Notes from Editors
the
Nicole Wong
Editor-in-Chief
Unlike medical students, with whom
we are always lumped together for some unknown reason, law students have the unique
displeasure of constantly having to defend
our decision to enter our chosen field. So
this issue’s theme is exactly that: a defence
of the legal profession. 46 writers from the
law school have put together 84 pages of
articles detailing exactly why we choose to
do what we do. So the next time someone
asks you ‘why do you want to be a lawyer?’ in that all-too-familiar, slightly
disapproving tone, you’ll know exactly what to say!
This year, we also decided to take the magazine in a slightly different
direction. We wanted to give all students, incoming and outgoing, a little
slice of Bristol. We’ve included interviews with staff, articles written by
alumni, and pieces highlighting the unique law school experience - a celebration of this wonderful university and all it has to offer.
Of course, I cannot go without thanking my incredible editorial
team. Special thanks to my Managing Editor Jack who spent countless
hours and sleepless nights frantically putting this magazine together
with me. I honestly could not have asked for a more brilliant, talented or
enthusiastic group of students to work with. This experience has been
nothing short of amazing. I hope you enjoy this magazine as much as I
have.
Helen Peden
Senior Editor
Dicta is a unique opportunity for law students
to expand their academic
writings into the sphere of
legal journalism. In light
of the current economic
climate and upcoming reform by the Coalition
government, such journalism has never been
more important; encouraging proper scrutiny
of our ever-changing socio-legal landscape. It
is through these trends that legal journalism can
continue to flourish at the University of Bristol
Law School, spearheaded by the on-going publication of this magazine.
This year’s theme is particularly significant
as it gives us a chance to defend our various
fields of interest against the wide ranging criticisms which are so often levelled at the legal
discipline. It has been a highlight of my second year at Bristol to edit a sample of these
intellectual – and often controversial – works.
From Legal Aid cuts to Apple v Samsung, the
articles which I edited were many and varied,
and I must thank their authors for both their
stellar contribution to this publication and their
patient cooperation with me. For those of you
who read this magazine with interest and inspiration; I urge you to follow in their footsteps
and have your say next year.
Jack Moulder
Managing Editor
On such an afternoon some score of
members of the High Court of Chancery bar ought to be--as here they
are--mistily engaged in one of the ten
thousand stages of an endless cause,
tripping one another up on slippery
precedents, groping knee-deep in technicalities...making a pretence of equity
with serious faces, as players might.
Dickens’ infamous assault upon the integrity of the law stands today as potent as ever. The last twelve months
have proven testing for the legal profession: trivialised by celebrity superinjunctions, embarrassed by corporate scandal, endangered by austerity
and vindicated by...whom? The theme for this year’s issue of Dicta purports to answer the call for a defence of the law, spanning the breadth of
the field from jurisprudence to the judiciary.
My involvement with this publication has been as humbling as it has
been rewarding. I extend my gratitude to our authors as well as my fellow
editors, the quality of whose contributions and the extent of whose drive has
been nothing short of inspirational. Gratitude is due also to the University of
Bristol Law Club, without which this publication--and many of the activities
which contribute to its subject matter--would not be possible.
Turan Hursit
Senior Editor
Hello all, and welcome freshers! Hopefully
this year’s edition of Dicta
will give you an idea about
what to expect from Law
School and provide inspiration for all of that legal thinking you’re going
to do over the next three or four years.
Law students at Bristol may study in either Europe or the Far East during their third
year. This year I was responsible for Dicta Goes
Global, which aims to showcase students’ year
abroad experiences. Having just returned from
a year in France, I am keen to expose the wonders of foreign study and encourage its pursuit.
The section starts with a journey across the
world – from Germany to Hong Kong – with
insights relating to cuisine, cultural differences,
and the foreign legal systems. This culminates
in a spotlight focus on France – the country
welcoming the largest number of Law students
from Bristol. As well as articles relating to students’ observations and experiences, there are
also two accounts of a typical day in France.
I hope that readers will enjoy reading about
students’ exciting journeys across the globe and
feel inspired to choose to study abroad if the