Victoria
University
School of Law
Melbourne, Australia
4 – 7 July 2005
The ALTA 2006
Conference is to be held over three and a half days from 4th
to 7th July 2006 at the Victoria Law School, Queen
Street, Melbourne. Victoria University Law School is delighted
to host the event for 2006 in a heritage building in the heart
of the legal precinct.
The Theme for the
Conference is:
Legal Knowledge:
Learning, Communicating and Doing
ALTA 2006 is an
opportunity for law teachers and other legal professionals
(including librarians, administrators, publishers,
practitioners, policy makers) to discuss the changing nature of
their ‘knowledge work’.
There are to be four
common sessions with speakers and panels from both national and
international institutions. The keynote speaker is Professor
Bryant Garth, Dean of the School of Law at South Western
University in California and until recently Executive Director
of the American Bar Foundation. In addition to his extensive
administrative experience, Bryant Garth has conducted a series
of wide ranging original research projects. Spanning different
eras and regions of the world, they focus on the role of lawyers
in shaping legal knowledge and legal systems. We will be
announcing other speakers shortly.
The topics for the
common sessions are as follows:
-
Legal knowledge:
How is legal knowledge learnt and communicated? Who gains
legal knowledge and is it important to power and
participation?
-
Achieving research
quality: What do the changing definitions and rankings of
research mean for legal academics and law schools? How do
we make the most of the changes while maintaining our
academic vocation? How do they fit with the needs of legal
publishers and readers?
-
Preparing for
legal practice: Are the intellectual and human capital
demands of legal practice increasing? Do cross-cultural
sensibilities and social responsibilities provide an
advantage, both in the commercial and community sectors?
What would a national law curriculum include?
-
Issues Session
Interest Groups
The Conference
organisers are also keen to encourage papers to be presented at
the interest group sessions. Papers reflecting the broad theme
of the conference are particularly encouraged. However, law
teachers and other participants are also invited to present on
other topics relevant to all the various interest groups. We
want to see as many participants as possible.
The social calendar
for the Conference will provide you with a culinary, cultural
and intellectual experience. The Conference programme will
include a reception and two dinners. Details will be placed on
the website in the coming weeks.
If you still have the
energy, there are optional day excursions to some of Melbourne
and Victoria’s main tourist attractions; whether, it be
historical Melbourne and its legal district, the Art Gallery or
Federation Square that you wish to visit. Or perhaps you wish to
travel further to the Great Ocean Road, gold fields of Ballarat,
Healesville Sanctuary or the taste temptation of the Yarra
Valley wineries; simply ask the Conference organisers and it can
be arranged. July is winter in Melbourne, although the past few
years have seen mild temperatures and little rain. One can
expect to experience all seasons during the duration of the
conference.
Getting into Melbourne
from the airport could not be easier; the Skybus shuttle leaves
every 30 minutes.
We look forward to
seeing you soon!
The ALTA 2006
Conference Committee
Victoria Law School
