But Schatz is not about to make a bold choice between the two careers. In fact, his aim is to bring his two professional worlds closer together for the mutual benefit of both. According to him, IT/IP law (Information Technology/Intellectual Property) is about as exciting as the law gets, because there are so many hot, delicate issues confronting the IT industry and also the legal profession.
For example, the whole area of online communication is throwing up a range of issues, which are yet to be dealt with adequately by the law.
-A particularly sensitive topic is the personal and corporate liability associated with employees' use of e-mail.
-While users are becoming more aware of inappropriate e-mail communications issues through education, challenges remain for employers--the ultimate owners of the communication systems," said Schatz.
As Schatz explained, on the one hand privacy issues restrict the manner in which an employer can monitor employee e-mail communications, and yet that same employer could be legally liable if one of its employees misuses its computer system--for example to slander or harass someone else.
Schatz said one of the most challenging issues for the future will be achieving the appropriate balance between preserving personal privacy and increasing security post September 11 through the use of biometrics and other recent technological advancements.
The regulation of unsolicited bulk e-mail or spam is another hot topic as technology is currently being designed to regulate--or prevent--certain types of information being received by email. Australia's National Office for the Information Economy has released a discussion paper designed to raise awareness of the extent of the spam problem and the ways in which the federal government and its agencies can assist the IT industry to deal with the growing number of problems spam presents.
But it doesn't stop there.
-Cyber-smearing is also a topical issue that's risen to prominence recently through the defamation case involving Australia's Joseph Gutnick and Dow Jones & Co of the USA," Schatz said.
He explained that this case involved a very difficult judgement about where the publication of allegedly defamatory material occurred. Although the material in the Gutnick case was originally posted in the United States, the nature of the Internet meant that the material was almost instantly available everywhere in the world, clearing the way for legal action to be taken in jurisdictions outside the US.
You don't have to delve too deeply to see that Schatz is as equally passionate about living in the top end as he is about the law and IT. Although the world could be his oyster down south, Darwin is where he wants to make his mark.
-What many people don't realise is that Darwin is a very young, multicultural and entrepreneurial city, with a burgeoning IT community," Schatz enthused.
-I'd like to think I could expand my legal career here instead of having to move south. There may be a fulltime role for me practicing IT/IP law locally, or I might slip back into the IT industry directly in a managerial/technical role," he said.
Living in Darwin also gives Andrew plenty of scope to promote combined technology and law issues to his legal and IT professional networks. Through his involvement with the Australian Computer Society he has presented on various IT/IP issues to the IT industry in Darwin.
He is also actively involved with the IT/IP Practice Group within AGS, and he recently presented on various IT/IP issues while in Canberra to visit AGS headquarters. Schatz is a recent addition to the AGS family after being recruited from the well known private firm Clayton Utz. Practicing law at AGS provides him with many opportunities to help the federal government and its agencies get the most out of technology, without getting lost in the legal quagmire.
-I guess ultimately, the attraction of living in the Territory is the balanced lifestyle it offers."
Andrew Schatz, it seems, has his feet firmly on the ground. And you can't help but get the feeling that the only way for this 25-year old is up.
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