Moot Court Bench Member - Semester II, 2008

Chief Justice

samantha.jpgSamantha Lord

 Samantha Lord is in her second year of a law degree at Murdoch University. She developed a passion for mooting during the 2007 Junior Mootiing Competition where she reached the semi-finals. Now, as a member of the Moot Court Bench, she hopes to encourage fellow students to participate in Murdoch's many mooting competitions and to develop her own advocacy skills.

Samantha is also a MSLS Student Mentor. She has worked for Murcia Pestell Hillard Lawyers since she moved to Perth from the UK in 2006 and says that working for a law firm provides you with a great insight into the day to day work of a lawyer. In her spare time she has tutored students for their French oral exams, trained riders and their horses to compete at local and national levels and was the sponsorship organiser for a local horse riding club.

Excutive Justice

nick_summers.jpgNick Summers

 Nick Summers brings a wealth of experience to the Moot Court Bench. Nick was a member of the 2007-2008 Murdoch Jessup team for which he was also an oralist. This team was a quarter-finalist in the Australian rounds and also won the prize for best applicant memorial. Nick has extensive experience as a judge adjudicating internal mooting competitions. He is also a self-confessed football tragic, a member of and supporting the Fremantle Australian Football Club.

katie_batty.jpgKatie Batty

 Katie Battyjoined the Moot Court Bench in the second year of her combined Law/Politics degree. Last year she was Runner-Up in the Junior Mooting competition and will be representing Murdoch this year in the Intervarsity Junior Moot competition. She works as a paralegal at the Employment Law Centre, providing free legal advice to disadvantaged employees, which allows her to apply the law in a practical environment.
Katie will be competing in the Phillip C. Jessup Moot in Canberra in 2009 and is looking forward to the intense mooting experience she will gain from the competition. International human rights and animal rights law are two fields of law that are of particular interest to her and she hopes to advocate progressive law reform in these areas in the future.

Associate Justice

elliot_ryan.jpgElliot Ryan

 Elliot Ryan is currently in his penultimate year of law. He is the current Treasurer of the MSLS, and is also a member of the International Maritime Law Arbitration Moot team.

Elliot has only recently been involved with mooting, commencing with the Intellectual Property moot in 2007, where he was a finalist; he also reached the quarter-finals in the 2007 negotiation competition. Elliot practices a judicial decision making role outside university as a basketball referee, having recently attended his first National Championships and will begin his career on the State Basketball League panel. In his spare time, Elliot likes to play basketball, and also guitar and drums.

premila.jpgPremila Ratnam

 Premila Ratnam is currently in her 3rd year of a Law/Commerce double degree at Murdoch University. Premila’s interest in mooting developed after competing in the Junior Mooting in her first year in which she reached the semi-finals. Since then she has participated in the Senior Mooting competition and was also a member of Murdoch’s 2007/08 Phillip C. Jessup International Moot Team. Premila believes that mooting provides students with oral advocacy skills which cannot be learnt in any classroom. Outside of university, Premila also studies French, and is a keen Latin and Hip-Hop dancer.

emma_taylor.jpgEmma Taylor

 Emma Taylor is currently in her second year of a Law/Commerce (Human Resource Management) degree. As a member of the Moot Court Bench she aims to develop her own personal advocacy skills and, in addition, to encourage others to also become involved in mooting. Emma has competed in both Junior Mooting and Senior Mooting competitions and was awarded second place in the Senior Mooting competition in 2008. As a result Emma was invited to represent Murdoch University at the annual ALSA 2008 competition as part of the Murdoch Mooting team. The team qualified for the quarter finals and was placed in the top 8 of the mooting competition. Emma has also taken part in extra-curricular debating competitions at Murdoch University.

Outside of University Emma enjoys sport, in particular karate, which she has been doing for three years. She also has a passion for music, having performed with the West Australian Opera Company and at various venues around Australia.

andrew_tan.jpgAndrew Tan

 Andrew Tan  is in his 2nd year and is currently pursuing a double degree in a Bachelor of Law as well as a Bachelor of Commerce (Banking). After qualifying for the quarter finals for Junior Mooting in his freshmen year, his enthusiasm for mooting grew along with his hunger for an improvement in fundamental advocacy skills which are clearly crucial for lawyers.

Andrew hopes that his stay in the Moot Court Bench will broaden his horizons towards mooting and bring about countless memorable experiences. He beats the drums in his free time and would occasionally seek entertainment doing gardening.

marina_georgiou.jpgMarina Georgiou

 Marina Georgiou  is in her 2nd year of graduate law at Murdoch Law School. In 2006 she completed a Bachelor of Arts and Honours at UWA majoring in Political Science, History and European studies.

Marina first became involved in mooting at in the 2007 Junior Mooting Competition where she was a finalist. Marina is a member of Murdoch’s Phillip C. Jessup Moot team for 2009 and also works as a paralegal at the Employment Law Centre WA. Marina looks forward to a busy semester and can’t wait to be on the other side of the gavel at the Junior Mooting Competition.

fracer_roberts.jpgFraser Robertson

 Fraser Robertson is currently in the second year of a straight Law degree. He has been involved in mooting since his first year. He strongly believes mooting is one of the best ways that law students can train in advocacy and communication skills while at university.

Fraser is currently competing in Murdoch’s International Virtual Intellectual Property Moot. Fraser has been employed as a paralegal at Legal Aid WA since 2007. In his work he engages directly with clients. This can often be quite confronting and the ability to speak in a clear and concise manner is a skill essential to his work. Fortunately, it is also a skill that translates to and from mooting. As a member of the Moot Court Bench in 2008/2009 Fraser’s aim is to foster student advocacy within Murdoch University and to promote and mentor Mooting activities within the Law School.

A few of Fraser’s interests include paintball and installing custom car stereos. Fraser is also currently in the process of undergoing Officer Selection with the Australian Army Reserve.

bhavani.jpgBhavani Parameswaran

 Bhavani Parameswaran is in her penultimate year of a 6 year Law/Asian Studies (Specialist) double degree. A harrowing experience in Junior Mooting saw Bhavani depart the mooting scene for a few years. With great trepidation, she recommenced senior mooting in 2008 and advanced through to the semi-finals. While Bhavani now regrets her three year hiatus, she is enjoying all forms of competitions and encourages everyone to give them a go. She hopes to be able to share her newfound passion for mooting with others, helping to allay well-substantiated fears.

Bhavani is a strong advocate of ADR. She is a Research Assistant for the Western Australian Institute of Dispute Management. She is also a member of Murdoch’s International Law School Negotiation and Mediation team. When Bhavani is not debating contentious issues, she can be found espousing Japanese language, culture, and sign language.

aaron_de_jong.jpgAaron de Jong

 Aaron de Jong is in his second year of a Law degree. Aaron competed in the Junior Mooting competition in 2007 with distinction. He progressed to the semi-finals. Aaron had strong prospects for selection in the 2009 Murdoch team for the Manfred Lachs International Space Law Mooting team prior to Dr Nase taking leave. Aaron has a strong interest in advocacy and the art of judging and will make a valuable contribution to the MCB in 2008-2009. In mid-2009 Aaron hopes to study overseas at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.

sarah_dunkley.jpgSarah Dunkley

 Sarah Dunkley is in her 5th and final year of a Law/Psychology Double Degree. She has been a involved as a volunteer in many mooting competitions, including work for the International Intellectual Property Law Moot and the International Maritime Law Moot. Sarah also works for the Mental Health Law Centre and has learnt a lot of life lessons from the centers representation of some of the most disadvantaged members of our society.

Sarah hopes that her time as a member of the Moot Court Bench will teach her many of the exciting practical aspects of law so that her current passion for what she is studying can continue unabated. In her spare time Sarah enjoys drinking pina coladas and dancing in the rain.

shu_ying.jpgShu Ying Wee

 Shu Ying Wee is currently in her second year of a law degree. She has taken part in junior mooting and believes that being in the Moot Court Bench gives her the opportunity to be involved in various mooting activities, allowing her to gain invaluable experience, whilst contributing to the Moot Court.

Shu Ying feels that mooting helps broaden her scope of knowledge therefore she would like to encourage other students to participate in various moots. Also, Shu Ying believes these mooting activities would aid in the development of advocacy and research skills, which she deems as important for law graduates.