Sir Laurence Street captivates Notre Dame Law students

Document Type

Media Release

Publication Date

Spring 27-9-2012

Publisher Name

The University of Notre Dame Australia

Publication Place

Sydney

Abstract

Former Chief Justice and Lieutenant Governor of NSW, Sir Laurence Street AC KCMG QC has visited the University of Notre Dame Australia's Sydney Campus for the third consecutive year to share his wealth of legal experience with the University's students of Law.

Fifth year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws student Aidan Williams described Sir Laurence Street's alternative dispute resolution seminar as "captivating."

"I think it was useful to be reminded that every dispute has its origin in the malfunction of a human relationship," Mr Williams said.

"Lawyers can lose sight of this, distracted by legal issues and arguments. The mediator may be able to assist parties themselves to resolve their dispute. Sir Laurence graphically described the material of mediation as raw human emotion," he said.

Sir Laurence Street played a leading role in the introduction of commercial mediation and conciliation in Australia and internationally. Throughout his career, he delivered over 1,500 successful mediation and conciliation dispute resolutions in a wide range of areas.

Student Sarah Bulmer said she found Sir Laurence Street's explanation of the rationale behind alternative dispute resolution extremely engaging.

"Sir Laurence emphasized that the key to a successful negotiation is developing an inter-personal relationship of trust and confidence between the mediator and the parties," Ms Bulmer said.

"Sir Laurence used the analogy of a coin – although only one side may be visible to a party at any given time, two sides do exist, and as a negotiator, you must be able to assist each party in recognizing that there is some strength in their opponent's view."

For further information please contact: Communications Officer, Elizabeth Fenech The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney Campus

T: 02 8204 4407 E: elizabeth.fenech@nd.edu.au W: www.nd.edu.au/

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