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18Dec

In Brief

In Brief Issue #994

This will be the final ‘In Brief’ for the year.

A strategy day will be one of the first undertakings of the Bar Council in the new year. We have fixed Saturday, 6 February 2021 as an appropriate date.

By-election

On behalf of members, may I extend our congratulations to Peter Chadwick QC on his recent election to the Bar Council. May I also thank all those who nominated for the election.

11Dec

In Brief

In Brief Issue #993

Return to Chambers

I remind you of the guidance I gave in last week’s In Brief about complying with the Chief Health Officer’s directions in Chambers.

On Monday, 7 December 2020, the Chief Health Officer published updated directions. Of significance to barristers returning to Chambers are the:

Workplace Directions (No 12), and
Stay Safe Directions (Victoria) (No 4).

4Dec

In Brief

Monday saw the release of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants. A number of recommendations made by the Commission directly affect the Bar and implementation of those recommendations will be the subject of discussion at the Bar Council meeting next week.

27Nov

In Brief

In Brief Issue #991

Essoign Club

Members will no doubt be pleased to hear that preliminary discussions have commenced with the Essoign Club Committee in relation to the renewal of the Club’s lease in July next year. The discussions will be wide-ranging and cover all aspects of the Club, including its presentation and attractiveness to all members of the Bar.

20Nov

In Brief

In Brief Issue #990

Resignation of Bar Council member

On Thursday 12 November 2020, Simon Marks QC announced his intention to resign from Bar Council. The resignation took effect on 13 November, when written notice was received, thus creating a casual vacancy on Bar Council.

13Nov

In Brief

In Brief Issue #989

The Victorian Bar Inc has conducted its annual election for members of the Bar Council.

Polls opened two weeks ago at 9.00 am on Wednesday 28 October 2020 and closed at 5.00 pm on Wednesday 11 November 2020. This year’s election attracted a voter turnout of approximately 70% of those eligible to vote, the highest in the Victorian Bar’s recent history, and a very substantial increase compared to the previous election.

6Nov

In Brief

In Brief Issue #988

A collective endeavour

From time to time over the years, I’ve been asked a version of the following question: “what actually is the Victorian Bar?” The answer is much more than the phrase in bold on our website – which recites that the Victorian Bar is “the professional association of Victorian barristers who provide strong, independent legal representation”. This truth is demonstrated every year – and in particular this one – by the many collectives of members with shared interests, who spend a considerable amount of their personal time in ensuring that the Bar provides support to members, and maintains the legacy of service for which we are respected throughout the community.

30Oct

In Brief

In Brief Issue #987

The Future

I have been thinking a lot about the future of the Bar recently. About how the decisions we make now will affect the practices of barristers who have not long embarked on their professional journey, and those yet to come. Well before the events of this year, the practice of the barrister and the market in which we operate had been changing. The State of the Bar survey confirmed what we already sensed and observed. It felt like we were approaching a set of crossroads. Seemingly, COVID has accelerated our arrival at that junction.

22Oct

In Brief

In Brief Issue #986

Meet our thirty-two new barristers

It’s always a proud moment for family, colleagues and friends when a new barrister signs the Bar Roll and becomes part of our professional college.

Today, we welcomed thirty-two new barristers to the Bar: Simon Thomas, Jayr Teng, Tessa Meyrick, Heather Anderson, Fiona Martin, Dara Isaacson, Anna Martin, Rhiannon Malone, Todd Allen, Rose Singleton, Gemma Cafarella, Melania Albarella, Julian Murphy, Shahed Sharify, Joshua Lessing, Paul Jeffreys, Amel Masinovic, Bridie Kelly, Katie Powell, Patrick Coleridge, Shannon Jenkins, Angus Macaskill, Merys Williams, Alexander Marcou, Benjamin Bromberg, Rebecca McCarthy, Nicholas Kotzman, Tanya Kamil, Shannon Finegan, Alexander Di Stefano, Harry Hill-Smith and Bradley Hardisty.

16Oct

In Brief

In Brief Issue #985

The culture of the Bar

This week, I had the privilege of speaking to those attending the Bar Readers’ Course about the culture of the Bar. This is the second of these presentations, in which I addressed how the Bar’s values influence and govern the conduct of barristers within our college.