In Brief Issue #904

The practising certificate (PC) renewals cycle for 2018/19 will open on Monday 18 March 2019. The deadline for renewing your PC without incurring a surcharge is 30 April 2019.

The LPLC requires payment of the professional indemnity insurance (PII) premium by 31 May 2019. Further information regarding PII will be distributed to members within the upcoming weeks.

You will receive an email from the Legal Services Board (LSB) on Monday 18 March outlining details of the PC and PII renewal process. (Information is also provided on the Bar’s website).  

Links for online lodgement are available through your member home page or you may go directly to LSB Online and LPLC website. Login to LSB Online and LPLC renewal using your Practitioner Number as the username (your Practitioner Number is published in the email sent to you by the LSB  or you can contact the Bar office for assistance). If you experience technical difficulties, please contact the LSB Online help desk by email online@lsbc.vic.gov.au in the first instance.

The LSB Online service deals with all PC administrative matters. There  is no printed PC renewal form. Should you require assistance renewing your PC, the Victorian Bar office can help you to access and use LSB Online. To make an appointment, please call Reception on 9225 7111.

The printed LPLC Applicant Declaration (PII) will be available from the LPLC’s website or from the Victorian Bar office on Level 5 205 William Street, within the upcoming weeks, however practitioners are encouraged to renew on line.

The Victorian Bar is proud to present the 2019 Lawyer's Mediation Certification Course.  Places are limited – book now to avoid disappointment.

The course runs over 6 days in early May as an intensive and interactive educational experience.  The participants will learn negotiation strategies, participate in a number of role-playing simulations, and receive personalised feedback from highly skilled mediation practitioners.

COST:  $3075 (inc GST) for Members*

            $3590 (inc GST) for Non-members

A discount of 10% is available to participants in the March 2019 or September 2018 Reader's Courses.

DATE:  3, 4, 5 and 10, 11, 12 May 2019, 8.30 – 18.00

WHERE:  Owen Dixon Chambers East, Level 1, 205 William Street, Melbourne

CPD POINTS:  8 CPD points are available in the Ethics & Professional Responsibility; and Barrister Skills categories.

The Victorian Bar is proud to have amongst its members some of the most experienced lawyer mediation practitioners in the country. If you would like more information please click here, or register for the course please fill out the online form.

Members of the Victorian Bar are invited to adjudicate in each round of the 2019 Victorian Bar and Melbourne University Law School Open Witness Examination Competition.

Having practising barristers act as judges in the competition is highly valued by the Law School and students and provides an opportunity for students to gain insightful feedback from experienced advocates. It also provides a unique opportunity for students to learn more about the Victorian Bar through interactions with its representatives.

Round 1 commences on Monday 25 March 2019 and three Judges are required for each of the sessions listed below:
•    Monday 25 March, Round 1, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Tuesday 26 March, Round 1, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Monday 8 April, Round 2, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Tuesday 9 April, Round 2, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Monday 29 April, Round 3, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Tuesday 30 April, Round 3, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Monday 13 May, Round 4, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Tuesday 6 August, Quarter Final, 6:15PM – 9:00PM
•    Tuesday 27 August, Semi Final, 6:15PM – 9:00PM

Please click here to register your interest in judging a session

WBA will be holding its AGM on Wednesday 3 April 2019, at 1pm, in the Bar Council Chamber on Level 1 in Owen Dixon Chambers East. 

The AGM is open for all members to attend and WBA also encourages new members to attend and join. 

Further, the WBA wishes to put out a call for new committee members. Anyone interested in joining the Committee is welcome to email or call Kylie Weston-Scheuber or Georgia Berlic to discuss, or simply send a nomination form to Jess Swanwick by no later than 5pm on 29 March 2019. 

At the AGM, the Committee for 2019/2020 will be elected and other business (including accounts for the year) will be considered.

In recent years, sports have faced integrity dilemmas from cobalt, the Essendon doping saga, genetics and gender-identity, live-baiting, match fixing, “sandpaper-gate” and most recently Weir, to name a few. 

In this Q&A style seminar, we have three highly regarded practitioners giving their views from their side of the  field:

Jack Rush RFD QC, the Victorian Bar

Jeff Gleeson QC, the Victorian Bar

Laura Sigal, AFL Players Association

Respectively, highly experienced tribunal member, counsel assisting and lawyer for the athlete. 

This will be an interactive session designed towards an open discussion on issues faced by sports law practitioners today.

Date
19 March 2019

Location
The Essoign

Time
5pm to 7pm

This seminar will count for 1 CPD point.

PRESENTED BY
Victoria Legal Aid & The Victorian Bar

In light of the new Bail and Remand Court at Melbourne, and almost around-the-clock courts, there is a huge demand for experienced criminal law barristers to be involved in the Victoria Legal Aid duty lawyer service.

Victoria Legal Aid has an established relationship with the Victorian Bar, with barristers regularly accepting briefs as duty lawyer in various courts around the State. We are increasing the number of briefs to the criminal bar, including remand courts and mention courts. This is a great opportunity to pursue an additional work base which will complement your daily practice.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:

• Access to support from Legal Aid lawyers while on duty
• Flexible working hours, with availabilities during the day, in the evening, and on weekends
• Working in a team environment with other Legal Aid lawyers
• Client interaction
• Satisfying work in the criminal justice area
• Extensive training and access to support materials
• Competitive rates

CHAIR
Dan Nicholson, Executive Director Criminal Law           

SPEAKERS
Sharon Keith
Kate Bundrock

DATE AND TIME
Tuesday, 2 April 2019, 5.15 - 6.15pm

VENUE
McPhee, Level 1, Owen Dixon Chambers East

To register go to https://www.vicbar.com.au/members/cpd/upcoming-cpds

PRESENTED BY
Children's Court Bar Association

The writing workshop is an 8-part series that is suitable for anyone who is interested in exploring their emotional world creatively through writing for relief, self-empowerment and self-awareness. It is a small, personal group and suits people who want to explore the emotional world that they inhabit in the workplace but prefer not to do so through traditional therapy.

There are 8 workshops in this series, and each week a different emotion will be creatively engaged with and explored through the writing. The workshop facilitator uses a variety of writing exercises and brief discussion. There is no obligation to engage in discussion (or share what has been written) but the opportunity is there for those who wish to.

The purpose of the workshop is to develop the ability to listen, engage with and learn from our emotional reality. At the end of the workshop participants will have a journal full of writing and many may choose to continue on with journaling as a useful modality to process emotions that arise out of their workplace on a continuing basis.

These approaches to writing through emotions can be added to a practitioners healthy coping mechanisms for unpacking their experiences and constructively working through and expressing their emotional experiences so that their emotions don’t get ’stuck’ or ‘clouded’ or vented in less productive ways.

SPEAKER
Angelina Mirabito, PhD

DATE AND TIME
April 16 & 30;

May 14 & 28;

June 11 & 25; and

July 9 & 23, at 17.00-19.00

VENUE
Level 1, Owen Dixon Chambers East

COST
$320 as a package OR
$45 per session

RSVP is essential for this workshop.
To register please contact: arna.delle-vergini@vicbar.com.au

A new entrance experience is currently under construction in Owen Dixon Chambers East – the original home of the bar.

Led by Peter Jopling AM QC, Chair of the Art & Collections Committee, in collaboration with Barristers’ Chambers Limited and Carr Design, the concept is complete with the revitalisation of a welcoming entrance and extension of the Art Gallery in one of our busiest and historical chambers.

After an extensive program of research, design, care and consideration the design has been complete with works having commenced in the middle of January, 2019 and include:-

• Extension of the gallery and available hanging area with the removal of the central control room,
• Relocation and a new modern design meeting and concierge area,
• Modern way finding and signage,
• A memorial wall to honour members that have served for our country.

A memorable unveiling is planned and we look forward to sharing more in further communications from BCL and the Victorian Bar, and included in, In Brief.

The program of work will take approximately 6-8 weeks to complete from 14 January, 2019.  BCL will communicate directly with all tenants with regards to any planned disruptions (if any) during this time.

Peter Jopling AM QC & Barristers’ Chamber Limited

Supporting Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.

Join us from 5pm on Friday 15 March at The Essoign Club.

See flyer for more details.

Don’t miss out on these exquisite boutique wines on offer now!

These prices will not be repeated.

Download order form or email antoniof@vicbar.com.au

Cheers from the Essoign team.

Image Sharyn Madder
Millionaire’s Leap
Soft Pastel

You are warmly invited to view the current Art Exhibition at Studio 11, located on Level 11 Owen Dixon Chambers East, Conversations, featuring 73 works by local artists, Wendy Roche and Sharyn Madder.

The body of work comprises mixed media, conte, felting, eco-dyeing, watercolour, pastel, charcoal and pencil work. The exhibition offers the community of the Victorian Bar, family, friends and colleagues an opportunity to take a break and explore the work at leisure. All works are for sale, directly from the artists, commission free.

Work sheets together with artist biographies are available on Level 11. The Studio 11 initiative is run on a voluntary basis.

The exhibition runs until 4 April 2019.

It's official, the Lex Pistols will be back to perform live at the Essoign Club on Friday the 5^th of April at 6.00pm.

Click here to view the flyer.

Don't miss out on these exclusive member deals for March with some great offers and gift ideas.

Click here for a new member benefit from Freedom.

Designed to cater for all abilities, our 3-stage running assessment is the most comprehensive product in Melbourne.

For Vic Bar Members price reduced from $350 to $299 until end of April 2019.

Email admin@absolutehealthperformance.com.au and mention this advertisement to redeem.

At The Essoign Club you now receive a complimentary glass of house wine with all dining room meals on Wednesdays.

The VicBar Soccer Club is competing in the 8th Bi-Annual Jurisdictions Cup - Mixed Indoor Soccer Competition on Saturday 13th April, 2019.

The Jurisdictions Cup is a friendly mixed indoor soccer competition between teams from:

Supreme Court
County Court
Magistrates Court
VCAT
VicPol Police Prosecutions 
The Victorian Bar.

The rationale behind the competition is to improve well-being and foster friendships among those working in the courts.

The entrance fees collected will be used to raise money for a charity to be decided shortly.

VicBar has won the competition trophy twice in a row, and is hoping to retain it this year. However we are desperately short of players.

I am therefore sending a call-out for women and men of the Victorian Bar of any age and any fitness level to contact me (Michael Kats) if they wish to participate.

The ABA is delighted to announce registration for its Commercial Law conference in Singapore is now open.  Open to all members of the Australian and Asia-Pacific legal professions, we invite you to register for what will be an excellent 2-day conference and social program.

Visit the Convergence 2019 website now

Payment options include credit card or EFT at a later date.  

Among the confirmed speakers are:

• The Hon Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of Australia
• The Hon Sundaresh Menon, Chief Justice of Singapore
• The Hon Stephen Gageler AC, High Court of Australia
• The Hon Andrew Phang, Supreme Court of Singapore
• The Hon Dr Michael Hwang SC, Dubai International Financial Centre Courts
• The Hon Craig Colvin, Federal Court of Australia
• The Hon Jacqueline Gleeson, Federal Court of Australia
• The Hon A S Bell, President, NSW Court of Appeal
• The Hon Judith C Kelly, Supreme Court of the Northern Territory​
• The Hon John Vaughan, Supreme Court of Western Australia
• V. K. Rajah, former Attorney-General of Singapore 
• Judith Gill QC, 20 Essex Street Chambers, London Court of International Arbitration
• Fedelma C. Smith, Senior Legal Counsel, Permanent Court of Arbitration
• Kathryn Haigh, General Counsel, AUSTRAC
• Cameron Ford, Senior Corporate Counsel, Rio Tinto
• George Lim SC, Chair, Singapore International Mediation Centre
• Samuel Chacko, Legis Point LLC, Singapore
• Jimmy Chan, Clifford Chance, Hong Kong
• Dinesh Dhillon, Allen & Gledhill, Singapore
• Professor Bryan Horrigan, Dean, Faculty of Law, Monash University 
• Michelle Quigley, Group Manager, Legal & Risk, AusGroup

Registration is available from just $1,990 (excluding flights and accommodation), and a tax invoice will be sent once successfully registered. 

Unable to attend?  The ABA is also pleased to announce that you can now sponsor a barrister of under 7 years practice to attend the conference. ​

For more information, please visit the event website or contact the events team at events@austbar.asn.au.

2019 Courses

• Do you ever find yourself in difficult conversations? Come and join one our programs.
• Do you need mediation accreditation or reaccreditation? Enrol in our next course.
• Are you wanting to extend and enlarge your mediation skills? Come and take one of our Mediation Masterclasses.
• Do you need training or support in conflict management, decision making or listening skills? Get in touch with us.

This year’s scheduled programs are listed below. We look forward to assisting you in 2019.

March 18-20 and 25-27 
National Mediator Accreditation - 6 Days
 

Visit our website www.cynglerconsulting.com for more information and to register.

Thursday, 21 March 2019 from 6pm at Deakin Downtown, Tower 2, Level 12, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne

30 years after the launching of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children are being held in appalling conditions in military detention in Palestine, behind wire in Mexico, on Manus and Nauru as part of Australia’s offshore processing policy and in a prison condemned for adult occupation in the NT of Australia. Children with mental disabilities suffer doubly in custody and in institutional care.

This panel event by the International Commission of Jurists Victoria in conjunction with Deakin Law School brings together global experts in person, online and by video to highlight the growing concern that the rights of children have been lost in the miasma of political rhetoric.

Our panel will answer questions on their experience of the practical and legal issues in their roles attempting to find dignity and respect for children subjected to the harshest of treatment.

Click here for further information regarding panel members and registration details.

 Please find below links to upcoming courses from the Chartered Institute of Artibitrators (Australia) Limited

• Award Writing, 23 March, Melbourne, Australia 
• Introduction To International Arbitration, 10 May, Perth, Australia
• Accelerated Route Toward Fellowship, 29 – 30 June, Sydney, Australia 

Thursday 4 April, 1.15pm-1.45pm

This session, presented by Melbourne University Law Review, provides an overview and introduction to the 4^th edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation. The AGLC provides Australia with a uniform system of legal citation; it outlines established citation practices and indicates preferred approaches where no particular approach has been widely adopted. Attend this session to see why it is a valuable tool for legal research.

All are welcome and entry is free. To register please email library events@supcourt.vic.gov.au

Transparency International Australia’s 2019 national conference – Tackling Corruption Together: Rebuilding Trust in Australian Business and Regulators – will set the stage for public officials and business leaders to learn from each other, demonstrate good practice and champion a path towards better governance and corporate social responsibility.

Join us for the one-day conference on April 4 to focus on solutions for the private sector to tackle corruption and strengthen integrity across the financial, property and mining sectors.

For more information, visit the conference website: https://www.tacklingcorruption.org/

Friday, 12 April 2019 from 2pm – 4pm at Deakin Downtown, Tower 2, Level 12, 727 Collins Street, Melbourne

During a jury trial, jurors are asked to perform a seemingly simple task – hear the evidence put by the prosecution and defence, and then determine, based on that evidence, the guilt of the accused. But the task is not that simple – jurors are actually asked to apply the facts to the law and then, based on that assessment, determine guilt. This is a skill that lawyers train for years to develop.

Given this monumental task, how then, does the criminal justice system aid jurors in understanding the law they are asked to apply? The short answer is with the use of jury directions.

This Criminal Law Panel event brings together experts from the bench, prosecution and defence in the criminal justice system who use and rely on jury directions. They will engage in a thought-provoking discussion on this topic with each other and the students in attendance. 

Panel members
The Honourable Justice Chris Maxwell AC, President of the Court of Appeal, The Supreme Court of Victoria
Professor Felicity Gerry QC, Barrister, Victorian Bar and Professor of Practice at Deakin University Law School
Sally Flynn QC, Barrister, Victorian Bar

Following the session, there will be opportunity to network with students and legal practitioners.

Click here for further information regarding panel members and registration details.

On behalf of the Organising Committee, we invite you to the inaugural Law and New Technologies International Conference on Big Data and National Security being held in Melbourne from 29 April – 1 May 2019.

The Conference will be a forum for analysing current opportunities and challenges relating to the application of data technologies to address Australian national security and law enforcement objectives. It is structured to enable experts from various disciplines to present current research and to facilitate multi-disciplinary discussion between researchers and practitioners.

Participation will provide you with the unique opportunity to deepen your insights about the implications of new data technologies for national security and law enforcement objectives globally, and to discuss appropriate policy and legal responses to benefits and risks their application holds in this context.

The Conference will bring together jurists, legal practitioners and judges, data science and IT specialists, software engineers, policy-makers, national security and law enforcement experts.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in beautiful Melbourne and Australia in 2019.

Join us for breakfast with The Honourable Jennifer Coate AO

Commissioner for the Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse Royal Commission

Speaking as part of our continuing series “The Anatomy of a Royal Commission” on:

The benefits of the inquiry style of proceeding and its role in the broader legal system and policy development. 

Date:
8 May 2019

Time: 
7.15am - 8.45am
Breakfast 7.15am-7.45am
Presentation 7.45am - 8.45am

Venue:
Monash University Law Chambers, 
555 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Cost:
$Free
(but please register via the link below for seating and catering purposes)

CPD Units:
Please note this seminar qualifies for 1 CPD unit
for Solicitors and Barristers.

Click here to RSVP

• Victoria’s highest court is seeking an experienced lawyer to provide legal and policy support to judicial officers of the Common Law Division.
• Legal research & policy focus - fixed term to 14 January 2020 – VPS Grade 4 – CBD location.

An opportunity exists for an experienced lawyer to provide significant legal, policy and administrative support to the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The Legal & Policy Officer works closely with the Principal Judge, Judicial Registrar and Deputy Registrars of the Division to undertake and coordinate research, policy advice and reports on areas of priority to the Court to ensure its smooth running and to identify and address emerging issues and trends in litigation. Further information concerning the role can be found in the accompanying Position Description or by contacting Kate Clark, Deputy Registrar - Common Law Division.

Applications should include a covering letter, detailed CV and a copy of the applicant's academic transcript.

Applications close 19 March 2019. For more information on this position please visit: https://careers.vic.gov.au/jobs/justice-and-regulation/court-services-victoria

The Supreme Court of Victoria seeks a legally qualified person with two to three years post-admission experience to assist judicial officers with the management of personal injury proceedings.

About the role

As a Registry Lawyer you will be part of a team providing key pre-trial case management support to the judicial officers managing the Personal Injuries, Dust Diseases and Civil Circuit Lists to promote the just, efficient, timely and cost effective resolution of cases.

You will manage files under the supervision of the Judicial Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Senior Registry Lawyer responsible for these Lists and will provide substantive and procedural legal analysis and high level administrative management of proceedings and will have regular contact with practitioners, litigants and judicial officers.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have at least two to three years post-admission litigation experience, ideally including personal injury claims.

You will also have the ability to work collaboratively with other members of a team to plan and prioritise tasks required for the management of a high volume caseload and be able to contribute to the development, implementation and refinement of best practice and procedure.

Good interpersonal skills, an inquiring mind, an eye for detail and a keen interest in the administration of justice will also stand you in good stead to excel in this role.

Click here for more information and to apply.

Applications close: Tuesday 19 March 2019