Natalia Blecher BA/LLB (Hons) 2009

Prato is a wonderful place to study law. For one thing, you needn’t (but can) learn another language to attend class. For another, the lecturers who are chosen to teach at Prato are some of the best teachers I’ve ever had. The Monash Law School has gathered some of the most passionate, dedicated, bright and engaging individuals, both from its own staff pool and from abroad, to run the Prato units. One of the units I took, comparative criminal law, was taught jointly by The Honourable Stephen Charles QC and Dr Michele Papa of Firenze University. The passion and interest that only years of experience can engender was patent in the teaching styles of these two lecturers. And perhaps it was just the European air, but I suspect that the passion of these lecturers filtered down to the students, making the whole learning experience wonderfully Socratic.

The content of the Prato law units was distinctly comparative. Many of the subjects taught in Prato were concerned with the interplay between civil and common law, touching on cases and principles drawn from international law. The international flavour of the Prato course content opened my eyes to the place of Victorian (and Australian) law within the global legal system. It also brought to my attention the ways in which domestic laws which might seem banal on their face can emerge either as progressive or archaic when viewed through a comparative lens. Chances are, had I not studied at Prato, I would not have truly appreciated the uniqueness of our legal system.

Another fantastic thing about studying law at Prato is that it is completely unlike studying at home. Units are run on an intensive basis, so students have four weeks in which to get their heads around what at home they have four months to digest. Far from causing students to stress uncontrollably, this intensive form of learning seemed to make students better at coping: they just learn what is and what is not salient for the purposes of studying and revision. Intensive teaching requires that students absorb and synthesise materials fast, without overanalysing. This form of learning equipped me with skills that remained useful for the remainder of my law degree.

Prato offers excellent teachers, highly stimulating course content, and a study environment unlike any other. I wholeheartedly recommend studying in Prato. It was without doubt the highlight of my Monash Law School experience.