On 26 November 2020, the High Court held a Special Sitting Farewell to the Honourable Justice Nettle AC.
The address by Dr Matt Collins AM QC, Vice-President of the Australian Bar Association and Former President of the Victorian Bar is here and the Transcript of the Special Sitting is here.
Members will no doubt be pleased to hear that preliminary discussions have commenced with the Essoign Club Committee in relation to the renewal of the Club’s lease in July next year. The discussions will be wide-ranging and cover all aspects of the Club, including its presentation and attractiveness to all members of the Bar.
The Victorian Government has appointed Kathleen Foley, member of the Victorian Bar, to the VLRC to assist in a review of the state’s laws relating to sexual offences.
The Victorian Bar congratulates Kathleen Foley on her appointment to the Victorian Law Reform Commission to assist in the review of the state’s laws relating to rape, sexual assault and associated adult and child sexual offences in order to improve processes and reduce the trauma experienced by victims.
On Thursday 12 November 2020, Simon Marks QC announced his intention to resign from Bar Council. The resignation took effect on 13 November, when written notice was received, thus creating a casual vacancy on Bar Council.
The Victorian Bar Inc has conducted its annual election for members of the Bar Council.
Polls opened two weeks ago at 9.00 am on Wednesday 28 October 2020 and closed at 5.00 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2020. This year’s election attracted a voter turnout of approximately 70% of those eligible to vote, the highest in the Victorian Bar’s recent history, and a very substantial increase compared to the previous election.
The Victorian Bar Inc has conducted its annual election for members of the Bar Council.
Polls opened two weeks ago at 9.00 am on Wednesday 28 October 2020 and closed at 5.00 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2020. This year’s election attracted a voter turnout of approximately 70% of those eligible to vote, the highest in the Victorian Bar’s recent history, and a very substantial increase compared to the previous election.
From time to time over the years, I’ve been asked a version of the following question: “what actually is the Victorian Bar?” The answer is much more than the phrase in bold on our website – which recites that the Victorian Bar is “the professional association of Victorian barristers who provide strong, independent legal representation”. This truth is demonstrated every year – and in particular this one – by the many collectives of members with shared interests, who spend a considerable amount of their personal time in ensuring that the Bar provides support to members, and maintains the legacy of service for which we are respected throughout the community.
The International Bar Association (IBA) has embarked on a global project aimed at addressing the mental wellbeing of legal professionals around the world. To lead this work, IBA President Horacio Bernardes Neto has convened the IBA Wellbeing Taskforce, led by IBA Bar Issues Commission Officers, with assistance from the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit
I have been thinking a lot about the future of the Bar recently. About how the decisions we make now will affect the practices of barristers who have not long embarked on their professional journey, and those yet to come. Well before the events of this year, the practice of the barrister and the market in which we operate had been changing. The State of the Bar survey confirmed what we already sensed and observed. It felt like we were approaching a set of crossroads. Seemingly, COVID has accelerated our arrival at that junction.
