News & Events


Latest News & Events

1Dec
In Brief

There has been a spate of judicial welcomes and farewells, with more to come. Last Friday it was my great privilege to speak on behalf of the Victorian Bar at a ceremony to farewell the Honourable Justice Susan Kenny AM, who leaves the Federal Court after 26 years on that bench. Her Honour has had a remarkable judicial career, commencing in 1996 when she was the first woman appointed to the Victorian Court of Appeal. As a barrister, she appeared in nearly all the leading constitutional law cases of the 1980s and ‘90s, and her other achievements and contributions to public life are too many for me to list here. She will continue as the Chair of the Australian Electoral Commission. I thank her Honour for her service and wish her well for the next chapter of her career.

24Nov
In Brief

On behalf of the Bar, I extend my congratulations to the Honourable Justice Christopher Boyce, who has been appointed as a judge of appeal of the Court, effective Tuesday, 21 November. His Honour Judge Paul Cosgrave has also been appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court, with his Honour commencing on Friday, 8 December where he will serve in the Commercial Court of the Trial Division. Information regarding welcome ceremonies will be provided soon.

17Nov
In Brief

This week the Commonwealth Attorney General announced the appointment of Raelene Sharp KC as the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. Ms Sharp has been a member of our Bar since 2010 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2022. On behalf of the Victorian Bar, I congratulate her and wish her every success in her new role.

10Nov
In Brief

Although it has been a short week, there is much to report.

Our newly appointed silks took their bows on Wednesday before the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Federal Court of Australia, and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. It was a significant day for them and for their families and friends who were able to attend. I wish them every success and trust that they will continue to celebrate well into the new year.

3Nov
In Brief

Voting for this year’s Victorian Bar Council election is currently open and closes next Wednesday, 8 November at 5:00pm. The result will be declared next Thursday evening at the final meeting of the current Bar Council. Consequently, this will be my final edition of In Detail.

27Oct
In Brief

This week

The Australian Lawyers Alliance National Conference took place last weekend and I’m very pleased to report that Stella Gold was presented with the ALA’s 2023 Member of the Year Award. Shaun Marcus, National President of the ALA, praised Stella’s work on critical civil liberty and human rights cases in Victoria and specifically referred to her work during the Veronica Nelson Inquest. A fantastic achievement. Well done, Stella.

20Oct
In Brief

This week

On Monday morning, I was in Canberra for the Hon. Chief Justice Susan Kiefel’s farewell ceremony at the High Court of Australia. Her Honour was the third woman to be appointed to the Court. She served for 10 years before being appointed the first female Chief Justice of the High Court. As you can see from the transcript, the ceremony was very well attended. As is common at these events, a full 5 minutes before the judges came onto the bench, a tipstaff asked those present to ensure that their mobile phones were switched off. From that moment until the judges took their seats, no one said a word. There must have been 200 people in the Court, and there was complete silence. There are very few secular places where 200 people would sit in silence for so long. That fact is reflective of the revered position our apex Court holds in our system of justice and, more generally, in Australian society. On behalf of the Bar, I thank her Honour for her long and distinguished service on our nation’s most important Court. 

13Oct
In Brief

Middle East conflict

The news coming out of Israel is deeply distressing. The level of violence and suffering is shocking. The events taking place overseas are having a very real and direct impact upon our members here at home. I have been in contact with a significant number of them, and some Bar Office staff, who have friends and family in the region. They are all affected and, understandably, many are struggling with the stress and horror of it all. My thoughts are with each of them during this terrible period.

6Oct
In Brief

This week

On Monday morning, I spoke on behalf of the Bar at the Hon. Justice Ian Waller’s welcome in the Banco Court of the Supreme Court of Victoria. His Honour was admitted to practice in April of 1988 and signed the Bar Roll just 12 months later. He read with Julian Burnside AO KC. His Honour took silk in 2007 and served for many years on the Board of Examiners and (more recently) on the Ethics Committee. I am proud to count myself among his Honour’s six Readers. In his reply, his Honour referred to his family’s connection to the law, and to all the momentous occasions they had enjoyed in the Banco Court. He observed that none of those occasions would have occurred if his father’s parents had not left Poland in 1938 to avoid the worst consequences of the twisted and hateful ideology embodied in the Nazi regime. It was a poignant speech that made everyone present pause and reflect.

28Sep
In Brief

It being a short week, there were only a few things on the agenda. We held a special purpose Bar Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon and then I spoke at the Hon. Justice John Dixon’s farewell yesterday afternoon. Along with the Victorian Solicitor-General, Rowena Orr KC, and the President of the LIV, Tania Wolff, I thanked his Honour for his long and distinguished service on the Supreme Court. In reply, his Honour described how much he had enjoyed his time as a judge and gave a glimpse of what he plans to do in retirement. It was a very nice occasion and a fitting tribute to his Honour. On behalf of the Bar, I wish him well.