Last night’s Bar Council meeting had a longer agenda than usual, with a number of significant matters that have been underway in some cases for many months coming to fruition:
It is with deep regret that the Bar Council informs members of the recent death of Wallace Gervase Meehan. Wallace passed away on 12 September 2019 at the age of 82 years.
It is with deep regret that the Bar Council informs members of the death of Joan Dwyer OAM, who passed away peacefully last week at the age of 79, after a five-year battle with cancer.
A celebration of the life of Joan Dwyer OAM will be held at Leonda by the Yarra, 2 Wallen Road, Hawthorn on Thursday 19 September at 1.30 for 2pm.
The Governor in Council has today appointed her Honour Judge Lisa Hannan as Chief Magistrate of the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, commencing on 17 November 2019.
Judge Hannan will replace Chief Magistrate Lauritsen on his retirement from the role.
New Protocol to raise concerns about judicial conduct in Commonwealth courts
The Australian Bar Association has entered into a new protocol enabling members of the Bar to raise concerns about judicial conduct in the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
On Monday the Bar hosted an intimate gathering of family and friends in the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery for the unveiling of the portrait of the Honourable Stephen Charles AO QC, by Ralph Heimans AM. It is an extraordinary painting, beautifully capturing the likeness of Stephen. It depicts him standing in the Supreme Court Library, in a reflective but optimistic mood. It is a wonderful addition to the Gallery. It will be permanently hung later in the year.
Arthur Moses SC, President of the Law Council of Australia and Dr Matt Collins AM QC, President of the Victorian Bar, spoke on Wednesday 4 September at the National Press Club.
Yesterday marked the first day of the September 2019 readers’ course. We have 48 new readers—26 women and 22 men, including two readers from Papua New Guinea, Rebecca Koralyo and Amanda Ila, who are reading with Anna Robertson and Maya Rozner. We also have an International Commission of Jurists-sponsored visitor from Malaysia, Collin Andrew, who will be in Melbourne for a month observing elements of our readers’ course and visiting the courts as an observer.
It is with deep regret that the Bar Council informs members of the death of John Denis Philbrick QC, known to his friends and colleagues as “Fearless”. John passed away on Friday 23 August 2019, aged 71.
