News & Events

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. 

A collective endeavour

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 Future

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.