Ms Jacqueline Svenson

Legal Practitioner

Newcastle Law School (Law)

Email:jacquie.svenson@newcastle.edu.au
Phone:(02) 4921 8803

Career Summary

Biography

Jacquie is a Clinical Teacher/Solicitor at the University of Newcastle Legal Centre (UNLC) admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW and in continuing practice since 2002. As part of her practice she provides clinical supervision to law students at the UNLC and teaches into the Law School's Practice Program, Bachelor of Laws and Juris Doctor degrees. Jacquie’s expertise is in unfair dismissal, discrimination and high profile public environmental interest cases.

Previous to her role at UNLC, Jacquie was an employed solicitor at the NSW Environmental Defenders' Office running public interest environmental litigation in the NSW Land & Environment Court, at the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation Legal Branch as a prosecutor, and in the Environment & Planning Group of Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Sydney)(now King & Wood Mallesons). Prior to this she was a lobbyist in state parliament on behalf of peak environmental NGOs, an environment advisor to a Federal Senator, a research assistant and a campaigner for a number of conservation groups. She has been at UNLC since 2009.

As well as discrimination and unfair dismissal cases she has recently (June 2018) commenced merits proceedings against Williamtown Sand Syndicate in the Land & Environment Court of NSW on behalf of Williamtown & Surrounds Residents Action Group Inc against a proposed sand mine on critically endangered species habitat in Port Stephens.

Previous to that she ran the successful case to return King Edward Headland Reserve to public hands (2012/2015) and the protection of a large area of squirrel glider and koala habitat at Anna Bay, NSW (2015), and acted in the successful refusal of development consent for a large late trading pokie-pub in a very disadvantaged area of Sydney (Casula) on behalf of 3500 objecting community members due to its likely influence on increasing violence, alcoholism and domestic violence in the region (2016).

In her spare time Jacquie is a fiction writer, convenor of Newcastle Climate Change Response https://www.facebook.com/groups/1216525535154056/, and mother of two. Her first commercially published work of fiction Direct Action is due out through Lacuna https://www.lacunapublishing.com/index.php/titles/fiction in July 2019.

Admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of NSW 2002.

Restricted Practising Certificate from the Law Society of NSW

AWARDS: University of Newcastle Faculty of Business and Law Excellence in External Engagement Staff Award.

Research Expertise
Public interest litigation, discrimination, environmental law, feminist legal theory.

Teaching Expertise (current)

LAWS 6025 - Environmental/Natural Resources Law Clinic - Lecturer & Course Co-Ordinator

LAWS 4054B/LAWS 6014B Legal Practice 2 - Employment Law Practice - Lecturer & Course Coordinator

LAWS 5036 - International Clinical Legal Externship - guest lecturer

LAWS4003 - Civil Procedure - lecturer

Teaching Expertise (pre-2018)

LAWS4002 - Administrative Law - Seminar Leader

LAWS 6025 - Environmental/Natural Resources Law Clinic - Lecturer & Course Co-Ordinator

LAWS 5010 & 6020 - Environmental Law - Lecturer (2016)

LAWS 5036 - International Clinical Legal Externship (2015 & 2016) - Course Coordinator & Lecturer

LAWS 4054A - Environmental Law Practice (2010 & 2012)

LAWS 4054A - Professional Practice (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)

Administrative Expertise

Convenor, Environmental Law Interest Group, Australian Law Teachers' Association (ALTA)

Member, Law Society NSW

Organising Committee - Narratives of Climate Change Symposium 2018

Qualifications

Bachelor of Laws (Honours), University of Sydney
Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Sydney

Keywords

Discrimination
Environmental
Feminist legal theory
Litigation
Public interest
Unfair dismissal

Professional Experience

Professional appointment

Dates	Title	Organisation / Department
5/01/2009 -	Clinical Teacher/Solicitor	University of Newcastle Legal Centre Australia
1/09/2006 - 9/12/2008	Senior Solicitor	Environmental Defenders' Office (NSW) Ltd Australia
4/02/2004 - 7/09/2006	Legal Officer	Department of Environment, Conservation & Climate Change Legal Branch Australia
4/02/2003 - 3/02/2004	Solicitor	Mallesons Stephen Jaques Environment & Planning Group Australia
4/02/2002 - 29/01/2003	Solicitor	Mallesons Stephen Jaques Property Group Australia
2/06/1999 - 7/12/2001	Paralegal	Mallesons Stephen Jaques Environment & Planning Australia
1/12/1998 - 28/02/1999	Water Policy Officer Drafting submission to the World Commission on Dams	Nature Conservation Council of NSW Australia
9/02/1998 - 8/01/1999	Environment Liaison Officer Lobbist in NSW State Parliament on behalf of 7 Peak Environmental NGOs: Greenpeace, Total Environment Centre, Nature Conservation Council, Friends of the Earth, National Parks Association.	Nature Conservation Council Australia
3/07/1995 - 27/12/1996	Environment Advisor Advising and assisting the Senator on proposed environmental legislation & policy and constituent issues.	Parliament of Australia Office of Senator Christabel Chamarette (Greens NSW) Australia
6/01/1993 - 14/06/1995	Campaign Coordinator (Volunteer)	The Wilderness Society (WA Branch) Inc. Australia

Teaching

Code	Course	Role	Duration
LAWS4054A	Legal Practice 1 - Part A Newcastle Law School The courses introduces the practice of law, focusing on dispute resolution, legal transactions, legal actions and gives emphasis to professional responsibility and ethical behaviour. The course is made up of a number of components and modules which cover a variety of areas of practice where communication, research, advocacy and legal transaction skills are utilised. Students undertake placement at the University of Newcastle Legal Centre interviewing clients and undertaking in-depth casework, simulation and drafting exercises and attend legal office placements in the general areas of litigation and legal transactions.	Clinical Teacher/Solicitor	25/01/2017 - 9/06/2017
LAWS4054B	Legal Practice 1 - Part B Newcastle Law School The courses introduces the practice of law, focusing on dispute resolution, legal transactions, legal actions and gives emphasis to professional responsibility and ethical behaviour. The course is made up of a number of components and modules which cover a variety of areas of practice where communication, research, advocacy and legal transaction skills are utilised. Students undertake placement at the University of Newcastle Legal Centre interviewing clients and undertaking in-depth casework, simulation and drafting exercises and attend legal office placements in the general areas of litigation and legal transactions.	Clinical Teacher/Solicitor	25/07/2017 - 30/11/2017
LAWS4055A	Employment & Industrial Practice Newcastle Law School This course is an optional compulsory module that is required for admission as a legal practitioner as part of the Professional Programme. On successful completion of this module, students will have met the applicable LPAB competency standards for Employment & Industrial Practice (et out below), gained an understanding of the social and political importance of current Australian Federal industrial relations law, developed further competency in statutory interpretation, and in practicing the substantive law practice and procedure most commonly involved in employment and industrial relations practice, and demonstrated the capacity to reflect critically on their own learning experiences in recognising Law as a dynamic discipline requiring lifelong learning and skill development. .	Lecturer	25/07/2017 - 28/10/2017
LAWS4002	Administrative Law Newcastle Law School The study of Administrative Law involves examination of the legal rules and institutions through which governmental decisionmaking is authorised, effected, limited and reviewed. This course examines both the exercise of executive power by administrative agencies and officials, and the means by which administrative decisions can be supervised, controlled and challenged. Whilst judicial review of administrative action is at the heart of the course, extra-judicial mechanisms (including merits review and the ombudsmen) are also considered. Means of accessing information held by the administration are also evaluated.	Tutor	25/07/2017 - 25/11/2017
LAWS4003	Civil Procedure Newcastle Law School This course explains NSW procedural law and demonstrates how to apply it to hypothetical civil disputes in New South Wales. Procedural rules from other States and Federal Court procedure will be discussed where possible for comparison purposes.	Tutor	25/07/2017 - 25/11/2017
LAWS6025	Environmental/Natural Resources Law Clinic Newcastle Law School In this course students carry out work on current or potential environmental and natural resources law cases in or proposed for the Land & Environment Court of NSW, supervised by an experience environmental law Clinical Teacher/Solicitor at UNLC. This practical work is scaffolded by an intensive series of online lectures on NSW natural resources and environmental law, judicial review and civil enforcement techniques, and in-class exercises, discussions and field trips. From engagement in environmental advocacy and targeted course content, students will learn about the reasons why the law seeks to protect the environment, its techniques and methods, and its potential and limits in doing so. Students will gain hands on knowledge preparing them for practicing and policy-making in the environmental and natural resources law field, as well as an opportunity to reflect on these practices. As this course may involve current clients at the UNLC, participants will be required to sign the confidentiality agreement attached at the end of this Course Outline.	Course Co-ordinator & Lecturer	23/02/2017 - 26/05/2017

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Publications

For publications that are currently unpublished or in-press, details are shown in italics.

Other (6 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics	Link
2016	Svenson JD, 'Would you mind paying $5 to go to the beach?', (2016) [O1]
2015	Svenson JD, 'Public Land is for Everyone', (2015) [O1]
2014	Svenson JD, 'Anna Bay decision made without community', (2014) [O1]
2013	Svenson JD, 'Use of Crown Land is Under State Scrutiny', (2013) [O1]
2006	Svenson JD, 'Bob Brown & The Beetle: How two birds and a beetle saved a forest', (2006) [O1]
2006	Svenson JD, 'Case Note: Gray v Minister for Planning & Centennial Hunter Pty Ltd [2006] NSWLEC 720', (2006) [O1]
	Show 3 more others

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Grants and Funding

Summary

Number of grants	3
Total funding	$339,678

Click on a grant title below to expand the full details for that specific grant.

20161 grants / $66,000

LAWS5036 - International Clinical Legal Externship - Indonesia$66,000

An intensive 10 day internship placing 20 NLS JD and LLB law students and two law academic supervisors in NGOs and government institutions focusing on environmental and natural resources law and corruption prevention in Jakarta and Bogor, Indonesia, in partnership with the Universities of Atma Jaya and Brawijaya.

Funding body: Commonwealth

Funding body	Commonwealth
Project Team	Dr Tim Connor, Ms Jacquie Svenson, Ms Donna Reedy
Scheme	New Colombo Plan
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2016
Funding Finish	2016
GNo
Type Of Funding	Aust Competitive - Commonwealth
Category	1CS
UON	N

20151 grants / $21,500

LAWS5036 - International Clinical Legal Externship - Indonesia$21,500

This project funded 10 Newcastle Law School 4th and 5th year Law students and an academic supervisor from NLS to undertake a 10 day international work-integrated placement in Malang and Surabaya, Indonesia, in partnership with the University of Brawijaya, Malang. The program introduced students to the key administrative and anti-corruption processes, policies and institutions in Indonesia through the lens of environmental decision making.

Funding body: Commonwealth

Funding body	Commonwealth
Project Team	Professor Sandeep Gopalan, Ms Jacquie Svenson, Ms Donna Reedy
Scheme	AsiaBound
Role	Investigator
Funding Start	2015
Funding Finish	2015
GNo
Type Of Funding	Aust Competitive - Commonwealth
Category	1CS
UON	N

20121 grants / $252,178

Legal costs & disbursements - Friends of King Edward Park Inc. v NCC, King Edward Headland Reserve Trust, Minister for Primary Industry & Annie Street Inc.$252,178

Funding body: Newcastle City Council & King Edward Headland Reserve Trust

Funding body	Newcastle City Council & King Edward Headland Reserve Trust
Project Team	Ms Jacquie Svenson
Scheme	Legal Costs
Role	Lead
Funding Start	2012
Funding Finish	2016
GNo
Type Of Funding	Other Public Sector - Local
Category	2OPL
UON	N

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