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OPENING OF THE LAW SCHOOLThe law school, named the David Derham School ofLaw, was opened on Wednesday 10 July by ProfessorDavid Derham, C.M.G., M.B.E., B.A., LL.M., Vice­Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and firstdean of Law at Monash. At the ceremony the Chancellorconferred the degree of Doctor of Laws honoriscausa upon Professor Derham.The building is four storeys high and is faced inmanganese bricks to match adjoining buildings. On theground floor is a broad, brick-paved concourse whichserves as an area for examinations, assemblies andstudent discussion. Around this concourse or forum aregrouped the teaching rooms: eleven tutorial rooms andtwo seminar rooms with specially-designed tables, themoot court and two lecture theatres shaped like horseshoesso that students and teacher can easily see andhear each other.The moot court seats 103 people. It is a fully equippedcourtroom, having a raised bench with chairs forthree judges, a bar-table, desks for a judge's associateand a shorthand writer, and a witness stand.The greater part of the building is, as it should be.devoted to the law library. This extends over much ofthe first, second and third floors and its facilities aredesigned to meet the special needs of law students.In his address the Chancellor welcomed guests and,in particular, the deans of law schools in other Stateswho had come to Monash for the official opening ofthe law school.Speaking of the difficulties which had faced thefaculty of Law before the completion of the law school,Sir Robert Blackwood said:"When the law classes began in 1964 they had to beheld in temporary quarters in the Hargrave Library. andafter a while the space was added to by allowing themto infiltrate portions of the science buildings and theengineering school. Nevertheless. they were considerablycramped and hampered in their work, and the work ofthe {acuity was certainly difficult under those circumstances.But relief was in sight when the UniversitiesCommission approved the construction of a permanentbuilding for the faculty. a permanent law school, in the1967-69 triennium. and Professor Derham and his teamhad already prepared the plans for this building thatyou are in today. We were therefore able to completethe details of it quite quickly and we were able to leta contract for its construction in October 1966. Buildingwent on all through last year, and it was completedjust in time for the opening of the present academicyear."The Chancellor went on to contrast the new conditionswith the old. He congratulated the law schoolstaff who. with Professor Derham, were responsible forthe general planning, the architects, Messrs. Eggleston,Macdonald and Secomb, and the builders, A. R. P.Crow and Sons, on the admirable design and constructionof the new law schooLOf Professor Derham he said:'The Council of this University was indeed fortunateto be able to obtain the services of Professor Derhamwhen it was decided back in 1963 to create a faculty ofLaw and to institute degree courses in law. That he wasable to stay with us only for a period of about fouryears is a matter of great regret as far as we are concerned,but it is tinged with pride that he was appointedto his present position as Vice-Chancellor of the Universityof Melbourne. In the time that he was with us,even though it was short, he was responsible as the deanof Law for the development of law courses in thisUniversity, somewhat unique in character, find also forthe design of the law school that we are now opening",In the address in which he presented ProfessorDerham for admission to the degree of Doctor of Lawshonoris causa, Professor Peter Louis Waller, acting deanThe David Derham School of Law25