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In Brief Issue #1054
29Apr
The Hon Chris Maxwell AC, President of the Victorian Court of Appeal, has announced that he will retire from the Court on Friday, 15 July 2022. President Maxwell has served the Court with distinction for 17 years since his appointment in 2005 and on behalf of the Bar I extend best wishes to him for the future. Details of any farewell ceremony will be published when known.
The Australian Bar Association conference Re-Emerge kicked off on Thursday. The Conference runs for three days, with a full array of excellent speakers and many opportunities for barristers and judges from across Australia to mingle at the social events in particular the Welcome Cocktail event at the Old Melbourne Gaol followed by sectional dinners hosted by VicBar and a number of Bar Associations on Thursday evening and tonight’s Gala Dinner at the W Hotel. Dr Matt Collins AM QC, Paul Hayes QC, Sam Hay QC and Raini Zambelli are to be congratulated on their hard work and commitment in the organisation of the conference.
The Victorian Government issued new public health orders which are now in force. A separate notice to members about the orders will be issued early next week. The Supreme Court of Victoria has issued an operational update. Please see details here.
On Thursday, I delivered a Welcome on behalf of the profession to Judge Stewart Bayles and it was great to see so many members attending to wish His Honour well.
On Friday, Darryl Burnett Vice President attended the Welcome of Magistrate Ong.
Members may wish to attend the welcome ceremonies next week for the Hon. Justice Helen Rofe, the Hon. Justice Kristen Walker, Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis and Magistrates Cecily Hollingworth and Cynthia Lynch. Please see details below.
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.
Federal Court of Australia
The Honourable Justice Helen Rofe
A ceremonial sitting of the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia will be held in Court 1, Level 8, Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne on:
Friday, 6 May at 9:30 am
The ceremony will be livestreamed here due to limited court numbers.
Court of Appeal - Supreme Court of Victoria
The Honourable Justice Kristen Walker
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of the Honourable Justice Kristen Walker as a Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Victoria will be held on:
Tuesday, 3 May 2022 at 9:15am.
The ceremony will be live-streamed and available to watch remotely. Details will become available on the website when available.
County Court of Victoria
Her Honour Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of Her Honour Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis as a judge of the County Court of Victoria will be held in Ceremonial Courtroom 3.3, Level 3, 250 William Street, Melbourne on:
Wednesday, 4 May 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 no earlier.
If you are unable to attend in person, the welcome will be live-streamed here.
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
Her Honour Magistrate Cecily Hollingworth
Her Honour Magistrate Cynthia Lynch
A welcome sitting to mark the appointment of Her Honour Magistrate Cecily Hollingworth and Her Honour Magistrate Cynthia Lynch will be held in Courtroom 1, Magistrates’ Court of Victoria on:
Friday, 6 May 2022 at 9:00 am
The ceremony will be livestreamed 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.
Members please note the previously advertised Special General Meeting to be held 4 May 2022 has been postponed.
A notice advising of the new date will be published once a date has been set by the Committee.
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.
- REMINDER: BCL Barrister Engagement Survey closes 5:00pm tonight, Friday 29 April.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 is an in-person event and will also be available online via livestream. Click here to register.
- Arbitration at the Accident Compensation Conciliation Service is on 12 May 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. This CPD will cover the new Arbitration system which will be in operation from January 2023, including the rationale for this system, how it will operate, impact on practitioners in the WorkCover jurisdiction, and what we know so far about how it will operate. This is an in-person event for Barristers only and will also be available online via livestream. Click here to register.
For more upcoming CPD events, please visit our listings here.
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.
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!
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court has published an operational update in light of eased COVID-19 restrictions.
The update outlines adjustments to COVIDSafe measures at the Court.
For up-to-date information about the Courts’ responses, please visit their websites:
The High Court Amendment (Fees and Other Matters) Rules 2022 were registered on 16 March 2022 and take effect on 1 May 2022. Click here for the Amendment Rules and an accompanying Explanatory Statement.
The Amendment Rules increase by 2.5% the amounts allowed in Schedule 2 of the Rules on the taxation of a bill of costs, in addition to the 0.97% increase deferred from the Joint Costs Advisory Committee’s Thirteenth Report on Legal Practitioners’ Costs (published in October 2020). The 2.5% increase, in addition to the 0.97% increase, will apply in respect of all work done and services performed by solicitors after 30 April 2022.
The Amendment Rules also repeal Part 43 of the High Court Rules 2004. As the Nauru (High Court Appeals) Act 1976 was repealed on 18 February 2022 by Schedule 3 of the Courts and Tribunals Legislation Amendment (2021 Measures No. 1) Act 2022, Part 43 of the High Court Rules 2004 is repealed, as it is no longer required.
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.
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.
Please click here to view the flyer for the 2022 Sharwood Lecture in Church Law presented by Michael Shand AM QC.
Melbourne: 7:30pm, Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Sydney: 7:15pm, Wednesday 25 May 2022
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.
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, 5th May 2022