tenure, I had two main aspirations for ALSA. First, that we would become key stakeholders in the things that matter to us—issues like diversity, mental health, and bullying and sexual harassment in the legal profession. And second, that in advocating on what we expect in our law schools and the legal profession, we lead by example. It's a vision inspired by the things that UTS does very well.

Like all other industries this year, the legal profession has been punctuated by changes and challenges. While studying from home isn't an ideal situation to be in, I'm proud to be part of a law school that continues to show leadership in our community.

In the aftermath of the Dyson Heydon revelations, numerous members of our faculty were involved in an open letter to the Attorney-General calling for reforms to the way judges are disciplined and appointed.

In response to the impacts of COVID-19, the UTS Law Students' Society started an Elderly Pen Pals initiative, where students sent messages of support to senior members of the community.

And amongst many other things, there's been first-year speed mentoring events, online career seminars, and a new UTS Law podcast to keep us all connected and busy. Such purpose and resilience is a testament to the character of our law school and the people who contribute to it.

Now, although today is largely a celebration of our student cohort, I want to also extend that acknowledgement to all the members of our faculty. They're the people behind the scenes who constantly show up and support us.

Last year, I had the opportunity to represent UTS in Oxford at the International Intellectual Property Moot. Our coaches, Isabella and Ivana, spent months working to turn our team of three from a group who had no knowledge or experience in the area of law into a team that made the semifinals. They reviewed draft after draft of our submissions, sat through practice after practice, and while their names might not be on the slideshow today, they're the reason we made it as far as we did.

I don't think it's a stretch to say that everyone in this room will be able to think of lecturers, academics, other members of faculty that have motivated us to strive in ways that go beyond their job description.

Now, like many other students over the years, I found myself participating in things like social sport, competitions, and mentoring programs that I never thought I would have been involved in when I first started uni.

The truth is I'm always going to be indebted to this law school for some of the most remarkable experiences I've had and some of the most incredible people in my life. You know, of course, like many good love stories, I even met my boyfriend Jonathan at law camp.

It feels arbitrary then to reduce my time at UTS down to a handful of highlights, but I think there are some certainties in all these experiences that are not unique to me at UTS. The people we encounter are generous with their time, the environment that we study in is one where things like curiosity and teamwork help you thrive, and from day one, there's a social justice imperative that drives our community. These are the hallmarks of the culture at UTS.

And so while we might all be feeling a bit of Zoom fatigue right now, I think it's a really, really exciting time to be a UTS law student. Thanks.

Thank you so much, Margaret. And you, of course, have been a student who has been so involved. And it's wonderful to see. One of the things I love is to see that richness of student life and the way in which the initiatives that you and other students who are active through the Law Student Society and other activities, to see that initiative that you take.

And I want to say thank you as well for that really generous tribute to my colleagues, to the academic staff and for the work that they do. And it's perhaps a good opportunity for me to just mention also, again, you will see it on the screen, but unfortunately, we won't see the person on the stage.

We have an annual prize, which is awarded not to a student, but to one of our academic colleagues. And it's the Lyndall Taylor and Emma Holt Teaching Prize. And it's awarded to an academic who has made some special contribution to legal education. And I'm very pleased to announce this evening that it's Robin Bowley, who not only really puts a lot into the subjects that he teaches, but also who creates a lot of additional opportunities for students to experience what it might be like to think about how they apply law professionally, and so forth. So a particular tribute there tonight. And in fact, it's just coming up on the screen now to Dr Robin Bowley.

But thank you again, Margaret, and you, of course, and like so many of your cohort, are some of the students that are already having an impact and that we will watch with pleasure in future years. And so I'm glad that you got over that clinical approach to your law studies.

That concludes our evening now. And it would, of course, in other circumstances, we would be inviting you to some refreshments, but I hope that you might have an opportunity in your own homes to celebrate in the way that you think is appropriate, the achievements that have been acknowledged here tonight.

So thank you all for attending this unusual Law Awards Ceremony. Congratulations again to our students on behalf of the Faculty of Law and UTS.

Just to let you know, there will be a dedicated website with the details of all of tonight's award ceremony, the donors, the awards and the recipients, and that will be available next week. And we'll be emailing you a link to that website.

So for now, I will wish you a good evening. Once again, thank you. And I do hope that you and your families are all staying safe in this very difficult and uncertain time. Thank you again.