This weeks Tutor Tuesdays is dedicated to the wonderful Adrian - aka the Aussie IP guru who dabbles in land.
1) Alma mater?
The Australian National University and the University of Melbourne
2) Who inspires you?
I am lucky to be surrounded by a huge number of inspiring people – family, friends, colleagues and students.
3) What made you want to pursue a career in law?
My mother practices as a family lawyer back in Australia and would regularly discuss cases and legal issues over the dinner table while I was growing up, which sparked an interest. Mum then strongly advised me against a career in law, so in a predictable act of teenage ‘rebellion’, I began studying for an LLB.
4) Did you take the traditional path or did you have a career before law?
I had plenty of jobs during my studies (cleaner, retail, paralegal, part-time infantry soldier), but took a fairly traditional path in my career. One difference as compared to LLB students in Reading is that when I studied law in Australia students were expected to do two simultaneous degrees – so my undergraduate degree took 5 ½ years to obtain both a bachelor of laws and a bachelor of commerce.
5) Career highlight?
Throughout 2018 I was asked to contribute some of my copyright research to ongoing law reform processes in Australia and the EU – I am hopeful that in 2019 that might lead to slightly better copyright law.
6) Legal journey low point?
The early career stage for an academic can be quite stressful – intense competition for jobs; temporary, short term or casual contracts; and lots of uncertainty. I had a few fairly precarious years where I was unsure if I had made a mistake in pursuing an academic career.
7) Best thing about your job?
I get to interact with some wonderful students and spend my days learning about intellectual property law. It is a dream job!
8) A Significant career achievement?
I recently presented a (somewhat silly) research paper on ‘machine learning, copyright authorship and the jurisprudence of spirit writing’ at a large legal conference in London. Supreme Court Justice Lord Briggs was in the audience for my talk which included a demonstration of ‘slate writing’ – considered to be either a supernatural way of communicating with the dead or a dated magic trick. It was the most fun I’ve ever had discussing my research.
9) What would you be doing now if a career in law was not an option?
While in University I played bass in an indie rock band – I was terrible but we managed to record an EP, got some radio play and tour in Australia. We were mainly paid in beer for our shows– so perhaps an unprofitable alternate career somewhere in the music industry?
10) A piece of advice for our students?
Get enough sleep, eat well and exercise. I’ve also really benefited from daily meditation.
Thank you Adrian for a brilliant Tutor Tuesdays! 😁