Cyber horror stories. We share them regularly. The unsuspecting victim receives a “phishing” email. It looks like it’s from a company that already has their data and wants the victim to verify his or her details. The victim visits the verification link contained in the email. He/she is prompted to enter his or her login information into a fake verification form. After obtaining the victim’s ID and password, all hell breaks loose. Other horror stories are less sinister but no less damaging. The PhD student whose thesis is “lost” because it’s not backed up properly and the hard drive dies.
During National Reconciliation Week (NRW) the Indigenous Justice Committee is holding a CPD on the immediate needs of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system. Topics will include the use of community justice reports in court and recent decisions as to the effects of COVID-19 upon bail for Indigenous people. We are delighted that Magistrate Falla will Chair the CPD and give an acknowledgment of Country. We welcome all members of the Bar to join us at this CPD. Click here to register.
The Victorian Bar hosted four Law Week 2020 events last week - each was recorded so they could be made available to members on-demand.
One of the presentations is Zooming in on the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery, which is a virtual tour of the Victorian Bar’s Peter O'Callaghan QC Gallery, chaired by Peter Jopling AM QC and presented by Campbell F Thomson, Siobhan Ryan and Daniel Kinsey from the Victorian Bar’s Art & Collections Committee. Thanks to the presenters for sharing their passion for art and the stories behind the beautiful portraits.
The Victorian Bar hosted four events during Law Week 2020 - each was recorded so they could be made available to members on-demand.
One of the presentations is Must Love Coffee (and Know How to Zoom): The Privileges, Perils and Percolations of Life as a Victorian Barrister in the Age of COVID-19 which is a candid panel discussion featuring eminent, dynamic (and technologically adept!) barristers sharing how they survive and thrive in their lives at the Bar during COVID-19. Thanks to the Victorian Bar’s Equality & Diversity Committee for sharing their experiences and insights.
The Victorian Bar hosted four Law Week 2020 events last week - each was recorded so they could be made available to members on-demand.
One of the presentations is A Legal Zoom in St Kilda Cemetery is a virtual tour of famous legal individuals who are now interred in St Kilda Cemetery, brought to you by The Friends of St Kilda Cemetery, moderated by Robert Heath QC and presented by fellow members of the Victorian Bar. Thanks to the presenters for this fascinating foray into our history and the Bar’s colourful characters.
I remember an amusing quip from an 80s' sitcom, where an old Italian lady begins a story about overcoming her impoverished childhood with the line, “It was the worst of times…it was the worst of times”. The audience’s ensuing laughter is a tacit recognition of the cleverly deliberate distortion of the opening line of Charles Dicken’s novel A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”.
The Chief Judge of the County Court, the Honourable Peter Kidd, was “In Conversation” with Barrister and Bar Council Member Elizabeth Ruddle on Wednesday, in the fourth of VicBar’s series of webinars featuring the judiciary discussing the impact of COVID-19 on the courts with VicBar members. Questions moderated by Daniel Nguyen included:
The Victorian Bar hosted four events during Law Week 2020 - each was recorded so they could be made available to members on-demand.
One of the presentations is Public Health and Public Order: Emergency Powers and the COVID-19 Pandemic Response is presented by Dr Michael Taylor who will explain the legal basis for our government’s rules in response to COVID-19 that are currently affecting our lifestyle and economy. Thanks to Dr Taylor for sharing his insight and knowledge in this complex area of law.
The Ethics Committee publishes this bulletin for the assistance of counsel who are briefed to act for litigants pursuant to ss.71 and 72 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) (‘the Act’). This bulletin seeks to address the difficulties that counsel may encounter when briefed by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) or one of its external firms on a limited retainer solely to cross-examine a protected witness.
#StayApartTogether is a popular hashtag that has inspired many communities to pool their resources even as they remain physically distant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I have seen many instances of VicBar members staying apart but being together over the past two months, as we’ve navigated from opportunities lost to those found.
