PhD Position in Law

PhD Position in Law

Job No.: 653885

Location: Clayton campus

Employment Type: Full-time

Duration: 3-year fixed-term appointment

Remuneration: The successful applicants will receive a stipend package of $36,000 per year (tax free), comprising a National Health and Medical Research Council CRE PhD Scholarship, Faculty of Law top-up to the annual rate of the Monash Research Training Program stipend and an additional Faculty of Law top-up of $3,000 per year.

• Be inspired, every day
• Drive your own learning at one of the world’s top 80 universities
• Take your career in exciting, rewarding directions

The Opportunity

Expressions of interest are sought for two full-time PhD scholarships in the Faculty of Law at Monash University (one to commence in 2023 and one to commence in 2024). The scholarships are funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Better Health Outcomes for Compensable Injury (CRE) and the Faculty of Law at Monash. The CRE brings together leading researchers in epidemiology, rehabilitation medicine, physiotherapy, psychology, law, health economics, health services research and computational social science at the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne and Monash University.

The PhD scholars will be based in the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation in the Faculty of Law at Monash University and supervised by Associate Professor Genevieve Grant, together with other investigators drawn from the CRE and the Faculty.

The project: Advocacy and Collaboration Practices in Personal Injury Law

The PhD scholars will work on legal research projects within the scope of the CRE in Better Health Outcomes for Compensable Injury. The CRE addresses the urgent need to improve health outcomes for individuals with non-catastrophic road traffic injury through research focused on health, compensation and legal systems. Its vision is to inform a recovery pathway where injured people are validated and supported, receive best practice care and are able to understand the compensation and legal processes; and where all systems work together to enhance recovery and health outcomes. Potential areas of focus include (but are not limited to):

• Improving communication and collaboration in personal injury claims:  Effective communication and collaboration between stakeholders (e.g. injured people, family members, clinicians, claims managers, employers and lawyers) facilitates positive recovery and claims resolution outcomes. In practice, injured people report that poor communication between actors in the systems increases stress and anxiety. The sharing of information between stakeholders is regulated by a range of different sources of law and policy. What are the barriers to communication and collaboration in injury claims? Are these good practices internationally for Australian schemes to learn from, and are reforms required?
• Translating research evidence to enhance advocacy in personal injury law: In the last 30 years a substantial evidence base has been developed in public health and health services research about claimants’ experiences and outcomes in personal injury compensation schemes. Is there benefit in translating key findings from this research into principles to guide good practice amongst lawyers (for claimants, schemes and insurers) in their engagement with clients?
• Legal self-help and technology in road traffic crash compensation schemes: Technological improvements have resulted in a proliferation of online tools to support injured people to access information about making compensation claims. Who do these tools work for? What are best practices for the development and use of such tools? What are their limitations?
• Quality, value and innovation in personal injury legal services: Internationally, legal services regulators are increasingly interested in the way innovation and attention to concepts of quality and value might improve legal services for the benefit of consumers. How do lawyers understand quality and value in personal injury legal services? How do consumers? Are there innovative practices that might improve quality and value in this market?
• The impact of costs regulation on legal representation dynamics in injury claims: Modifications to legal costs regimes have used by regulators in a number of settings to influence the dynamics of legal representation in personal injury compensation schemes. What have the impacts of such changes been? Have they contributed to better outcomes for claimants?

The PhD projects will develop the evidence base needed to support a better understanding of these important topics. Support is available for the research approach to be socio-legal, empirical, transdisciplinary and comparative. Comparison across Australian and international jurisdictions will be encouraged, including through collaboration with CRE investigators.

Additional benefits

The package of benefits available for the successful candidates will include:

• Support for attendance at local and international conferences;
• membership of the CRE early career network of PhD and post-doctoral scholars; and
• support for research visits to CRE collaborator sites.

If a successful candidate is suitably qualified there may also be opportunities for them to engage in associated teaching at Monash Law School (eg in Litigation and Dispute Resolution).

Candidate Requirements

The successful applicants will have:

• A first or second class honours degree, and/or a Master’s degree in a relevant field (for example, law, sociology, health services research);
• strong written and verbal communication skills;
• familiarity and expertise with empirical research methods and/or preparedness to further develop these skills; and
• research and/or practical experience relevant to the research topic (this could include but is not limited to working as a lawyer, in insurance or in an injury compensation scheme).

Monash University seeks applicants for this opportunity who are able to demonstrate and present valid and current Australian work rights.

Submit an Expression of Interest

EOIs shall comprise:

• A cover letter that includes a brief statement of the applicant’s suitability for the role (addressing the candidate requirements) and specific areas of research interest;
• a curriculum vitae, including a list of any published works and relevant work experience;
• a full statement of academic record, supported by scanned copies of relevant certified documentation; and
• contact details of up to three referees (at least one academic).

Expressions of interest (in the form of a single PDF attachment) should be sent by email to ACJI Centre Administrator Gina Chow (acji@monash.edu).

Enquiries

Enquiries should be directed by email to Associate Professor Genevieve Grant, Genevieve.grant@monash.edu.

Closing Date

Wednesday 30 August 2023, 11:55pm AEST

Supporting a diverse workforce

In your application, please refer to Professorpositions.com