Staff profile

Qualifications

LLB Auck., LLM Melb., Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia and the Supreme Court of Victoria; Member of the Victorian Bar

Area of study

Law

Brief Profile

Heather King is Director of Programs in the School of Law, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.  She is a native of the Waikato region in New Zealand but attended the University of Auckland where she graduated LLB in 1978.  During that time, she was awarded the AG Davis Scholarship in Law.  Between 1978 and 1981, she practised law in two top-tier law firms in Auckland, Butler White and Hanna and Simpson Coates and Clapshaw, before travelling overseas.  In 1984, she practised for a year in Perth with a small commercial firm, Mackinlay’s, and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.  In 1985, she was awarded a Commonwealth Postgraduate Scholarship to study law at the University of Melbourne Law School and in 1989 completed her Master of Laws by major thesis in copyright and designs law under the supervision of Dr Sam Ricketson. Following three years on staff at the University of Melbourne, she completed the Bar Readers’ Course in 1990 where she read with Phillip Kennon (now QC) and was admitted to the Victorian Bar.  Whilst at the Bar, she practised predominantly in both criminal and commercial law and was junior on several major commercial cases including a special leave application to the High Court of Australia alongside Graham Anderson QC (as he then was) and a large-scale arbitration before Sir Lawrence Street. During this time, she continued to teach Contracts Law on a part-time basis at the University of Melbourne Law School.  In 1992, she was one of the first appointees to teach in the new Bachelor of Laws program within the Department of Law and Legal Studies at La Trobe University where she was involved in setting up the programs for, and teaching in, both Criminal Law and the Law of Contracts.  At the same time, she became rapidly involved in student administration, and was appointed Director of Undergradutate Studies in 2001. In 2012, she was appointed Director of Programs.

As Director of Programs

The invitation to take on the position of Director of Undergraduate Studies in 2001 proved irresistible. It has given me the opportunity to combine my passion for teaching and curriculum issues with my commitment to the welfare of the students generally. In my current role, I have come to appreciate just how important it is to listen to and support students in all aspects of their university lives. This involves dispensing advice about courses, future careers, personal crises and the difficulties of balancing work, study and family commitments. In this respect, I follow an open door policy for students. Good pastoral care is critical to the way that students feel about their time at university. I follow the progress of our students with interest and take enormous pleasure in their successes, both academic and professional. At a different level, I have relished the opportunity to participate in the re-appraisal and modification, of existing courses and the implementation of new degrees. La Trobe Law now offers one of the most diverse range of combined degrees in Victoria, many of which, are unique to us. The development of broad, interdisciplinary degrees means that we are continuing the tradition of producing distinctive graduates.

Teaching Units