Castan Centre for Human Rights Law

Human Rights Career Series

The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law runs a Human Rights Career Series for students.  The aim of the series is to educate students about the many career pathways open to human rights lawyers and the career progression of human rights lawyers, as guidance for students planning their careers.  The Centre invites one or two guests each semester to speak to students about aspects of their human rights career progress, including their studies, volunteer work, etc, as well as discussing some interesting aspects of their current and past human rights work. To date our speakers have been:

2008

Vanessa Zimmerman, Legal Adviser to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Business and Human Rights

Vanessa Zimmerman is a legal adviser to Professor John Ruggie, the Special Representative of the United Nations’ Secretary General on Business and Human Rights (SRSG). She advises on issues of international and national law related to his SRSG mandate and to date has focused on the role of states in regulating and adjudicating corporate activities with respect to human rights.  Vanessa has a B.A. and LL.B. (Hons.) from Monash University and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School. She has worked as a solicitor in the competition law group at Mallesons Stephen Jaques and as a corporate lawyer at Telstra. Vanessa has also worked with the Australian Delegation to the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
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2007

Shanta Martin, Mining Ombudsman and Extractive Industries Co-Ordinator, Oxfam Australia

Shanta Martin is a specialist in corporate accountability for human rights and an International law and litigation expert. Before commencing with Oxfam, Shanta worked in Argentina and Guatamala with organisations dedicated to improving environmental and labour standards.  Prior to that, she was convenor of the Amnesty International Corporate Responsibility Group in Melbourne and founding coordinator of the Mallesons Stephen Jacques Human Rights Law Group.  Shanta has Bachelor of Laws and Science degrees from Monash University and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne.
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Phil Lynch, Director, Human Rights Law Resource Centre

The Human Rights Law Resource Centre is Australia's first specialist human rights legal service. The Centre was established in January 2006 to promote and protect human rights in Australia through the practice of law. From 2001 to 2005, Philip was the founding Coordinator of the PILCH Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic which was conferred with the Australian Human Rights Law Award in 2005. Philip has also worked as a commercial lawyer with Allens Arthur Robinson. Philip has practiced and written widely in the areas of human rights, homelessness and corporate social responsibility. He is an Editor of the Alternative Law Journal and a Board member of the Federation of Community Legal Centres.
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Gideon Boas, International Humanitarian Law Lecturer

Gideon Boas lectures in International Humanitarian Law in the postgraduate program at Monash University. In addition, he is Senior Consultant to Potter Farrelly & Associates in matters of electronic litigation and justice, and aided the review of new charges for David’s Hicks defence. In 1998, Gideon was appointed to the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. From 2004-06, he was Senior Legal Officer to the Tribunal, and was responsible for the management of the Trial Chamber. Gideon was previously International Humanitarian Law Officer to the Australian Red Cross. He has recently completed his PhD upon the ‘Conduct of International Criminal Proceedings’. Gideon completed his LLM at the University of Melbourne in 2000.
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2006

Reena Ghelani, Deputy Head of Office, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Prior to her appointment at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Reena worked in other UN positions, including as a Protection Officer in Iraq for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and as a Protection/Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). Outside of the UN, Reena has also worked as a Programme Officer for AusAID, and as a Child Protection Officer for the Department of Human Services in Melbourne. Reena is in the process of completing a Masters in International and Public Law at Melbourne University and has completed a Bachelor of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts at Monash University.

Fiona McLeay, General Counsel at World Vision, Australia
Prior to Fiona's appointment in February 2006 as General Counsel at World Vision, Australia's largest private aid and development NGO, she was Special Counsel at law firm Clayton Utz.  In addition to working in the firm's construction and engineering group, she coordinated the pro bono program of the Melbourne office of the firm, and developed and directed Community Connect, the firm's corporate citizenship program.  In 2004-05, Fiona attended New York University Law School and completed an LLM in Global Public Service Law.  Prior to that, she completed an LLM in international law at the University of Melbourne.  She graduated with a LLB from the University of New South Wales in 1995 and also has a BA (Hons) from Melbourne University.
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Madeline Garlick, Senior EU Affairs Officer, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Brussels
Madeline is responsible for liaison with the European Union institutions and the EU Member States on behalf of the UN refugee agency, she provides advice and input to the EU on asylum and refugee law, practice and policy. The work focuses on promoting the development of EU and national laws on asylum which are consistent with international standards, including the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention. She has previously been involved with UN peacekeeping and political affairs in Cyprus, and with the Office of the High Representative in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Nicole Hogg, Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross regional delegation for the Pacific
Her role is to assist governments in the region to ratify and implement international treaties relating to International Humanitarian Law.  Previously Nicole worked for the ICRC as a protection delegate in Israel and the Occupied Territories and in the volatile western region of Ivory Coast. Nicole undertook her Law/Arts degree in Melbourne, finishing in 1995, after which she spent several years practising in Melbourne as a commercial lawyer.  In 2000-2001, she studied a Master of Laws at McGill University in Canada, specialising in human rights law and international criminal law.  Her Master's thesis topic was on Women Accused of Genocide in Rwanda, for which she spent several months conducting research with female detainees, lawyers and survivor groups in Rwanda, and visited the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania. Upon her return to Australia in 2002, Nicole worked as a research solicitor at the Law Institute of Victoria, managing the Administrative Law & Human Rights section, the Family Law Section and the International Law Briefing Committee.

2005

Kate Eastman, Human Rights Barrister
Kate has practised as a barrister in Sydney since 1998. After completing a Masters of Laws in International Human Rights Law in London she returned to work as a solicitor at Allen Allen & Hemsley during which time she acted for asylum seekers detained at the Port Hedland Detention Centre.  In 1995 Kate joined the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and advised on a range of discrimination and human rights issues.  Kate was co-founder and President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and is the Australian alternate member to the International Human Rights Law and Practice Committee of the International Law Association.
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Claire Harris, Barrister
From January 2002 nto February 2003 Claire was the Legal Officer in the Office of the Prosecutor at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia assigned principally to the case of Prosecutor v Milosevic and was responsible for legal submissions on substantive and procedural matters, analysis of the law and evidence relating to segments of the case, interviewing and proofing witnesses, drafting motions on interlocutory matters, appearing as junior counsel in hearings.
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Phoebe Knowles
Phoebe was Legal Assistant to a Defence Lead Counsel at the Special Court for Sierra Leone from June - December 2004.  In this position she was required to manage defence legal strategy, including investigations of prosecution allegations of war crimes.  Previously she was an intern in the Defence Office in Sierra Leone, responsible for liaison with certain detainees, and research of salient international law issues as well as procedural and evidential issues.  She is in a unique position to offer insights regarding the workings of this latest international criminal court.
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Shane Scanlon, International Rescus Committee, Geneva
Shane works for IRC's "surge project", a partnership with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees designed to strengthen the refugee law capabilities of UNHCR.  Prior to this, he was IRC's Project Coordinator for its relief and development program in eastern Sudan.  He has also volunteered for the Red Cross in Colombia and Geneva and began his career as a lawyer for Minter Ellison after graduating from Monash University.

Jim Backwell, Amnesty International
Currently Jim is the Community Campaigns Manager for Amnesty International Australia.  Prior to Amnesty he worked for 6 years in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement including a mission to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a Legal Coordinator.
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Kobi Leins
Kobi is an ex student who is doing human rights work but cannot give a paper in our Human Rights Career Series as she is overseas, however she has given us her essay 'Careers in Human Rights: A Brief Background to pursuing Human Rights Related Work'.

2004

Richard Clarke, August 24 
"Careers in Human Rights: UN Human Rights Officer in Colombia"
Richard Clarke graduated from the Law Faculty at Monash University in the early 1990's and is now a Human Rights Officer for the Colombian Office of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  He has completed a Masters of Law at the Australian National University (Canberra) and works with numerous human rights non-governmental organisations in South America. 
Seminar summary