Reflections on belonging and a law student pledge

In 2017, the School of Law at the University of Wollongong commenced an experimental initiative through the introduction of a Law Student Pledge. It was designed as a symbolic statement to students that from the day they begin their law studies they become a member of the legal professional community. In this way, it invited First Year Students to commit to core values, attitudes and practices seen as important to developing a positive professional identity. This article reports on learnings following the implementation of the Pledge over 3 iterations and reflects upon its impact on shaping students’ sense of belonging. As an empirical project, this research incorporates both the student voice as well as the academic perspective, via the methodology of reflective practice. The research will consider whether the Pledge provided an opportunity for students to engage in a community of shared identity or became a perceived ‘imposed’ requirement to belong

Facebook and a fair trial: caution, challenge and contradiction

This article explores the often fraught intersections between social media, fair trial principles and community engagement with high-profile crimes. Specifically, a detailed analysis is undertaken of the Facebook response to the arrest of Adrian Ernest Bayley for the murder of Ms Gillian (Jill) Meagher in Victoria, Australia in 2012. As one of the first Australian crimes to receive a significant social media response, this research provides empirical insights into the dynamic and evolving relationship between social media, the community and criminal trials. By drawing on a critical discourse analysis of over 3,000 comments on the R.I.P Jill Meagher Facebook page, this article identifies and critiques a \u27Discourse of Challenge\u27 in which digital communication enabled the reinterpretation of legal principles. Further, this article provides empirical insights into the meaning-making processes of Facebook discourses and focuses on how fair trial principles are contested on Facebook in novel and, at times, contradictory, ways

\u27So the justice system was to blame yet again\u27: Discourses of betrayal and retribution on Facebook

There is a significant body of research exploring the participatory capacity of social media across a range of public arenas, including political movements, environmental issues, local government and non-profit advocacy. As interactive and user-generated spaces, social media offers dynamic potential to discuss, contest and engage in public life. This article contributes to the emerging field of research examining the opportunities for public engagement with criminal justice processes and issues through social media. In particular, the focus of this article is exploring how understandings of criminal justice institutions and criminal punishment are constructed and circulated within social media. To do so, the research draws on a case study of the Facebook response to the murder of Ms Gillian (Jill) Meagher and the arrest of Adrian Ernest Bayley in Victoria, Australia in 2012. Through a qualitative critical discourse analysis of 3200 posts on the Facebook page, RIP Jill Meagher, the article uncovers broader discourses on crime and justice facilitated by social media.

The role of a Law Student Pledge in shaping positive professional and ethical identities: a case study from Australia

Law Student Oaths, Honour Codes and Pledges have been variously used as a way to communicate and regulate standards of law student behaviour and to inculcate them into the ethical and professional values and attitudes seen as important for future legal professionals, such as a commitment to honesty and integrity. Variations of Oaths, Codes and Pledges are used extensively in America and in many other parts of the world. However, they have never really featured in the Australian university landscape. This article reports on the introduction of a Law Student Pledge as part of the first year law experience at the University of Wollongong (UOW) in New South Wales, Australia. Through focus groups held with students, feedback from first year teaching staff, and through a practice of collaborative review, this article reports on the impact, benefits and challenges of introducing the Pledge at UOW, as well as the research team\u27s learnings and the future development of the Pledge