The theme of SOUL 2024 was “Making Connections” and with over 250 attendees including 164 SOUL members representing 24 universities, connections were made, friendships strengthened, and many experiences shared by those who represent the myriad of specialist areas of legal practice relevant to the university sector.
SOUL 2024 was held on 14-15 November 2024 at The University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Connect precinct. This was the biggest SOUL Conference yet with 21 sessions including plenaries and many concurrent sessions split into 3 streams – “Research, Commercialisation and Innovation”, “Staff & Students” and “Projects and Governance”. The Keynote was delivered by Laureate Professor Emeritus Peter Doherty AC FRS FMedSci who not only tried to educate us but entertained us across many topics including coffee (US bad, Aus good!), cancer research, what it’s like to win a Nobel prize, the environment, and the US elections process. Professor Doherty stayed on for morning tea afterwards continuing to discuss all sorts of issues with anyone who was keen to do so.
The SOUL 2024 Conference Dinner was held at the State Library of Victoria with pre-dinner drinks in the wondrous Reading Room and entertainment provided by comedian, musician and journalist, Sammy J (like all good comedians, he dropped out of law school and entertained us with a song about it …).
Finally, we all came together in the open air oculus at Melbourne Connect known as womin-djerring to enjoy our closing drinks and the Melbourne weather behaved beautifully for us.
SOUL thanks again the Melbourne local organising committee which consisted of representatives from Latrobe University, Monash University, RMIT and The University of Melbourne. SOUL 2024 could not have come together without their amazing efforts and ideas. SOUL also thanks its SOUL 2024 sponsors.
Links to the slides from the presentations are available in the SOUL 2024 Program available here for a short while and then will be available as resources for SOUL Members only in the Members Area.
We look forward to seeing you in WA for SOUL 2025!