On Thursday, Chief Justice Anne Ferguson announced the appointment of 23 new silks. On behalf of the Victorian Bar, I congratulate James Barber, Elizabeth Boros, Maria Pilipasidis, Christian Juebner, Romauld Andrew, Ian Horak, Craig Smith, Jason Gullaci, Raelene Sharp, Carl Moller, Jonathan Kirkwood, Samuel Rosewarne, Francis Gordon, Melanie Baker, Albert Dinelli, Zoe Maud, Robyn Sweet, William Edwards, Mark Costello, Emrys Nekvapil, Roslyn Kaye, Melanie Szydzik and Eleanor Mallett. I wish them every success in their new role as leaders of the Victorian Bar and the legal profession in this State.
There will be ceremonial sittings for Silk Bows on Wednesday, 9 November 2022, as follows:
Next Thursday, 10 November 2022, there will be a ceremonial sitting of the Magistrates Court of Victoria to welcome their Honours, Magistrates Vincenzo Caltabiano and Megan Casey. See details below.
It is with regret that I advise members of the death this week of The Hon. Robert Ellicott AC KC at the age of 95. Bob Ellicott was called to the NSW Bar in 1950 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 1964. He joined the Victorian Bar on 12 March 1991. Amongst his many achievements, Bob Ellicott served as the Solicitor-General of Australia (1969-1973) and as a member of the House of Representatives (1974-1981), during which time he held a number of important ministries, including Attorney-General of the Commonwealth (1975-1977). In 1981 he was appointed a Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. On behalf of the Bar, I extend my condolences to his family, in particular his grandson Tom Ellicott, a member of our Bar.
On Monday, I attended a reception at Government House on the eve of the running of the Melbourne Cup, an event that has been held for as long as the running of the Cup itself.
On Wednesday, Amanda Utt attended the bi-monthly meeting with the President and CEO of the Law Institute of Victoria. The LIV wishes to establish a working group with the Bar with the aim of improving solicitor/ barrister communications within the Trusts, Equity and Probate List and the Testator’s Family Maintenance List. The focus of the working group will be the briefing of counsel, the requirements of counsel and the courts and generally improved delivery of services to clients. Members interested in joining this working group are asked to contact Jessica O’Reilly, Section Lead to the Succession Law Section, at joriley@liv.asn.au.
Voting remains open in the Victorian Bar Council 2022/2023 election and closes on Wednesday, 9 November, at 5:00pm. The poll will be declared next Thursday evening at the final meeting of the 2021/22 Bar Council.
It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as President of the Victorian Bar this year. I would like to thank the members of the Bar Council and, in particular, the Executive for their hard work and diligence over the last year. I wish to single out three members of Bar Council who are not standing for re-election: Vice President Charles Shaw KC, Assistant Honorary Treasurer Robyn Sweet SC and Amy Wood who have each provided invaluable assistance to me this year and who have been outstanding in their contribution to the work of the Bar Council.
I thank the Victorian Bar Office staff, led so capably by Amanda Utt, Executive Director, for the excellent support they have provided to the Bar Council and the Bar Committees and for the tremendous work they do on behalf of all members each year.
On behalf of the Bar Council, I thank all members who so generously gave their time to contribute to Bar committees, associations, education programs and other Bar activities over 2021/2022.
Róisín Annesley KC
The Victorian Bar welcomed the appointment of 23 new Senior Counsel by the Honourable Chief Justice Anne Ferguson.
The Court will welcome the new Silks in a ceremonial sitting to be held in the Banco Court on Wednesday, 9 November 2022 at 9:15am, followed by a morning tea in the Supreme Court Library.
His Honour Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano
Her Honour Magistrate Megan Casey
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of His Honour Magistrate Vincenzo Caltabiano and Her Honour Magistrate Megan Casey will be held on:
Thursday, 10 November 2022 at 9:00am
The ceremony will be livestreamed via Webex here.
Voting for the 2022/2023 Bar Council election opened at 9:00am on Wednesday, 26 October 2022 and closes at 5:00pm on Wednesday, 9 November 2022.
Eligible members who have not already voted will have received a reminder email on Wednesday, 2 November 2022 from Vero Voting with a link to vote.
If you have not received this email, and have checked your Junk/Other Folder, please contact Vero Voting on support@verovoting.com.au or on 1300 702 898 and they will assist you.
You must be financial to be eligible to vote, and only eligible members will receive the email from Vero Voting. For voting eligibility enquiries please contact the Victorian Bar on (03) 9225 8314.
Nominations for the next Victorian Bar Pro Bono Awards are still open.
The next Victorian Bar Pro Bono Awards Ceremony is scheduled for March 2023, and nominations for the 2023 awards are open until 30 November 2022.
If you are aware of barristers making an outstanding contribution representing parties on a pro bono basis, please consider making nominations throughout the nomination period.
For more information or to submit a nomination, click here.
Information about the Awards includes a short video featuring the Honourable Chris Maxwell AC, former President of the Victorian Court of Appeal, explaining how pro bono assistance provided by barristers makes a difference to vulnerable people in our community.
Members are reminded that information about how you can get involved in the Victorian Bar’s Pro Bono Schemes is available on the Pro Bono page of the members’ website here.
Indigenous Australians, their cultures and experiences, have an important part to play in the legal profession.
As part of the Victorian Bar’s commitment to reconciliation, the Bar conducts a clerkship program for Indigenous law students on an annual basis. Applications for the 2023 Indigenous Clerkship Program are now open. Click here for the application form.
We kindly request that you share this information with your networks and to any Indigenous law students who may be interested in participating.
This year, the Bar is offering up to six paid clerkship positions to Indigenous law students, which will involve four consecutive weeks of rotation at the Bar, the Federal Court of Australia, Supreme Court of Victoria and County Court of Victoria. The Program places emphasis on the tasks undertaken by barristers and judicial officers. It presents a unique opportunity to see a side of the legal profession that is normally hidden. The Program would be of interest to Indigenous law students considering a career in law, not only as a barrister. Further information about the program can be found here.
Applications close on Friday, 18 November 2022.
After the closing date, a selection panel will determine all applications in accordance with the criteria indicated in the information booklet and applicants will be notified accordingly. A sample acceptance letter with additional information is accessible here.
Any enquiries about the application procedure and selection criteria or the clerkship program in general may be made to:
Timothy Goodwin |
03 9225 6323 |
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Chris McDermott |
03 9225 7489 |
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Julian Murphy |
03 9225 7777 |
Registration for the 2022 CommBar Conference in Albury on Friday, 18 November 2022, is now open. Tickets can be purchased via this link for $495 per person (inclusive of GST).
Attendance at the conference is open to all CommBar members and interested solicitors. Please feel free to circulate this registration link to colleagues and contacts whom you believe may be interested in attending.
Registration includes attendance at the conference and all social events, including:
The conference business sessions and the gala dinner will be held at The Atura Hotel in Albury.
Accommodation
The Atura Hotel is offering a conference accommodation rate for conference attendees at $190 per night for 17 and 18 November 2022. To access this offer, which is exclusive to conference attendees, you can either:
Conference Program
For more information, please click here.
The International Advocacy Training Committee is delivering an advocacy course to the Legal Training Institute of Papua New Guinea from 9-16 November 2022 in Port Moresby.
This is the first time since COVID-19 that an in-person delivery of the course has been possible.
This is a call for donations of legal texts and law reports.
Donated books/reports will be delivered to the Legal Training Institute.
If you are able to make a contribution, please email Pina Bonacci at dinelli.pa@vicbar.com.au, and arrangements can be made to collect the books/reports.
The following are highlights of upcoming CPD and events for Victorian Bar members. You must be a member of the Victorian Bar and log into the VicBar website to view these events.
For more upcoming CPD events, please visit our listings here.
You are cordially invited to the launch of 'A Life in the Law: A Memoir' by Nimal Wikramanayake KC.
The book will be launched by Robert Richter KC as The Essoign Club, Level 1, Owen Dixon Chambers East at 5:00pm on Monday, 28 November 2022.
RSVP by Friday, 18 November 2022 to n.wikramanayake@vicbar.com.au or call 9885 7501.
BottledSnail Productions invites you to attend its Twilight Songs under the Dome 2022 on Thursday, 10 November, at 5:30pm in the Law Library.
Featuring an hour of musical entertainment by members of the judiciary and the legal profession, the event will also raise money for the work of Medecins sans Frontieres assisting the flood victims of Pakistan. Tickets are $40 - details are in the flyer here.
Studio 11 is delighted to host its current End of Year Exhibition featuring works by Robyn Wilson and Geraldine Richards at Level 11, Owen Dixon Chambers East.
This exhibition comprises some 43 works, all for sale directly from the artists, commission free. The exhibition runs from 3 October – 16 December 2022.
Robyn Wilson is a Melbourne-based artist who graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and holds a Diploma of Visual Art. Robyn’s work draws inspiration from iconic and favourite Melbourne cafes, including Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar and Brunetti’s, a recent outback painting trip to Fowler’s Gap West of Broken Hill and Plein Air painting at Halls Gap. Robyn explores these works with a pervading interest in colour, geometry and patterning, resulting in accomplished, balanced works.
Geraldine Richards is also a Melbourne based artist who is completing her Masters of Fine Art. Her works are lively, colourful and geometric. Her love of nuanced colour comes from her mother, and her interest in form emanates from living in houses designed by architect Robin Boyd. Her landscape paintings are influenced by views of the Dandenong Ranges from East Ivanhoe and the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay at Mount Martha, as well as travels around Victoria, in particular San Remo, the Bellarine Peninsula and the Macedon Ranges.
Please visit the exhibition at your leisure.
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 5pm till late with light snacks available.
Catering & Events - Special lunches, working lunches, private dinners, Christmas Lunch or something special you may have in mind. 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.
MBA have a limited time offer running at the moment on The Good Guys Commercial.
By signing up for an account, members can go into the running to win their choice of $150 worth of products from the Good Guys Commercial. There will be one winner of this prize.
Click here for more information.
Click here for the monthly Best Buys!
Please see an important update here from the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) regarding the expansion of the Lighthouse model, a world-leading innovation in the risk screening, triage and assessment of family law matters.
The Courts were successful in receiving funding to expand the current Pilot, detailed in a media release here.
From 28 November 2022, the Courts will roll out the Lighthouse model to Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Dandenong, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Rockhampton, Sydney, Townsville, and Wollongong in both parenting and parenting/financial cases.
The Lighthouse model involves three interconnected processes:
The Courts will release a series of updates to the profession over the coming weeks in advance of the commencement of the expanded model on 28 November 2022.
Please click here to view the Lighthouse Project expansion factsheet.
The Supreme Court has issued a Notice to the Profession concerning DX services.
The Court has been informed that the whole of government DX service utilised by the Court is ceasing from 31 October 2022.
The Chief Judge has removed the restrictions on the start times for trial matters in the Common Law Division. This change will have effect from Monday, 7 November 2022.
All trial matters listed from 7 November 2022 will have a nominal start time of 10:00am.
At present, the rules regarding which matters are heard in-person remain: that is, all matters involving contested oral evidence will be heard in person. All other matters remain online.
Matters where the Judge considers it necessary to have an in-person hearing but do not involve contested oral evidence, such as self-represented litigant matters or complex summons matters, may be heard in person. This is a matter at the discretion of the presiding Judge.
Please find here Practice Direction No. 11 of 2022 – Listing of Matters in the Magistrates’ Court Koori Court.
This PD takes effect on Monday, 7 November 2022 and revokes Practice Direction No. 5 of 2018 from that date.
VCAT will shortly return to in-person hearings for Planning and Environment Division (PED) matters.
From Monday, 21 November 2022, VCAT will convert the following fixtures from online to in-person:
From Monday, 12 December 2022, any land valuation matters with three or more hearing days will become in-person hearings.
All other hearing types will continue to be conducted remotely. Please refer to the Initiating Order and subsequent orders sent to you for further information.
You will receive updated orders over the coming weeks as we work through converting these fixtures and updating information.
We thank you for your patience in advance.
Court Services Victoria (CSV) and VCAT remain committed to providing a safe environment for our users, members and staff.
For information on our in-person hearing COVID-19 protocols, including the requirement to wear a mask, see On hearing day.
VCAT thanks you for your co-operation.
For more information or feedback, contact: Planning & Environment Division: admin@vcat.vic.gov.au.
There is considerable hype about the increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into legal contexts. We are higher education researchers interested in what actually happens in practice. We’d like to hear about your experiences – or lack of experience – with AI or AI-mediated technologies in Australian legal contexts. Sharing your experience and/or views will help better understand how new law graduates can learn to work in future AI-mediated environments. Deakin University invites you to take 15-20 minutes out of your day to complete this survey. You can, if you like, enter your details separately for a chance to win a pair of Bose noise-cancelling headphones.
Please feel free to forward the survey link to anyone that you think might be interested.
This study has received Deakin University ethics approval (HAE-21-172).
Survey QR Code:
The Digital Library goes with you, allowing you to work remotely and still have access to subscriber-only content 24/7. Log in to the Digital Library for access to:
The right resources can help you succeed – in your client work and career. Register now for your Digital Library login – powered by Law Library Victoria.
In Conversation with Jon Faine
Hosted by iconic broadcaster Jon Faine, In Conversation is an opportunity to deep-dive into the minds of some of Australia’s major movers and shakers as they explore the biggest legal, economic and social issues of our time. Be part of the live audience in person at Monash Law Chambers in Melbourne CBD. You can also choose to watch online via LinkedIn Live.
Corruption, FDI, Investment Treaties and Arbitration in Thailand and Asia
Held in person and via Zoom on Wednesday, 9 November, this event welcomes Professor Luke Nottage, University of Sydney, who will discuss issues in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) arbitration claims, as well as the general problems of corruption and lack of transparency in government, particularly in Asia.
Register here.
2022 Susan Campbell Oration: Fostering Fairness Fighters
The Ombudsman exists to redress the imbalance of power between individual and state – a fundamentally unfair relationship. On Tuesday, 15 November, Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass will reflect on fairness, the role of her office in ensuring it and the contributions of countless student interns and young lawyers. This event will be held in person and online via Zoom.
Register here.
How can Artificial Intelligence Combat Disinformation?
Social media use has given rise to many public policy concerns about so-called ‘fake news’: unwitting misinformation and deliberate disinformation. In this Change Makers event, six expert speakers from a variety of backgrounds explore fundamental questions about how Artificial Intelligence, digital technology more broadly and law and public policy can regulate disinformation.
This event, held in person and online on Wednesday, 16 November, is part of an ongoing collaboration between Monash Law and Monash IT focusing on Ethics in AI.
Register here.
The Supreme Court and County Court Victoria will be jointly hosting a hybrid seminar for practitioners on Friday, 11 November 2022, from 8:30-9:30am.
Zoom out: Lessons from the return to in-person hearings will provide unique insights and practical guidance on litigation, courtroom etiquette, appearances and preparing for in-person hearings.
The event will be presented by Justice Jacinta Forbes (Supreme Court), Judge Tsikaris (County Court), Judicial Registrar Andrew Baker (Supreme Court) and barrister Fiona Ryan SC. Practitioners are invited to join in-person or online.
Please read more about this event on the Supreme Court’s website.
The Australian Labour Law Association will hold its national conference in person at Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach, Sydney, on Friday, 11 and Saturday, 12 November 2022.
Academics and practitioners from across Australia and New Zealand will present sessions on a diverse range of topics under the conference theme of The Regulation of Work in a 'COVID-Normal' World.
Professor Douglas Brodie from the University of Strathclyde will deliver the opening keynote address entitled 'Defining Employment: Judicial Conservatism and Legislative Solutions'. Plenary sessions will consider the ongoing challenges of regulating gig workers with representatives from the Transport Workers Union, Uber and Door Dash, and the Aged Care Work Value Case with representatives from the aged care industry and the Health Services Union, along with Professor Emerita Sara Charlesworth.
Registration is available via the conference website here.
The conference dinner on Friday night will provide the opportunity to network and re-establish relationships with colleagues. Tickets are available via the conference website. Accommodation on Friday night is available at a special conference rate for those who book via the conference website.
Legislation Renovation: What Interim Report B means for you
Join the ALRC to examine Financial Services Legislation Interim Report B and its proposed legislative model.
Wednesday, 16 November 2022, at 1:00pm
Register to attend this free online event here.
The 35th LAWASIA Conference is just around the corner in Sydney, 18-21 November 2022.
Visit the conference website to learn more about the program, speakers and moderators as well as registration details and sponsorship opportunities: 35th LAWASIA Conference 2022 – 18-21 Nov 2022 | Sydney, Australia (lawasia2022.com)
Click here for the flyer.
The Australasian College of Legal Medicine is proud to be hosting a Sydney Dinner Meeting on Saturday, 10 December 2022, as a satellite meeting in conjunction with the 26th World Congress for Medical Law.
Please join us for this unique educational and networking opportunity with international speakers and attendees.
Welcome canapes, a three course meal, and alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. We will enjoy presentations from Guest Speakers throughout the evening:
Register to attend here.
About ACLM
The Australasian College of Legal Medicine is a not-for-profit organisation which provides a network for doctors and dentists who have completed dual qualifications in law and medicine or dentistry or whose areas of practice are impacted by the law. We are committed to providing education in legal medicine.
The Australian Bar Association is conducting the Advanced Trial Advocacy Intensive in the Federal Court, Sydney, on 23 to 27 January 2023.
It is a residential five course that will develop your skills as an experienced trial advocate. The Intensive focuses on each element of the civil and criminal trial and provides a rare opportunity for performances to be reviewed and critiqued with demonstrations by Judges and senior practitioners, as well as performance coaches. There will be masterclass sessions on openings, examination of witnesses, expert evidence and closing address. A trial will be conducted on the last day, with juries in the criminal stream.
There are only 42 positions available, 30 in the civil stream and 12 in the criminal stream. Groups are small, and the coach-to-participant ratio is high. Seniority of at least five years at the private Bar is a pre-requisite.
More information is available, and Registration can be made here.
Feel free to contact Carolyn Sparke KC (ext 8492) if you want to have a chat about the course.
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.