“Look who’s coming to dinner!”

A Review of the 2003 Student Dinner, by Lydia Kinda.

Last week the CLS hosted what is hoped to be an annual event.  Dinner with Christian legal practitioners and Christian law students.  Students from all 5 Victorian Law Schools were invited and 18 students and 16 practitioners gathered at 7pm on August 21, 2003 in the upper room of Il Gambero in Lygon Street, Carlton.

It was amazing to see how quickly conversations started and kept moving as there was no standing around in embarrassed groups.  Name tags helped those of us with bad memories for names and the group was mixed at two long tables.  Anne Winckel of Jones & Koller introduced the format of the evening and Con Nottas of Lewis Holdway said grace.

We then heard from Matthew Leung, a first year lawyer at Blakes talk about how he found the law and how it was helpful to do a clerkship in the firm before doing Articles. Orders for entrees were taken and as we enjoyed our delicious food, Grant Hutchison of Hutchison Legal talked about the law as a Christian practitioner in general, the various Christian law firms, and how it was important not to closet oneself but to be the best lawyer wherever God places us, echoing Jesus’ teaching of being salt in the world.

Each speaker sparked off more conversations and questions.  I was surprised at the persistent and penetrating questions of the students and their desire to work for the glory of God wherever they are placed and living out their faith with practical applications like praying before exams.  The waiters at Il Gambero did a fantastic job of serving everyone and if the plates weren’t clean when cleared it was only because we couldn’t eat it all.  Some of the pizzas looked really tasty and my Il Gambero Special spaghetti had a lovely chicken/avocado sauce that was not at all bland.

Laurie Pentilla, Members’ Advocate with the Law Institute of Victoria, with nearly 50 years of practice behind him, entertained us with well delivered jokes and how he regretted that some law practitioners specialize too early.  Laurie said that in his role as Members’ Advocate for the Law Institute of Victoria he was hearing from a growing numbers of practitioners seeking guidance on ethical issues.

Ai Me Lim of Ryan Carlisle Thomas spoke about her experiences in the law. She reflected on the fact that God had guided her into doing articles, even though she was initially unsure of what direction to take. She also discussed the learning curve for lawyers in the areas of dealing with stress, pressure and maintaining integrity.

The last speaker of the evening was Sharon Moore, Barrister.  She recounted her diverse career to date from Articles in Shepparton, Associate to Justice Goldberg in the Federal Court and now the Bar.  Sharon reminded us we need to be flexible and open to God’s leading in where we look for work as He plans our lives better than we can.

Before desserts were ordered the students were asked to change tables to get an opportunity to talk to other practitioners, but the conversations didn’t flag.  CLS provided the drinks but attendees paid for their own meals so costs were kept down.