Friday - District Court of NSW and Baker McKenzie

On Friday, the group began the day by visiting with Judge Zahra, a judge in the criminal division of the NSW District Court.  Judge Zahra gave a great presentation and, as always, was incredibly gracious and welcoming.  After meeting with the judge, the students observed several criminal court proceedings, including both criminal trials and criminal sentencings.

In the afternoon, the students visited Baker & McKenzie law firm.  Georgie Farrant gave a detailed and excellent presentation on white collar crime in Australia.  Along with the exceptional presentation materials, the Baker & McKenzie visit offered the students the opportunity to take in the amazing views across Sydney Harbour from their offices.

Student Post - Jamika Hilliard

The most memorable part of the trip so far was the police and justice museum. The first part of the tour involved a slide show of convicts. Then we were marched to the courtroom and given a position in life. I was a juror, not what I expected, judge would have been more suitable. However, I digress.

There were several convicts confined to "the dock." The dock was a holding cell for convicts during court. We learned that the dock is no longer around because it automatically made convicts look guilty.

The dock took me to the past for a moment. I pictured myself sitting in a courtroom looking at the convicts and imagined the police trying to haul a convict away. I imagined it being a terrible thing to witness.

I imagined a convict holding on to the cell bars, while his hands were beat. I imagined screams from the convicts and their families. I imagined the odor of the convicts and the room they had to share with 13 others.  I could only imagine these things. One thing that I do not have to imagine is being an American. This museum visit made me remember how lucky I am.

Student Post - Sydney Grover

So far I have had one of the best experiences in Sydney. From landing, to attending the NSW lecture and the U.S. consultant all the way to Vivid Sydney was a rewarding experience. That  gave me a greater understanding and appreciation for the culture, specifically how much walking the Australians do in a day. One event that we did that helped me appreciate Sydney more was the historic walking tour. Our tour guide, Sophie, was very informative and funny, which made the tour a breeze. One spot in particular that I will never forget is the first church we saw, Anglican Church of Australia, The Garrison Church, it was on the corner of Argyle next to a very expensive neighborhood. Inside the church it was very grand and beautiful with grand windows, that had engravings on them from certain families. She told us the history of the church, which was that it was supposed to be a school for the community, but someone of higher authority came to town and declared that is should be a church instead, so that is what it became. A year later that man's brother in-law became the priest, isn't that a coincidence. An  experience to remember with wonderful imaginary forever in my memory.

Student Post - Chris Davault

One of the reasons why I chose to do the Legal Globalization Australia trip was that I wanted to see and experience some of what Australia has to offer. The past few days in Sydney have been fantastic. Our group met new people and we were exposed to careers in the legal system involving White Collar Crime. We went to several museums and attractions and all have been great. The day trip to the Blue Mountains was great, you just have to go there to experience the beauty of the mountains.

Along with this, one of my other favorite experiences was going to the U.S. Consulate and learning about the different roles the consulate plays.  The time we spent talking to several people has allowed for a better understanding of relations the U.S. has with other countries. We learned the U.S. has had a presence with Australia since the 1830s and it shows. Coming here seems like one is not in another country mostly. Sydney feels more like New York.

I am glad I decided to be apart of this opportunity.

Student Post - Kathleen Boles

Today we took a tour to the Blue Mountains. The first stop was to the Featherdale Wildlife Park where we were able to pet a koala and kangaroos. We were also able to observe a variety of indigenous animals such as the wombat, the dingo and the wallaby, among others. In addition to the animals we saw, I was surprised at how many different birds were indigenous to Australia. My favorite was being able to feed and interact with the kangaroos. They were very tame and friendly and seemed to really enjoy ice cream cones.

After the zoo and a quick lunch, we drove to the Blue Mountains and were able to see a variety of Aboriginal tribal dances and were introduced to the Aboriginal culture. The dances were very interesting to watch and many of them involved mimicking the movements of indigenous animals like the kangaroo and the emu. I was reminded very much of the Native American culture in the United States.

After the tribal dances, we took cable cars further into the mountains and got better views of the landscape and a rock formation called the Three Sisters. I was surprised to find out that the Blue Mountains are called such because the Eucalyptus trees emit a lot of oil, which creates a haze around the mountains, giving them a blue color. It was also interesting to be in the rainforest in the Blue Mountains, on a day like today because it was such a brisk day. I always picture a rainforest as a very humid and tropical place, but today it was rather chilly and damp.

Student Post - Natalie Kase

Today we visited Ernst & Young.  I really enjoyed hearing the speaker from the firm because of the experience I had in the FCPA class.  The content of the presentation reinforced many of the themes I learned in my dedicated FCPA course and the International White Collar Crime component of this course.  The speaker tied in a lot of themes, such as the mentality and attitudes of the white collar criminal and the efforts of compliance departments.  Particularly,  I found it useful to hear what large international firms look for in hiring international candidates and how to break into the enforcement field of work. 

Picture with U.S. Consul General

Many thanks to the U.S. Consulate in Sydney for providing us with the below picture of the students with U.S. Consul General Llorens.  He gave a wonderful presentation to the students.