Random Banner 2
In Brief Issue #1062
24Jun
On behalf of members, I extend my congratulations and best wishes to the Hon. Justice Karin Emerton on her appointment as President of the Court of Appeal, effective as of 16 July 2022. Justice Emerton has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria since 2009, initially in the trial division and since 2018 in the appellate division.
Further, on behalf of members, I extend my congratulations and best wishes to Dr Matthew Barrett on his appointment as an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Details of any ceremonial sittings to mark the respective appointments of President Emerton and Associate-Judge Barrett will be advised when they are known.
On Monday evening Charles Shaw QC and I met with the Chief Justice, the Hon. Anne Ferguson and the judges in charge of the respective divisions of the Supreme Court to continue the conversation about the forum of court hearings post-Covid. On behalf of the Bar, Charles and I advocated for greater in-person hearings. The Chief Justice advised that the Court is continuing a process of consultation with a range of court users. Further that the Notice to the Profession issued on 3 March 2022 remains the relevant framework for how the Court operates for the time being. Both Justices Dixon and Riordan encouraged members to seek in person hearings where members thought it appropriate in all the circumstances.
On Wednesday, Charles Shaw QC delivered a Farewell on behalf of the profession to President Christopher Maxwell. On behalf of the Bar, Charles thanked the President for his 17 remarkable years of service as President of the Court of Appeal and acknowledged his Honour’s many achievements in a career on the Bar and at the Bench that has spanned nearly 40 years. His Honour’s commitment to access to justice and equality has been a hallmark of his career. On behalf of the Bar, I wish President Maxwell all the very best for his retirement.
Thursday was a busy day for the Executive of the Bar Council. On Thursday morning, I had the privilege of welcoming the Hon. Justice McEvoy on his appointment as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia. The Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency the Hon. Linda Dessau AC attended the ceremonial sitting, as did many of His Honour’s judicial colleagues, barrister friends, family and friends. It was a privilege to join the Commonwealth Attorney-General, the Hon. Mark Dreyfus QC, MP at the Bar table.
Also, on Thursday morning Charles Shaw QC had the privilege of welcoming Judge Rozen as a judge of the County Court. The welcome was well attended and was a happy occasion for the judge, the profession and the judge’s many friends and family.
On Thursday evening Darryl Burnett attended a function in the Supreme Court Library celebrating the Supreme Court Prize winners for all of Victoria’s law schools for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Chief Justice and Associate Justice Matthews congratulated the winners on their hard work and achievement, recognising the difficulties Covid presented to all students and academic staff.
This evening, the Victorian Bar Foundation Student Achievement Awards will be celebrated in the Essoign Club. I extend my congratulations to all students on their awards and wish them well in their future studies.
School holidays commence today for most Victorian schools. I am conscious that many members, with or without children, are currently on leave. I wish all members fortunate enough to be on holiday a safe and relaxing time with friends and family.
Róisín Annesley QC
Members must renew their PC before 30 June to continue to practise on 1 July. Members who renew after this date may incur a late renewal surcharge from the LSB+C.
The deadline for renewing your PII premium was 31 May 2022, and if you have not already done so, please renew online here.
Information on renewing practising certificates can be found on the VicBar website here.
Links for online lodgement, which can be found on the above webpage, will be available from the LSB+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, or you can contact the Bar office for assistance). LSB Online deals with all PC administrative matters, and there is no printed PC renewal form.
Once you have completed the renewal process, you will receive an email from the LSB to confirm that your PC has been issued. You will then be able to download it via LSB Online.
If you experience technical difficulties with LSB online, please contact the VLSB+C via their lawyer enquiry form in the first instance. 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 7111.
President of the Court of Appeal
The Victorian Government has appointed Justice Karin Emerton as the new President of the Court of Appeal – the first female President in the Court’s history.
The appointment will commence on 16 July 2022.
Details of the welcome ceremony will be advised when they become known.
Supreme Court of Victoria
Victorian Bar member Dr Matthew Barrett has been appointed as an Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.
The appointment was effective from Tuesday, 21 June 2022.
NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday). To celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. For more information about which events you can attend, click here.
The Annual General Meeting of the Women Barristers Association will be held on Monday, 25 July 2022, at 1:00pm in the Bar Council Chamber, first floor, Owen Dixon East.
At the AGM, members will consider and deal with the accounts of the Association for the year ended 30 June 2020, elect Committee members, including a Convenor, two Assistant Convenors, a Secretary, Assistant Secretary, a Treasurer and ordinary members of the Committee.
The Committee proper will transact other business of which it has been given 14 days notice in writing to the Committee with such notice to be delivered to the secretary, Shannon Finegan, by email to Shannon.finegan@vicbar.com.au.
A copy of the Notice of the AGM, agenda, nomination forms and proxies will be emailed to WBA members shortly.
Ethics Committee Bulletin No. 1 of 2022 – Judicial Officers and Social Events
Click here to download Ethics Committee Bulletin No. 1 of 2022
Ethics Committee Bulletin No. 2 of 2022 – Amendment to the Legal Profession Conduct (Barristers) Rules 2015
Click here to download Ethics Committee Bulletin No. 2 of 2022
The Bar Library Committee is pleased to report that the Bar Library, and the Law Library of Victoria, of which it is now part, are once again offering a full range of services to members of the Victorian Bar.
The Richard Griffith Library, on Level 1 of Owen Dixon Chambers East, is accessible to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the use of members’ security passes. In addition to an extensive range of law reports and the latest textbooks, the Richard Griffith Library has three computer terminals through which all material available to Justices of the Supreme Court of Victoria in the Supreme Court Library are also available to members of the Bar. Electronic copies of law reports and other materials can be emailed to members’ email accounts from those terminals, and hard copies can be printed on a printer in the library for a modest fee.
To assist members with the use of the three Richard Griffith Library terminals and with research more generally, Nadine Mann, Reference Librarian Law Library of Victoria, will be in attendance in the Richard Griffith Library on Wednesday mornings, from 9:00am to 11:00am, whilst Alissa Duke, Reference Librarian Law Library of Victoria, will be in attendance to provide such services on Thursdays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
A more limited range of materials and resources are available to Bar members (who have registered with the site) - from any computer, tablet, smartphone and location - through the Law Library of Victoria’s website at www.lawlibrary.vic.gov.au. This includes, but is by no means limited to:
- Victorian legislation
- Commonwealth legislation
- Westlaw Unreported Judgments
- The Laws of Australia
- Lawyers Practice Manual
- Law of Misleading or Deceptive Conduct (2019) 5th ed
- Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary
- Commonwealth Sentencing Database
- Balkin and Davis Law of Torts (2021) 6th ed
- Australian Law Reform Commission Reports
- Scholarship for the Legal Community (curated academic articles hosted by the Judicial College of Victoria)
- English Reports (HeinOnline)
and much, much more.
If you have not already done so, register with the Law Library of Victoria at www.lawlibrary.vic.gov.au to enjoy these extensive and convenient resources.
The Bar Library Committee is also pleased to report that the Supreme Court of Victoria Library is now open from 9:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays to all members of the Victorian Bar. The computer terminals in the Supreme Court of Victoria Library have been reinstated, recognising that their availability is important for members appearing as counsel in the Supreme Court, as well as for instructing solicitors - particularly when that last minute authority is needed on the way to Court! Further, the photocopying room in the Supreme Court Library is again open to members of the Victorian Bar to make black-and-white photocopies at no cost (subject to compliance with the copyright laws).
Members of the Bar Library Committee look forward to seeing members in the Richard Griffith Library and are happy to discuss the collection and possible future acquisitions with members.
Dr Paul Vout QC Belinda Schembri
Chair Library Reference Service
Bar Library Committee Law Library of Victoria
22 June 2022
After the fun and success of the last two years, our Vic Bar LGBTQ+ inclusive social group is holding in-person welcome drinks for existing and new members to the Bar.
Date: Thursday, 30 June 2022 at 5:00pm
Location: Essoign Club
Whether you’ve been to every single event or haven’t made it along yet, come for a relaxed drink and catch up with your friends and colleagues at the Bar. We are particularly keen to welcome new members and people who may have been meaning to come but have never!
Please wear what you want. Everyone is welcome.
If you haven’t been along before and want some company, feel free to shoot john.heard@vicbar.com.au or beth.warnock@vicbar.com.au an email, and we’ll look out for you on the night.
Nominations for the next Victorian Bar Pro Bono Awards are still open.
The next Victorian Bar Pro Bono Awards Ceremony is scheduled for March 2023, and nominations for the 2023 awards are open until November 2022.
If you are aware of barristers who are making an outstanding contribution representing parties on a pro bono basis, please consider making nominations throughout the nomination period.
For more information or to submit a nomination, click here.
Information about the Awards includes a short video featuring the Honourable Chris Maxwell AC, President of the Victorian Court of Appeal, explaining how pro bono assistance provided by barristers makes a difference to vulnerable people in our community. The Pro Bono Committee is grateful to Michael Rivette, barrister and past Deputy Chair of the Pro Bono Committee and past Chair of the Communications Committee, for all his hard work in creating this excellent video.
Members are reminded that information about how you can get involved in the Victorian Bar’s Pro Bono Schemes is available on the Pro Bono page of the members’ website here.
- Are you travelling overseas soon? Set up Multi-Factor Authentication through BCL to help keep your data secure. Click here to read the latest communication and tips for when travelling overseas.
- COVIDSafe at BCL. The COVIDSafe at BCL web page has now been refreshed to provide information on what we are now doing in addition to healthy building improvements. We are focusing on areas such as air filtration and monitoring benefits to ensure we have measures in place for BCL owned buildings, and we are also continuously working with the building managers (and their advisors) of our leased buildings. Click here to see what we are doing and what you need to do in the event of a positive COVID-19 result.
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.
- Crypto-assets: Regulation and case law update is on 27 June 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. Barrister and former financial regulator Laurence White will give an introduction to crypto-assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) before outlining the current regulatory framework for crypto-assets and DeFi in Australia, reforms underway or proposed, and the burgeoning case law here and overseas around cryptocurrencies and crypto exchanges. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via livestream. Click here to register.
- Tips for Using Jade, Austlii and Lawlex is on 7 July 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. Discover how to improve your legal research skills with tips from Belinda and Alissa from the Law Library Victoria. They will demonstrate both simple and advanced searches of Jade, AustLII and Lawlex to locate relevant information efficiently. This is an in-person event and will also be available online via livestream. Click here to register.
- LGBTIQ Law Reform: General Update is on 12 July 2022 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. The LGBTIQ Working Group of the Equality and Diversity Committee is proud to present a panel discussion from expert barristers about recent initiatives, with insightful commentary on potential future litigation trends. This is an in-person event 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!
The fees payable in the federal courts and tribunals will increase from 1 July 2022 to reflect changes to the consumer price index over the past financial year.
This is an automatic increase provided by the relevant fee regulations.
Please click here for a copy of the notice published in the Government Notices Gazette on 14 June 2022, setting out the new fees payable.
Barristers can tap into the full Law Library from the comfort of their own desk, whether you’re in the CBD or regional Victoria, with online access to:
- Native Title in Australia
- Defamation Law in Australia
- The Laws of Australia
- Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary
- Commonwealth Sentencing Database
- Hutley’s Australian Wills and Precedents
And many more!
Free to Victorian barristers + 100% digital + available 24/7. Register and log in here.
The Asian Australian Lawyers Association invites you to the launch of the William Ah Ket Scholarship next Wednesday, 29 June 2022, at 5:30pm in the Peter O’Callaghan QC Gallery. Former Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Honourable Michael Black AC QC, will be giving the keynote address. Places are limited. Register your attendance here.
The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (Australia) and Melbourne University Law School warmly invite you to the launch of Commercial Arbitration in Australia Under the Model Law by Professor Doug Jones AO and Professor Janet Walker CM. The launch will feature an address by Professor Richard Garnett (Melbourne Law School), as well as the co-author of this third edition, Professor Janet Walker CM.
The launch will be followed by the 2022 Sir George Turner Public Lecture presented by Professor Doug Jones AO on ‘Australia – The Very Model of a Modern Arbitration Law’.
For more information and to register for the event, visit this link. Click here to view the flyer.
Date: 29 June 2022
Time: The launch will be held from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, followed by the Sir George Turner Lecture from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.
Venue: Melbourne Law School, Law Building (Building 106)
Please note this event follows a launch held in Sydney hosted by ACICA on 22 June 2022.
Pacifica Congress, formerly the AFCC (Australian Chapter), is holding its’ annual conference in Brisbane from 7 to 9 July this year. This organisation is the leading multidisciplinary group for Family Law professionals across the legal and social science fields. The program for this year’s conference will be up to or exceed the standard of previous conferences. It is the ‘go to’ conference for those counsel who do, or need to know, parenting cases.
The program can be viewed here.
Mark Weinberg AO QC will present the 2022 HAL Victorian Chapter Oration on The Investigation and Prosecution in Australia of Alleged War Crimes, 21 July 2022, 5:30pm for 6:15pm-7:15pm.
Cost: HAL members $30, non-members $40
Drinks & finger food from 5.30pm.
Click here for the flyer and to register.
The Australian Bar Association, the peak national body representing more than 6,000 barristers throughout Australia and established in 1963, is seeking to engage a motivated senior Executive Assistant to provide support to the President and CEO to further the work of the organisation.
Applications close on 22 July 2022 and should be emailed to CEO@austbar.asn.au.
Further information about the role is also available by emailing CEO@austbar.asn.au.
Click here to view the flyer with more information.
Monash Law is one of Australia's largest and most dynamic law schools. We invite Expressions of Interest in working with our team of experienced educators and leading academics.
As a casual (sessional) academic staff member, you are an important part of the faculty’s teaching program. You will assist the Law Faculty in maintaining high quality in teaching and learning, satisfy students’ learning requirements for units and courses, and increase flexibility in subject offerings.
You are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest application if you have obtained an Australian law degree with excellent results, have relevant experience and have the capability to work within our teaching teams. Casual work may be available in lecturing, tutoring and marking in private and public law units and clinical offerings.
Please contact us via the Expression of Interest portal.
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, 30th June 2022