Alex Farrar
Corporate Lawyer
Australian Children's Television Foundation
Graduate Diploma in Communications Law
Why did you choose to undertake a graduate degree in Law?
As a junior lawyer I sometimes felt that my career path was shaped less by my interests, than by the needs of my employer. Eighteen months after being admitted, I felt like I had to make some changes to get my career back on track. One of those changes was returning to uni to refocus my specialisation.
Why did you choose Melbourne Law School?
My choice to study at Melbourne was as much to do with convenience as with the university's reputation. Because Melbourne is located near the CDB and offers intensively-taught subjects, I am able to balance half-time study with full time work.
Describe your career pathway - what is your current role and how did you get to where you are?
After completing articles I worked as a commercial litigator at a mid-tier firm. I loved appearing in court and working on litigation strategy, but the subject matter often left me cold. I grabbed every bit of defamation or IP that came my way, and was eventually able to make a case for my employment at a Corporate Lawyer with the Australian Children's Television Foundation.
The ACTF is a not for profit organisation which focuses on the development of quality, entertaining media for Australian children. As a corporate lawyer, my role is varied; covering bits of everything from the company's leases, IP and funding, through to specialised policy and advocacy work in the media sector.
Describe your experience of studying in the Melbourne Law Masters. What have been the highlights so far?
My classes have all been taught by people who are leaders in their field. Importantly, my lecturers are often practitioners as well as academics, and the focus as much on practical application as theory. I was lucky enough to be taught Defamation Law by one the USA's leading defamation lawyers, Rod Smolla. Rod was able to use his real-life experience representing Larry Flint, MoTown artists and the Borat film's unwilling stars to illustrate theoretical points in his lectures.
What are you planning to do when you have completed your degree? Where do you think your degree will take you?
I am considering extending my Grad Dip into a Masters, which would mean another year's part time study.
My further study has already been very useful in my current job. As an example, I wrote a paper on the Australian-United States Free Trade Agreement's impact on the broadcast of local children's content on subscription television, which has provided ammunition for the ACTF's proposal for the establishment of an Australian digital children's television channel.
I am not sure where my Grad Dip will take me in future, but I know I'll never have to return to insolvency litigation!
What advice do you have for others considering undertaking a graduate degree in Law at Melbourne?The Masters program is more demanding than most students expect it to be. Assessment for each subject typically runs to around 10,000, which takes hours to read, let alone write! You need to be wiling and able to knuckle down - but if you are, you can come away with a thorough understanding of complex and cutting-edge subjects.
Have you used any of the support services available to students in the Melbourne Law Masters (such as our academic support programs etc)? If so, what were your experiences with these services?
No, I haven't.