Encounters with Constitutional Interpretation and Legal Education Essays in Honour of Michael Coper

What do constitutional interpretation and legal education have in common? For one thing, they share the same tension between theory and practice, between form and substance, between process and outcomes, between constancy and change, and between local and comparative perspectives. Each also has a substratum of fundamental underlying values that demand, but do not always receive, clear articulation. From the gripping story of the revolution that swept away the old law on section 92 of the Constitution, to the endemic conflict in the judicial process between legalism and realism, to the never-ending controversy about the Dismissal, to perceiving the world and organising legal knowledge in new ways through biography and oral history, to the role of educators in shaping the views and values of newcomers to this knowledge, this book contains over a dozen sparkling essays by some of Australia’s most renowned and respected lawyers, as well as a substantial reflective commentary by Michael Coper himself.

Part 1: Three Constitutional Conundrums 1. The Section 92 Revolution The Hon Stephen Gageler 2. The Elusive Promise of the Inter-State Commission Andrew Bell SC 3. Power and Propriety: Coper’s Encounter with the Dismissal Ryan Goss Part 2: The ‘Intractable Dilemma’ of the Judicial Process 4. New Ways Forward The Hon Michael Kirby 5. Between Realism and Legalism: Michael Coper and the Enduring Appeal of Cole v Whitfield Adrienne Stone 6. Fidelity to External (Re)sources Tony Blackshield Part 3: Ways of Seeing and ‘Collecting the World’ 7. Law Through the Lens of Biography Heather Roberts 8. Through the Lens of Oral History Garry Sturgess 9. Through the Lens of an Encyclopaedia Helen Irving Part 4: Lawyering and Leadership 10. Being a Lawyer: Professionalism, Values and Service Kim Economides 11. Being a Law Dean: Aspiration and Reality Stephen Bottomley 12. Being a Global Leader: Challenges of Internationalisation Duncan Bentley

Dr James Stellios holds the position of Associate Professor at the Australian National University College of Law. He has written extensively on constitutional law.