Random Banner 2
In Brief Issue #1053
22Apr
This week, the Victorian Government announced the downgrading of some Covid restrictions, including removing masks in all retail and hospitality venues, to come into effect tonight. The orders are yet to be published. It is not clear what, if any, restrictions will be removed in relation to courts. The current court protocols remain in place until further notice.
On Tuesday, I attended a meeting of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants Taskforce. Of relevance to the Bar, it was noted that the Bar continues to work with the Legal Services Board and Commissioner and the Law Institute in respect of Recommendation 76, in relation to communications aimed at restoring and promoting public confidence in the legal profession. The Bar Council has continued to advocate against the imposition of mandatory reporting obligations on the legal profession in accordance with Recommendation 86, a position supported by the Australian Bar Association and the Law Council of Australia.
On Tuesday-Thursday of this week, a number of members taught an appellate advocacy course to 20 lawyers at the Public Solicitor’s Office and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Solomon Islands. The course was organised by the Bar’s International Advocacy Training Committee, under the able leadership of Remy van de Wiel QC, with the support of Australia’s Solomon Islands Justice Program and the Bar Office. The course, which was conducted remotely, included presentations from Justice Bird of the Solomon Islands’ High Court and Justice Attiwill of the Supreme Court of Victoria. It also included a small group coaching of participants. The course was well-received, and is an important part of the Bar’s work in fostering the rule of law here and in our neighbouring countries. I thank each member who volunteered their time in contributing to this excellent programme and the Bar Office staff for their assistance in the running and organisation of the course.
On Thursday, Charles Shaw QC was a guest at the Muslim Legal Network’s Iftar dinner. The dinner took place at the magnificent Islamic Museum of Australia in Thornbury. Judge Arushan Pillay spoke movingly and candidly about his life and professional experiences. A former female Afghan Judge, Judge Sheela Zarefi, gave a devastating account of her training and worked as a judge in Afghanistan until she was forced to flee that country when the Taliban seized power.
Today, Peter Chadwick QC will represent the Bar Council at the funeral of Charlie Wheeler, former long-serving Master of the Supreme Court.
Last week, members should have received their electronic invitation to the Victorian Bar dinner to be held on 27 May 2022. A paper invitation will arrive shortly. I am pleased to report that tables are already being booked. Last year the event was a sell-out. I encourage members to get in early and book their ticket to avoid missing out. Click here to purchase your ticket.
The Bar Council seeks expressions of interest from members of the Bar who wish to be appointed to the Bar’s Standing Exam Review Panel (the Exam Panel) for 2022. The Exam Panel comprises members of the Bar (approximately five members, including a Chair) and a member from the Bench and is appointed by Bar Council each year. The purpose of the Exam Panel is to confer with the Chief Examiner and review the content, form and complexity of the Bar entrance exam to ensure that it remains consistent with its original purpose. The Exam Panel will meet to conduct a review of the draft exam in October, and members will also be required to consider materials and meet and confer prior to that occasion. Please submit your expression of interest to Denise Bennett at denise.bennett@vicbar.com.au. Expressions of interest close on 13 May 2022.
Events for next week which members may wish to attend:
Thursday 28 April
- A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of His Honour Judge Stewart Bayles.
- The Australian Bar Association conference
Friday 29 April
- A Welcome Ceremony for Magistrates Jason Ong and Robert Stary.
- The Australian Bar Association conference
Details of these events are included in the notices below.
To those members celebrating the Greek Orthodox Easter this weekend, I wish you a Happy Easter celebration.
This Anzac Day, we remember all members and the relatives of members who have served Australia through military service, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget.
Róisín Annesley QC
You should have received an email from the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner (VLSB+C) on Monday, 28 March 2022, outlining details of the practising certificate (PC) and professional indemnity insurance (PII) renewal process.
LSB online went live on Monday, 28 March 2022, for the renewal of your PC. Members must renew before 30 June 2022 to continue to practise on 1 July 2022. Members who renew after this date may incur a late renewal surcharge from the LSB+C.
The LPLC portal is now open to renew your PII, and further information from the LPLC was distributed earlier today. The LPLC requires payment of the PII premium by Tuesday, 31 May 2022 and members are encouraged to renew online on the LPLC website.
Information on renewing practising certificates can be found on the VicBar website here.
Links for online lodgement, found on the above webpage, will be available from the VLSB+C and LPLC live dates, or you may go directly to LSB Online and the LPLC website.
Login to LSB Online and the LPLC renewal portal using your Practitioner Number as the username (your Practitioner Number will be included in the email sent to you by the VLSB+C). You can contact the Bar office for assistance). LSB Online deals with all PC administrative matters, and there is no printed PC renewal form. If you have forgotten your password, please use the link on their website, “forgotten password”, to get an email sent to you to reset your password.
If you experience technical difficulties with LSB online, please contact the VLSB+C via their lawyer enquiry form. In addition, answers to frequently asked questions and LSB online user guides can be found here.
Should you require assistance renewing your PC, the Victorian Bar office can help you, and members who need assistance should email membership@vicbar.com.au or contact Daphne Ioannidis on (03) 9225 8326 or Mark Bryant on (03) 9225 7105.
County Court of Victoria
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of His Honour Judge Stewart Bayles as a judge of the County Court of Victoria will be held in Ceremonial Courtroom 3.3, Level 3, 250 William Street, Melbourne on:
Thursday, 28 April 2022 at 9:15am
If you would like to attend this ceremony in person, you will be required to be fully vaccinated and self-administer a RAT on the morning of the Welcome.
Barristers can collect a RAT from the Victorian Bar office located at Owen Dixon Chambers East, Level 5, 205 William Street. As per current directives, the RAT may be collected the business day before, but not earlier.
If you are unable to attend in person, the welcome will be live-streamed here.
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
His Honour Magistrate Jason Ong
His Honour Magistrate Robert Stary
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of His Honour Magistrate Jason Ong and His Honour Magistrate Robert Stary will be held in Courtroom 1, Magistrates’ Court of Victoria on:
Friday, 29 April 2022 at 9:00am
The ceremony will be live-streamed via Webex here due to limited court numbers.
All members of the Bar and Judiciary are warmly invited to the Dinner on Friday, 27 May 2022, 7:00pm at the Plaza Ballroom. The event is black tie and will feature guest speaker The Honourable William Alstergren, Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Tickets for the event are now available. You can book individually, as a guest on an organised table, or as a table organiser.
Event: 2022 Victorian Bar Dinner
Date: Friday, 27 May 2022
Time: 7:00pm for 7:30pm start
Venue: Plaza Ballroom, 191 Collins Street, Melbourne
Dress: Black Tie
Click here to purchase your ticket.
If you did not receive an invitation, please contact events@vicbar.com.au.
The Indigenous Justice Committee of the Victorian Bar invites Indigenous-identifying law students and law graduates to apply for its 2022 Mentoring Program.
The Mentoring Program matches successful applicants with two mentors (a barrister member of the Bar and a judicial officer). The Mentoring Program has been running for some years now, and the feedback has been positive. It is not meant to be onerous or intimidating but rather an opportunity for members of our communities to link in with members of the Bar and the Judiciary to suit the mentees. The aim is to assist mentees on their journey as legal professionals and provide those professional introductions and contacts that can prove beneficial as they progress with their chosen pathways. The application form can be found here.
Should members of the Bar or judicial officers wish to add their names to the pool of mentors, please email the Mentoring Program Coordinator at john.heard@vicbar.com.au.
- To further support barristers who take chambers with BCL, we have extended our public liability insurance to cover barristers (who have BCL chambers) in the course of their business when they are not in BCL buildings (extending upon the previous cover for when they are within BCL buildings). Click here to view our updated Certificate of Currency.
- As more barristers return to chambers after a difficult and uncertain time, we seek your important feedback to understand how and why your chamber and technology needs have changed following the pandemic and to ensure we continue to support the Bar in the areas you see as a priority. Please click below to provide your feedback by 5pm Friday 29 April.
- Barristers with BCL chambers - click here to get started.
- Barristers using BCL technology services only - click here to get started.
- To assist barristers and occupants in keeping up to date with your COVID responsibilities and legislative requirements, always refer to Staying COVIDSafe at BCL. If you test positive for COVID-19, please ensure you notify BCL and the Victorian Bar by completing the COVID-19 Assessment form.
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.
- Updates in Children’s Law is on 27 April 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. This webinar will provide valuable insights to barristers specialising in children’s law, including those practising in the child protection and/or youth justice jurisdictions. Andrew Waters and Arna Delle-Vergini will review recent case law. Natalie Sheridan-Smith will provide an overview of prospective legislative amendments in the child protection space. This event is only for Barristers and is an online-only event. Click here to register.
- I Don’t Have Those Instructions - Do I Want Them? is on 2 May 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. When, whether and how to take instructions is always a challenge. In this seminar, the speakers offer suggestions on developing the skills and judgement necessary to undertake this critical exercise. This in-person event will also be available online via live stream. Click here to register.
For more upcoming CPD events, please visit our listings here.
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.
Click here for the monthly Best Buys!
Dear Essoign Club Members,
We are open daily from 7:30am – till late and Happy hour is back EVERY EVENING with $5 Beer and Wine from 5:00pm till close.
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 or something special you may have in mind. Email us at essoign@vicbar.com.au
We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to seeing you in the Club.
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria has resumed in-person ceremonies admitting new lawyers to practise.
The Court is able to host in-person admission ceremonies now that COVID-19 restrictions have been eased. However, new lawyers seeking admission will continue to have the option to be admitted ‘on the papers.’
More information is available on the Supreme Court website.
For up-to-date information about the Courts’ responses, please visit their websites:
The Federal Court of Australia is currently reviewing and updating its list of suitably qualified and experienced people for inclusion on the Federal Court of Australia’s national list of mediators. The call for expressions of interest closes on 29 April 2022, and it is hoped that the list can be updated during May 2022. The Federal Court is particularly interested in expressions of interest from Indigenous identifying persons who are experienced working with native title claimant groups and who may or may not hold a mediator qualification.
Please click here for more information and the form.
This edition revisits the importance of screening and provides answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Project.
Further, it centres on the recent announcement to nationally expand the Lighthouse Project, enhancing the Court's ability to respond to family violence and other risks with vulnerable parties and children.
In light of the announcement and in preparation for the national expansion, this will be the last edition of the newsletter in its current form. All information and news about the Lighthouse Project, including previous editions of the newsletters, can be found on the FCFCOA website.
If you have any feedback or questions on the Project, they can be sent via email to – LighthouseProject@fcfcoa.gov.au.
The Richard Griffith Library is now part of the Law Library of Victoria, giving members access to the same online resources available in the Supreme Court Library and to the judiciary.
Qualified librarians have resumed on-site services at Richard Griffith Library and are available during the following times:
Wednesdays 9:00am-11:00am
Thursdays 1:00pm-3:00pm
Please see details of subscriptions and resources here.
Digital Bar Library
Reinforce your argument with authoritative legal resources available to you 24/7 at the Richard Griffith Library and the Digital Bar Library.
The collections are curated by law librarians who can assist you with case research, database selection, and research strategies.
Find out more at lawlibrary.vic.gov.au.
The Sentencing Advisory Council has released six new Sentencing Snapshots.
The Snapshots present data on the sentencing practices of the Victorian Supreme and County Courts (including changes made by the Court of Appeal) over the five years to June 2021 for the offences of:
- trafficking in a non-commercial quantity of drugs (No. 267);
- trafficking in a commercial quantity of drugs (No. 268);
- trafficking in a large commercial quantity of drugs (No. 269);
- cultivating a non-commercial quantity of narcotic plants (No. 270);
- cultivating a commercial quantity of narcotic plants (No. 271), and
- theft (No. 272).
Each Snapshot is available in PDF and HTML format and can be accessed free of charge from the Council's website (www.sentencingcouncil.vic.gov.au) or by clicking the hyperlinks on the relevant offence above.
Registrations are now open for Re-emerge. The Australian Bar after COVID-19: Energised, Innovative, Enduring
28-30 April 2022 at the State Library of Victoria.
For more information and to register, visit re-emerge2022.com.au/.
Major Sponsors: The Australian Financial Review and Legal Home Loans
Victorian Bar Associations are hosting sectional dinners for local and interstate colleagues on Thursday, 28 April 2022, beginning at 7:45pm after the conference Welcome Drinks.
Commercial Bar Association of Victoria
This sectional dinner is sold out. To be placed on the waiting list, email events@vicbar.com.au.
Rainbow and Inclusive Dinner
Longrain – 44 Little Bourke Street
LGBTIQ barristers and supportive allies are warmly invited to an inaugural rainbow and inclusive dinner on Thursday, 28 April 2022, at 8pm. You do not need to attend the Conference to attend this dinner. The dinner will be held in “The Stalls” Dining Room at Longrain, 44 Little Bourke Street. This is a short 900m stroll or Uber ride from the Old Melbourne Gaol, where the Conference Welcome Drinks are to be held.
The cost of the dinner is $170 per head.
Please click here to purchase your ticket.
Tax Bar Association Section Dinner
Sunda – 18 Punch Lane, Melbourne
Following the conclusion of welcome drinks at the Old Melbourne Gaol, the Australian Bar Association and Tax Bar Association are co-hosting the Tax Section Dinner on Thursday, 28 April 2022, at 7.45pm at Sunda, 18 Punch Lane, a 750m stroll away.
Please click here to purchase your ticket.
Victorian Bar Dinner
This sectional dinner is sold out. To be placed on the waiting list, email events@vicbar.com.au.
This free, interactive webinar is designed to provide insights into the ALRC's Review of the Legislative Framework for Corporations and Financial Services Regulation.
What goes where? A comparative discussion of the legislative puzzle
Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 4:30PM AEST
Join a panel of international experts from Hong Kong, NZ, Singapore and the UK to discuss regulatory design and the hierarchy of laws.
The IBA Annual Conference 2022 is taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center from 30 October - 04 November 2022, this conference will give you the opportunity to experience over 200 sessions on a wide range of legal topics, along with an abundance of business and networking opportunities on offer attended by some of the world’s leading lawyers.
More information about the conference programme is available here.
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.
Deadline for the next issue:5pm, 28th April 2022