Wollongong student wins national Civil Justice Foundation essay competition

Oct 17, 2003

A Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Laws student at the University of Wollongong, James Goudkamp, (pictured) has won the Australia-wide Civil Justice Foundation's 2003 Essay Competition.

James' essay was titled, 'Paradigm Shift in the Cost of Accidents: Review of the Law of Negligence', and he has been invited to attend the National Conference on the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association at the Hyatt Coolum Resort in Queensland from 16-19 October.

A spokesperson for the Civil Justice Foundation said the Foundation was delighted with the number and quality of entries it received from across Australia for the competition.

James' essay focused on the merits of the Ipp Report which contained 61 recommendations as to how civil liability for personal injury and death may be limited.

James will be eligible to graduate as a Bachelor of Science (with a major in Human Geography and a minor in International Studies) as well as a law graduate this year.

The essay win caps off a swag of other prizes that James has won during his studies including:

* Illawarra Prize for 1st Year Geography (1999) (for ranking first in 1st year geography)

* Dean's Merit List, Faculty of Science (1999) (for top 10% of faculty)

* Illawarra Prize for 2nd Year Geography (2000) (for ranking first in 2nd year geography)

* Dean's Merit List, Faculty of Science (2000) (for top 10% of faculty)

* New South Wales Geographical Society Prize for Highest Academic Achievement in 2nd Year Geography (2001)

* Dean's Merit List, Faculty of Law (2001) (for top 5% of faculty)

* Illawarra Prize for 3rd Year Geography (2001) (for ranking first in 3rd year geography)

* Dean's Merit List, Faculty of Law (2002) (for top 5% of faculty)

* Australian Securities and Investments Commission Prize - Law of Business Organisations (2003) (for placing first in Law of Business Organisations)

James is also the holder of a High Court of Australia Centenary Conference Scholarship (2003) and was a UOW team member for the 2002/2003 Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot. Among the publications to which he has contributed, James has an article in the Tort Law Review on the topic of: 'Is there a Future for Advocates' Immunity?'.

James is also a Research Assistant at UOW's Faculty of Law.