Moot Court Bench Member - Semester II, 2009

Chief Justice

stephen.jpgStephen Olynyk

 Stephen Olynyk is currently in his third year of his Juris Doctor degree at Murdoch University. Prior to studying law at Murdoch he completed a Bachelor of Arts at Notre Dame Australia majoring in Politics and Behavioural Science.

Stephen first became involved in mooting in the 2007 Junior Mooting competition. Stephen was a member of Murdoch’s Manfred Lachs International Space Law Moot team in 2009. Outside of university Stephen enjoys (and fails abysmally at) getting out on an indoor soccer pitch and is a recovering Guitar Hero addict.

Excutive Justice

felicity.jpgFelicity Cecil

 Felicity Cecil is currently in her penultimate year of a Juris Doctor degree. In 2006 she completed a Bachelor of Health Science at UWA majoring in Population Health and Cellular Physiology. She has been a keen advocate of mooting since first year, reaching the semi-finals in Junior mooting. Felicity was a member of the 2009 Murdoch team for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. She would like to encourage mooting at Murdoch as she believes it really helps students develop important academic and practical skills, which she feels will give them an edge later in life.

Associate Justice

azlan.jpgAzlan Mohamed Noh

 Azlan Mohamed Noh is currently in his penultimate year of a double degree in law and mass communication majoring in journalism. He has competed in junior mooting, trial advocacy and was second place in the 2009 Freehills Senior Mooting Competition where he was runner-up. As a consequence, Aslan represented Murdoch University in the ALSA Mooting Competition.

Azlan sought to join the Moot Court Bench so that he could participate in all aspects of organising a moot and hopes to go one step further in Senior Mooting in 2010. Azlan is also currently in Murdoch University’s 2009-2010 Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team. He is also a member of the Social Justice Committee. Outside of university, Azlan enjoys playing music.

rebecca_chiay.jpgRebecca Chia

 Rebecca Chia is currently studying in her second year of a law degree. She first became interested in mooting when she participated in the Junior Mooting Competition in her first year. She consequently decided to join Moot Court Bench in order to participate in more mooting activities and develop stronger mooting and oral advocacy skills.

Rebecca believes mooting and oral advocacy are skills that can only be developed through participation in the school competitions or certain units held in school, and she encourages students to gain an unforgettable experience by taking part in them.

alysha_dinardo.jpgAlysha Dinardo

 Alysha Dinardo  joined Moot Court Bench in the third year of her combined Law/Politics and International Studies degree. She developed a passion for mooting during the 2007 Junior Mooting Competition, in which she was a finalist.

Alysha is currently participating in the Negotiations Competition. She also hopes to participate in an International Moot Competition in the near future. Alysha looks forward to a career as a lawyer concentrating on commercial law and international law. Outside of university, Alysha socialises and reads too much.

mitchell_earnshaw.jpgMitchell Earnshaw

 My name is Mitchell Earnshaw, and I'm proud to be a member of Murdoch Universities Moot Court Bench. I am currently in my 2nd year of a straight Bachelor of Law degree, and I'm not afraid to admit that I am enjoying it.

I was a member of Murdoch Universities 2009 'Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot', along with ShuYing Wee and Stephen Olynyk. The experience I gained from being a member of an international mooting team was priceless, and I can confidently say I have developed from participating in the event. I hope I can share my experiences with prospective mooters, and help others develop the way that I have through mooting.

rebecca_browder.jpgRebecca Browder

 I am currently in my final year of a straight Law degree and intend to graduate in the middle of 2010. As a member of Moot Court Bench, I aim to promote mooting within the Law school. I believe that mooting is an invaluable avenue for Law students to gain advocacy skills and refine their verbal and written communication skills. I have been involved in mooting since my first year and recently made it to the semi-finals in senior mooting. I hope to compete in another moot competition before I graduate.

For the past year I have been employed as a Paralegal at Legal Aid. This position requires me to interview and give preliminary advice to clients. Although this position can be challenging, it has allowed me to gain practical and valuable experience in the Law. In addition to this I enjoy watching and flying planes, playing (well attending) Tennis, and spending time with friends and family.

ashleigh_callahan.jpgAshleigh Callahan

 Ashleigh Callahan is in her penultimate year of a double degree in Law and Commerce. She joined the Moot Court Bench to participate in Murdoch's many mooting competitions and to develop her own advocacy skills. Ashleigh has previously worked as a graphic designer in advertising. She is looking to combine this experience with law, looking for a future law career in intellectual property and advertising issues relating to branding, marketing, advertising and product promotion. She believes that a key component of this is litigation and wishes to develop her advocacy skills. Ashleigh is also the current Publicity Executive of MSLS and enjoys being involved in the student community within the law school. Outside of law, Ashleigh has a passion for the arts she enjoys painting, figure skating, ballet and photography.

ryan_van_der_merwe_.jpgRyan van der Merwe

 Ryan van der Merwe is in his second year of law at Murdoch. He first became interested in the world of mooting after competing in the Blake Dawson Junior Mooting Competition and reaching the finals. Ryan hopes that his current involvement with the Moot Court Bench will serve as a pathway to competing in future international moots. Ryan's other interests include playing sport (mainly soccer), watching TV and folding paper cranes.

stacey.jpgStacey Watts

 Stacey Watts is currently in her second year of a double law/commerce degree. She was first exposed to mooting in the Australian Legal Systems Practice Moot and in Junior Mooting. Stacey looks forward to applying for an international moot in future years.

Stacey enjoys playing the piano and is becoming even more of a Turbo Jam fan every day (Turbo Jam is a type of exercise mixing kickboxing with dance).