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In Brief Issue #1103
19May
Friday night last week was spent at the NSW Bench & Bar Dinner. Catherine Gleeson of New Chambers gave an excellent Ms Junior speech about the various types of ‘super juniors’ one finds at the NSW Bar. It was very funny and could have been written about our ‘super junior’ members. Greg Sirtes S.C. gave the Mr Senior speech with real skill and fantastic comedic timing. He then introduced the Honoured Guest and main speaker, the Honourable Justice Jacqueline Gleeson, who gave a very funny, typically humble speech. It was an excellent evening. My thanks to Gabrielle Bashir S.C. and the NSW Bar for the kind invitation to represent our Bar at their annual event.
On Saturday, Amanda Utt and I attended a regular ABA council meeting at the NSW Bar office. We discussed, among many other matters, a proposed amendment to r 101A of the Legal Profession Uniform Conduct (Barristers) Rules 2015 and the upcoming ABA conference, which is scheduled to be held from 21 – 23 September on the Gold Coast. It will have a ‘rule of law’ theme and our own Kieran Hickie is on the organising committee. Please put it in your diaries if you can come along.
On Tuesday, I attended a Police Informants Royal Commission Implementation Taskforce meeting during which we briefly discussed the passage of the Human Source Management Act 2023. Members should have received an update from the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner on Wednesday which contained the following observations:
It is important to be aware that, although the Act permits Victoria Police to register lawyers as human sources and use privileged information in specific circumstances (i.e. with the prior authorisation of the Supreme Court of Victoria), the Act does not change lawyers’ regulatory and professional obligations and duties.
I take this opportunity to remind all Victorian lawyers of your ethical, regulatory and professional obligations to maintain client confidentiality, other than in specific and confined circumstances. If you choose to inform on your clients to police, you are likely to do so in breach of these obligations, as well as your obligations to act in your clients' best interest, and to disclose or avoid any potential or actual conflict of interest.
Last night at Bar Council we established a Working Group to further develop our response to this legislation. As we understand it, the Act will commence operation in September 2024. We will have more to say about the topic in the coming months but I take this opportunity to reiterate that the Victorian Bar is completely opposed to lawyers acting as registered informants against their clients.
After Bar Council last night, I attended the celebratory dinner for the September 2022 Readers. The Honourable Justice Stephen O’Meara delivered a deeply personal and incredibly moving speech about the “good and bad days” he experienced whilst at the Bar. Very few people in his Honour’s position would be brave enough to speak about such personal struggles in the way his Honour did. He rightly received a standing ovation and many of our newest barristers came up to him after the speech to thank him for sharing his story. I would like to add my sincere thanks to theirs. It was, quite simply, an astoundingly good speech and it is one that those present will not forget.
While on the topic of readers, Justin Graham KC will retire from the role of Chair of the Readers’ Course Committee on Wednesday next week. Justin joined the Committee in 2017 and took on the role of Chair in 2021. He has spent countless hours helping to deliver the Readers’ Course and coordinate the many things that Committee does to ensure our newest members start their careers with the best possible chance of success. He has been a real resource to me as President for the last six months. The Bar Council passed a formal vote of thanks to Justin at its meeting last night. On behalf of all members, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Justin in this publication for his time, energy and skill. Justin, we are very grateful. In terms of succession, I am pleased to announce that Anthony Strahan KC will fill the role of Chair, and Ben Ihle KC will take over from Ant as Deputy Chair of the Committee. My thanks to Ant and Ben for being willing to serve in these important roles.
Many members will have noted with sadness the passing earlier this week of David Jackson AM KC. He has been described by many as Australia’s pre-eminent constitutional silk, as well as being an absolute giant of the law. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1976, after practising for only 11 years. He was 34 years old. Just nine years later he was appointed as a Federal Court judge; a role he held for a short two-year spell, before returning to private practice. He was held in the very highest of esteem by those who knew and worked with him. My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and colleagues at this very sad time.
John (Jack) Batten also recently passed away. Jack signed the Bar Roll in 1980, and was one of seven readers of Mr R.J. Stanley. He was a key figure at the Workers’ Compensation Board and later the Accident Compensation Tribunal. Jack acted for the defendant in trials and serious injury applications. He was known as a brilliant, complicated, yet humble thinker, and a great lover of sport, debating, reading and horseracing. He is survived by his devoted wife Rosie, three sons, David, Luke and Nick, and daughter Fiona. He was grandfather to six. His daughter Fiona, son-in-law Brian Mason, and brother Nick Batten are all practising members of our Bar. My condolences go to them and those closest to him.
As members will have seen, the Bar’s position (if any) on the Voice has continued to generate significant media interest. I would like to make it clear that the CPD session about the Voice that is scheduled to take place on 29 May was booked in well before any notices for a special general meeting were received. In fact, the date for the CPD was picked to coincide with National Reconciliation Week, as set out in the Bar’s current Innovative Reconciliation Action Plan for October 2021 – September 2023.
Today is the last day to submit applications for appointment of Senior Counsel for 2023. If you wish to apply this year, you have until 5:00pm to submit your material.
Finally, I hope you have been able to enjoy some of the events associated with the Victoria Law Foundation’s annual Law Week. Among the events that the Bar supported this week was a lecture and Q&A session in the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery with Professor Jenny Hocking about the Dismissal, the Palace Letters case and how it affected the law relating to public archives, Royal secrecy, and public access. My thanks to the Art & Collections committee for organising such a successful event.
Tonight, I am heading to the BottledSnail production of Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution. I hope to see some of you there.
Sam Hay KC
Bar Roll No: 2661
It is with deep regret that the Victorian Bar advise members that the Honourable David Jackson AM KC died peacefully on Monday morning 15 May, in Sydney. David had recently celebrated his 82nd birthday.
The Australian Bar Association published the following tribute:
Today is a significant day in the life of the Australian Bar, marking as it does the passing of a pre-eminent silk of nearly half a century, and the finest constitutional and High Court barrister of a generation, indeed arguably since Federation.
David was an extraordinary advocate. The many who had the privilege of working directly with, or against, him are better judges and barristers for it. The many more who did not have the occasion of dealing directly with David will nonetheless have had their professional lives touched for the better because of the impact of his advocacy across the gamut of legal controversies before courts in their constitutional or appellate jurisdictions.
David leaves an enduring legacy on the development of the law in Australia and the craft of barrister by his lived example that the finest advocacy is the product of skill, industry, propriety, and courtesy in equal measure.
David was encouraging to barristers young and old, a loyal friend to many, extraordinarily generous and had a fine sense of humour.
David lived as he worked. He was a loving and devoted husband to Monica, his wife of more than fifty years, father to their three daughters, Catherine, Dominique and Louise, and grandfather to their four grandchildren. On behalf of the Australian Bar Association, I express my deepest sympathy to them on this sad day.
David was an unsurpassed exemplar of a barrister, an inspiration to all of us, and we salute his service today. May he rest in peace.
Bar Roll No: 1572
John (Jack) Leonard Batten died peacefully with his family on Friday, 12 May 2023, aged 73 years. Jack bravely battled cancer for the last 6 months and succumbed at 6:15pm on Friday.
Jack was educated at Xavier College and studied Law and Commerce at Melbourne University. He did his articles of clerkship with Godfrey Stewart Frank Curtain & Co in 1975 and continued with the firm until 1980. On 19 June 1980, Jack signed the Roll of Counsel and read with Mr R.J. Stanley, one of seven readers.
Jack’s career at the Bar initially took him into the Workers’ Compensation jurisdiction where he was a major player at the Workers’ Compensation Board and later the Accident Compensation Tribunal. Jack transitioned to the Common Law and acted mainly for the defendant in trials, serious injury applications as well as statutory benefit disputes. Jack loved to initiate young barristers into the Batten way when dealing with statutory benefits.
Jack was one of the great characters of life, possessed of a brilliant but complicated mind. However, he was always extremely humble. He loved a good debate or argument and on circuit in the Northeast, opposed to Monti, Trevor would always bait Jack with: “Is there a God, Jack?”
Apart from his career at the Bar, Jack loved his sport and had a successful career in amateur football at the University Blacks as captain. He was also a prolific reader, a keen golfer, and a thoroughbred racehorse enthusiast.
Above all else, Jack was a man who possessed the qualities of integrity, loyalty, a deep faith, and a strong conviction to family. He is survived by his devoted wife Rosie, daughter Fiona and her husband Brian, both of whom are practicing barristers and members of the Victorian Bar, sons David, Luke and Nick and their wives together with six grandchildren.
Jack was one of nine children to parents Ross and Alison Batten, one of whom is Nick Batten who is also a member of the Bar. For those that knew him well, for those that knew him not so well and for those that knew him by his reputation only, he will be sadly missed. Requiescat in Pace Jack.
A funeral will be held to honour the life of Jack Batten at the Conception Church, 345 Burwood Road Hawthorn on Friday, 19 May 2023 at 10:00am, followed by a private burial.
Today, the Information and Technology Committee launches the 2023 Reverse Mentoring Scheme. The scheme involves pairing barristers under five years’ call (the mentors) with more senior barristers who wish to develop their technological and digital skills (the mentees).
The scheme facilitates meaningful professional connections between junior and senior barristers and enables senior barristers to gain valuable insight into how juniors take advantage of the technological and digital opportunities of online and remote practice.
The scheme will run for at least three months. The pairs will meet at least three times, but the number of meetings and how often they meet is up to each pair.
In addition to specific goals set by the pairs, all mentees can expect to have developed or improved the following skills as part of their interaction with their mentor:
- Managing matters and briefs by email.
- Accepting electronic briefs.
- Using digital documents in court hearings.
- Editing PDF documents: mark ups, highlights, tabs/bookmarks etc.
- Formatting Word documents: headings, tables of contents, bullets and numbering etc.
- Using all main video conferencing platforms relevant to the practice area.
- Planning for cybersecurity and digital document security.
- Risk management planning: including working from home, internet outages, damage to devices and losing files.
- Establishing which devices, tools and software may be relevant and useful to the practice area.
The Information and Technology Committee, which is administering this scheme, will make the matches and will aim to match mentors and mentees in the same practice areas if possible.
If you are interested in joining the 2023 intake of this scheme as a mentor or mentee, please submit this application form here. The deadline for initial applications is Friday 26 May 2023.
The LPLC requires payment of the PII premium by Wednesday, 31 May 2023 and members are encouraged to renew online on the LPLC website.
LSB online went live on Monday, 27 March 2023, for the renewal of your PC. Members must renew before Friday, 30 June 2023 to continue to practise on Saturday, 1 July 2023. Members who renew after this date may incur a late renewal surcharge from the LSB+C.
Information on renewing practising certificates can be found on the VicBar website here.
Links for online lodgement, found on the above webpage, will be available from the VLSB+C and LPLC live dates, or you may go directly to LSB Online and the LPLC website when live.
Login to LSB Online and the LPLC renewal portal using your Practitioner Number as the username (your Practitioner Number will be included in the email sent to you by the VLSB+C). You can contact the Bar office for assistance if required. LSB Online deals with all PC administrative matters, and there is no printed PC renewal form. If you have forgotten your password, you can reset this on the LSB Online login screen by selecting ‘forgot password’. You will receive an email to reset your password.
If you experience technical difficulties with LSB Online, please contact the VLSB+C via their lawyer enquiry form. In addition, answers to frequently asked questions and LSB Online user guides can be found here.
Should you require assistance renewing your PC, the Victorian Bar office can help you, and members who need assistance should email membership@vicbar.com.au or contact Daphne Ioannidis on (03) 9225 8326 or Mark Bryant on (03) 9225 7105.
Expressions of interest are sought from those members of the Bar who wish to remain on, or become a member of the Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity Working Group of the Equality and Diversity Committee.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is a key mission of the Victorian Bar. The Working Group was established in 2018 and its main objective is to assist the Committee in identifying the needs and priorities of the members of the Bar from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds and to promote initiatives that foster equality, inclusion and freedom from discrimination and harassment to the benefit of all barristers at the Bar.
In particular, the Working Group is to consider the following matters, and may consider such other matters as it considers desirable for the purpose of achieving its objectives:
- facilitating inclusive networks and support for barristers in matters of professional and personal development within and external to the Victorian Bar;
- organising CPD events and other appropriate means of promoting each of the above measures to members of the Victorian Bar and the wider profession and community;
- liaising with various professional associations representing particular ethnic or cultural interests; and
- developing steps to combat the presence of racism and discrimination at the Victorian Bar.
Please forward your expressions of interest to Haroon Hassan (haroon.hassan@vicbar.com.au) and Clare Cunliffe (cunliffe@vicbar.com.au). In your email, kindly note your reasons for wanting to join the Working Group. Please submit your EOIs by 5:00pm, Friday, 26 May 2023.
We welcome EOIs from all members of the Bar, particularly those from culturally diverse backgrounds.
The Open Justice Project continues to operate in 2023. This collaboration between Monash University and the Victorian Bar provides high performing later year undergraduate and postgraduate students at Monash University with an opportunity to assist barristers with a range of tasks, including legal research, basic drafting, preparation of chronologies and summaries of evidence. Both barristers and students alike benefit from the project, which has been widely praised.
Barrister Matthew Albert said of the program, “This is a brilliant and important initiative. All those involved should be commended and I hope it continues for the long run.”
If you would like to participate, you can find out more about the Project via this link.
The Victorian Bar is offering members the annual flu vaccination in Owen Dixon Chambers East on 30 and 31 May 2023.
Bookings must be made online via the iMedical website. Instructions on how to book are here. You must be logged into the VicBar website to download the instructions.
There are a limited number of appointments available to Bar members from iMedical, and they will be allocated on a first-in, first-served basis.
Why Take Chambers with BCL? As a wholly owned subsidiary of the Victorian Bar, BCL provides a flexible and unique solution of chamber and technology support only available to members of the Bar. Click here to view our current vacancies.
The following are highlights of upcoming CPD and events for Victorian Bar members. You must be a member of the Victorian Bar and logged into the VicBar website to view these events.
- Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Act 2022 is on 22 May 2023 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. The Justice Legislation Amendment (Sexual Offences and Other Matters) Act 2022: new jury directions, affirmative consent, ground rules hearings for adult complainants, changes to the ‘confidential communications’ regime and more. Come along to this practical discussion to learn everything you need to know about this complex and important piece of legislation. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via live stream. Click here to RSVP.
- Practice Development – Supporting and Championing junior barristers’ practice is on 23 May 2023 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. This session is aimed at silks and senior juniors. Presentation from juniors across crime, competition and consumer, commercial and public law on how to work with juniors of all levels from those with substantial litigation experience or those coming to the bar in their early years of practice. This is an in-person event only. Click here to RSVP.
- Barnes v Addy and beyond: revisiting claims against accessories to breaches of trust and fiduciary duty is on 24 May 2023 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. This presentation aims to provide practical guidance for practitioners about bringing Barnes v Addy claims and related claims, on the present state of the law. The presentation will provide an overview of elements of the claims, along with discussing several interesting points on which the law remains unsettled. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via live stream. Click here to RSVP.
- The Voice is on 29 May 2023 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. This seminar will cover matters of constitutional law and access to justice arising from the Australian Government’s proposal to enshrine in the Constitution an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament and the Executive, which will be voted on in a referendum. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via live stream. Click here to RSVP.
- Where Child Protection meets Family Law is on 30 May 2023 from 5:00pm-6:00pm. Join our experienced panel for an informative discussion of the interplay between the jurisdictions of the Children's Court and the FCFCOA (including recent legislative amendments) and expert tips to assist clients navigating the transition. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via live stream. Click here to RSVP.
For more upcoming CPD events, please visit our listings here.
Since the Covid Pandemic, a range of digital technologies have been used by barristers in their practice. These include video conferencing platforms for online hearings, electronic filing portals and internet and technology services provided by BCL (Barristers’ Chambers Limited). Members are asked to participate in a brief survey to measure the overall use and impact of digital technologies, with answers set to contribute to how widespread the technologies are used moving forward. To participate in the survey, click the link here.
All Bar Dads are welcome to join us for our next coffee catch up at Brick Lane from 10:30am on Thursday, 25 June.
33 Guildford Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
The VicBar Choir invites you to join its group. A new term commences on Tuesday, 23 May 2023 with new choir leader Richard Lawton.
Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm, Tuesdays.
Dates: 23 May to 20 June 2023
Cost: $30 a week (Please ask for a discount if you need one) – $125 a term.
For more information, contact the Bar office on 9225 7111 or reception@vicbar.com.au.
Click here for the flyer.
We’re delighted to confirm that our guest of honour for the up-and-coming Law Blues function on 1 June is former player, and current Burch&Co CEO and Sports Advisory Partners Australia Managing Director, Ian Prendergast!
Venue: Gadens, Level 13, Collins Arch, 447 Collins St Melbourne
Date and Time: Thursday, 1 June, 6:00pm
Cost: $50pp, includes drinks and canapés
Payment: JR3N Pty Ltd - Commonwealth Bank - BSB: 063009 - 1051 0434
Go Blues!
The Victorian Golfing Lawyers Society invites all comers to the Peninsula Kingswood North Course on Monday, 29 May 2023 from 11:30am for the inaugural President's Invitational.
VGLS golfers are encouraged to invite a guest who may be a prospective VGLS member or a family member or friend who loves golf. If you are not yet a VGLS member but are a keen golfer, we welcome you.
The President’s Invitational Cup will be presented to the winning pair!
Format:
- Two tee start from 12:20pm.
- 4BBB Stableford, incl. prizes for NTP and men’s and women’s LD.
- Use of practice driving range, short course area and practice putting greens, pull buggies.
- Carts – player to organise own directly with pro shop, $75 per cart.
- Light lunch of sandwiches, wraps, fruit and coffee prior to play commencing.
- On course cart with food and drinks (at own expense)
- Two course dinner to follow play (drinks at own expense)
- Address: 211-219 Skye Road, Frankston.
Cost: $320 per head for non-PK members, $120 for PK members and reciprocals.
RSVP Thursday, 25 May 2023.
The PK North Course is currently rated 5th best in Australia and provides a terrific challenge to golfers of all abilities. A flyover of all 18 holes can be viewed on this link.
BOOK NOW using this link.
Studio 11 MELBOURNE is delighted to invite you to view the latest exhibition of pure wool carpets designed by Alexandra Copeland, woven by 19 women living in or near Kabul, Afghanistan, with ceramics and paintings. The rug designs by Alexandra incorporate motifs of pomegranates, lilies, poppies and grapevine leaves.
For the weavers, the project gives them not only an income but social contact in a society which has become closed to women. The carpets are knotted in pure New Zealand wool, on wooden looms using methods traditional to Afghanistan.
There are 38 works in all, on display, all of which are for sale with proceeds going directly to the artist and weavers. The exhibition runs from 24 April to 23 June 2023. Price lists are available on the floor together with Artist Statement and CV. Thank you for supporting the Studio 11 MELBOURNE initiative.
Dear Essoign Club Members,
The Essoign Board have agreed to keep the cost of The Essoign Club Membership for the upcoming 2023/2024 year, as per the previous year. We would like to thank you for the support throughout the year.
We are open daily from 7:30am – till late
Breakfast – for dine-in or takeaway.
Lunch – Daily Café Menu take away or delivery.
Lunch Dine-In – A La Carte from midday.
Bar – EVERY EVENING – $5 Beer & Wine from 4:30pm – 5:30pm with light snacks available.
Catering & Events – For all occasions including:
Breakfasts
Cocktail Parties
Dinners
Platters for:
Lunches
Morning & Afternoon tea
Or something special you may have in mind.
See Catering and Events Pack here.
Email us at essoign@vicbar.com.au
Victorian Bar members are encouraged to use the Member Benefits online portal, where you can access a wide variety of discounts, special offers, and member-only deals as part of your Bar membership.
The exclusive benefits are available Australia-wide and are not generally open to the public.
To activate your account and access the benefits, please click here. You must log in using your vicbar.com.au login details.
Click here to access the monthly Best Buys, including Mother's Day offers!
Click here for a special Limited Time offer on Cotton On Group eGift Cards.
The Children’s Court of Victoria is implementing a new online case management system for child protection proceedings.
As part of the Royal Commission into Family Violence recommendations the Children’s Court of Victoria is implementing a new online Case Management System – CMS Portal.
How you interact with the court is going to change. You will use the CMS Portal to file documents electronically, access case information, draft and submit proposed consent minutes and obtain court orders.
The new CMS Portal for child proceedings will go live on 9 October 2023.
Further information and training will be provided to the profession closer to the go live date.
The Judicial College of Victoria have recently published an update to Scholarship for the Legal Community, a curated selection of research summaries of recently published academic writing from local and international journals.
The update includes four new research summaries covering:
- the challenges in defining a "system of conduct" or "pattern of behaviour"
- statutory interpretation considered through the lens of the role of the judiciary in relationship to the legislature
- how the "carrying on a business in Australia" test is applied to social media companies
- changing international perspectives on the use of commercial interest as a basis for standing in judicial review
Click here to view the update.
As at COB on Friday, 12 May 2023, Melbourne Prosecutions Unit will no longer be utilising the Summary Case Conference (SCC) booking phone.
Practitioners are required to email their request for a SCC to the MELBOURNE-PROS-CASE CONFERENCE-OIC melbourne.caseconf@police.vic.gov.au email address.
As you will be aware case conferences to date have been conducted via designated appointment times, this practice will cease from 12 June 23. The coordinating staff at MMC have been made aware of this change to process and the potential for some delay. If your current court date is before 12 June, you should seek an adjournment.
SCC Prosecutors will now be rostered for allocated matters and will attend to conferences in accordance with this allocation. Contact is not limited to phone/teams but will now include email communication between the parties.
Priority will also be given to VLA and matters where the accused is currently in custody. Please highlight this in your email.
You email must contain the following:
In the subject heading – SCC, hearing date, Accused SURNAME, First name.
- Accused Name.
- Informant/s
- Legal practitioner & contact details.
- Mention date.
- EFAS number.
- Charges:
- Issues is dispute.
- Offer of resolution.
We will endeavour to respond to you email as soon as possible. Please be aware there may be some initial delays with the implementation of the new system and we apologise for any inconvenience.
The Richard Griffith Library on Level 1, Owen Dixon Chambers East, is a tremendous resource open 24/7 to members of the Bar. Computers provide the same access to resources as at the Supreme Court Library. This includes Westlaw Australia, Lexis Advance, and ICLR (for England and Wales law reports). There is also an extensive collection of current edition textbooks and hard copy law reports.
The Richard Griffith Library is a space for quiet research and reading. Please respect other users and do not make phone calls, take meetings or video conferences in the library.
On 10 May 2023, the Victorian Legal Services Board (Board) resolved to appoint Mr Grant Hutchinson as Manager of the sole practitioner law practice of the late Felix Anthony Vitiello trading as ‘Felix A Vitiello’ (Law Practice), pursuant to section 334 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria) (Uniform Law). The appointment is for a period of approximately ten months and expires on 8 March 2024, unless the Board determines to extend the appointment or the appointment otherwise ceases in accordance with section 340 of the Uniform Law.
The Board determined to appoint a Manager because the Board is satisfied that there is a need for an independent person to be appointed to take over professional and operational responsibility for the Law Practice.
Mr Hutchinson may be contacted on (03) 9870 9870 or by email at grant@hutchonsonlegal.com.au.
You will be notified upon the termination of the management. If you wish to discuss this matter further with the Board, please contact Joanne Jenkins on (03) 9679 8165 or via email at jjenkins@lsbc.vic.gov.au.
Regarding previous correspondence in relation to the appointment of Madeline Prior by the Victorian Legal Services Board (Board) as Manager to the Law Practice under Chapter 6 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria) (Uniform Law).
Please be advised that the appointment terminated on 4 February 2023, pursuant to section 340(1)(a) of the Uniform Law.
If you wish to discuss the matter further with the Board, please contact me on (03) 9679 8165 or via email at jjenkins@lsbc.vic.gov.au.
Corporate Governance – Big Ideas and Debates?
Date & time: Wednesday, 24 May, 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location: Melbourne Law School, G08 Theatre, 185 Pelham St, Carlton & Online
Presenter: The Hon. Justice Michelle Gordon AC
Recent events and debates in and outside Australia about corporate governance may be seen as suggesting that company directors, and the laws which govern their work, are facing new and different challenges. Many of those debates have been framed by reference to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and arguably challenge traditional conceptions of corporate governance. What can Australia learn from these debates legally, practically, and commercially?
This lecture is named in honour of distinguished Melbourne Law School alumnus Professor Harold Ford, who passed away in September 2012. Professor Ford spent almost his entire career at Melbourne Law School following his appointment to the Law School in 1949. He served as Dean of the Law School in 1964 and again from 1967 to 1973. He is remembered as a gifted teacher by several generations of law students. Professor Ford also made many important contributions to law reform and co-authored a leading text titled Principles of the Law of Trusts as well as other influential books. The Harold Ford Memorial Lecture celebrates the many contributions of Professor Ford to Melbourne Law School, the legal profession, and to the development of corporate law and trusts law.
We hope you can join us for this opportunity to hear The Hon. Justice Michelle Gordon AC speak. Light refreshments will be served from 5:00pm with the lecture starting at 6:00pm.
For those unable to attend in person, a livestream option will be available when you register.
Title: Five Years of Crowd-Sourced Funding in Australia: Taking Stock (Literally)
Speaker: Andrew A. Schwartz, Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Law, University of Colorado
Commentators: Kellie Morton, Chief Legal Officer & Director of Birchal
Matt Vitale: Co-Founder & Managing Director of Birchal
Monash Law’s Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS), in conjunction with Banking and Financial Services Law Association (BFSLA), will present Professor of Law and Fulbright Scholar, Andrew A. Schwartz, to discuss the law and regulation of crowd-sourced funding in Australia and compare it with international practice.
The seminar will also address the state of the Australian market and what it would take to achieve the full potential of crowd-sourced funding across this vast country. Joining Professor Schwartz will be the Chief Legal Officer & Managing Director of Australia's leading equity crowdfunding platform, Birchal, who will offer insights on the development of equity crowdfunding in Australia in the five years since it's introduction. The event will be chaired by Jennifer Hill, who is the Director of CLARS and the Bob Baxt AO Professor of Corporate and Commercial Law at Monash Law School.
In person attendance or via webinar
In person attendance: Monash University Law Chambers 555 Lonsdale Street Melbourne, VIC 3000
Date and time: Monday, 29 May 2023 at 5:30pm-6:45pm
For further details and to register for this free event, click here.
Lawyers as Changemakers is a three-part series celebrates Australian lawyers, their contributions, impact, and influence in shaping society for good, and what inspiration they provide on how we can improve our communities now and into the future.
The second address for the series will be made by Ike Nwokolo, a senior lawyer and Practice Group Leader in Slater and Gordon’s public liability team. Ike will be speaking about his journey in the pursuit of social justice through his legal career from an African-Australian perspective.
Click here to register.
Monash University's Transnational Criminal Law Group in conjunction with the Victorian Juries Commissioner's Office and the Court of the Future Network warmly invite you to a conference to be held at the Monash Law Chambers, in the Melbourne CBD, on Friday, 9 June 2023.
Register here. The Eventbrite registration page contains the full day conference program and other useful information. Speakers include:
- Deputy Chief Judge Meryl Sexton, County Court of Victoria
- Detective Sergeant Katrina Carr (Specialist Investigations Training, Queensland)
- Professor Andres Harfuch, University of Argentina
- Nina Funnell, journalist and victim advocate
- Dr Danny Sullivan, Forensic Psychiatrist
- Matt Weatherson, Judicial College of Victoria
Continuing Professional Development; The conference content offers registrants topics that cover: Substantive Law, Practice & Procedure; Barrister/Litigator Skills; and Ethics & Professional Responsibility in the context of sexual assault.
Registrations now open for Resolution Institute’s flagship mediation training with a 20% discount on membership.
Do you need to enhance your mediation skills, follow a new career path, or develop your negotiation and conflict resolution skills?
Then why not join our experienced and renowned trainer Anne Sutherland in Melbourne (19–23 June) for our mediation training and take your career to new heights?
Our highly sought-after mediation training meets the requirements for the National Mediation Accreditation System in Australia and includes personalised coaching and feedback from highly skilled mediators. Upon completion of the course, you will receive 20% off your membership for your first year which will gain you exclusive access to a range of our membership benefits. There is a maximum number of participants for each course to ensure you get the possible experience and training available. So don’t delay – secure your spot today.
This practical learning experience is built on sound theory with a strong skills development orientation. You will learn a proven step-by-step mediation process adaptable to a wide range of circumstances, essential skills to identify the range of drivers underpinning different perspectives, effective communication skills and processes to manage difficult or emotionally charged interactions, and much more. The training includes theory, discussions, videos, group activities, demonstrations by trainers, and role plays with personalised coaching feedback.
There are no prerequisites for this course, and it is ideal for anyone keen to add mediation to their professional skill set, including those who are interested in developing their negotiation and conflict resolution skills, professionals who advise clients, manage staff, or facilitate planning and decision making, and more.
For more information and to register, please click here. You can also write to us at learning@resolution.institute or call us at 02 9251 3366.
Registration is now open for the International Bar Association Annual Conference 2023. Taking place at the Palais des Congrès de Paris from 29 October - 3 November 2023, this conference offers the opportunity to experience over 200 sessions on a wide range of legal topics, along with an abundance of business and networking opportunities on offer attended by some of the world’s leading lawyers.
More information about the conference programme is available on the following social media feeds:
Monash Law is one of Australia's largest and most dynamic law schools. We invite Expressions of Interest in working with our team of experienced educators and leading academics.
As a casual (sessional) academic staff member, you are an important part of the faculty’s teaching program. You will assist the Law Faculty in maintaining high quality in teaching and learning, satisfy students’ learning requirements for units and courses, and increase flexibility in subject offerings.
You are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest application if you have obtained an Australian law degree with excellent results, have relevant experience and have the capability to work within our teaching teams. Casual work may be available in lecturing, tutoring and marking in private and public law units and clinical offerings.
Please contact us via the Expression of Interest portal.
If you would like to contribute relevant news, events, and updates for barristers and the legal profession to In Brief, please send an email with your content to inbrief@vicbar.com.au or complete this submission form.
Deadline for the next issue:5pm, 25th May 2023