Inbrief

The lecture will be hosted online via Zoom tomorrow Tuesday 13 April 2021 from 5:00pm – 6:30pm and features Professor Melissa Crouch, Ms Daye Gang and Ms Anne O'Donoghue as Chair of the session.

Further details and registration are available here.

All enquiries will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.

Many barristers regularly deal in their professional lives with distressing subject-matter: murder, sexual assault, catastrophic injuries, mental illness, the abuse of children and more. Vicarious trauma (also known as secondary post-traumatic stress) is a phenomenon which is now well-recognised as affecting members of the legal profession.

Register to attend the seminar on vicarious trauma.

His Honour's speech examined recent events, both here in Australia and in the United States. He began by observing that, instead of "languishing in obscurity, the concept of the rule of law has taken up prime position in recent times", but he warned that there are "profound misunderstandings" in the current discourse.

Chief Justice Bathurst concluded by focussing on the importance of lawyers exercising independent forensic judgment and not acting as mere mouthpieces of their clients, by reference to the final days of the Trump Administration.

His Honour warned that “The judiciary and the legal profession must also be alert to specific threats which can affect public confidence in the rule of law. These are not light or inconsequential issues. At risk of seeming alarmist, we cannot afford to be complacent about these things.”

You can view Chief Justice Bathurst's speech here.

This year, with the expected increase in insolvency, as COVID measures are rewound, barristers may be called on at short notice to assist in setting aside a statutory demand or defending such an application.

Join the Honourable Justice Kate Williams, Christopher Wood SC and Karen Petch to build the tools and confidence to be able to accept briefs in this area and avoid the common pitfalls. This seminar is aimed at under 7s who may have relatively little experience in these applications.

This webinar is open to Bar Association members and will be run by registration only. Numbers are limited. For further information, or to register for this event, please click here.

BarCare is an independent, professional counselling service, which helps members of the Bar Association to manage emotional and stress-related problems, such as marital breakdown, drug or alcohol dependency and practice pressures.

BarCare is available to all members of the Bar Association and their immediate families.

Up to six consultations are provided free of charge. The aim is to identify what, if any, follow-up services or treatments are required. BarCare has access to a wide network of professionals across NSW from different disciplines for referral purposes or to discuss aspects of treatment. These include both general and specialist medical practitioners, social workers, psychologists, stress management consultants and dependency counsellors.

If a member requires confidential assistance, they are encouraged to contact Jenny Houen, director, care and assistance, to arrange a consultation. Members in rural and regional areas can contact Barcare for assistance in locating an appropriate specialist closer to home. Alternatively, clerks and colleagues in chambers can make a confidential referral.

The Association acknowledges and will carefully review the Government’s Roadmap for Respect, developed in response to the landmark report.

Every person deserves to feel safe, respected and free from sexual harassment in their workplace and community. The Bar is no exception and each of us have a role to play in achieving this. I encourage members to take the time to review the Roadmap.

We cannot tackle this problem alone, and will continue to work closely with chambers, the Law Council of Australia, Australian Bar Association, Office of the Legal Services Commissioner and many others to address these matters, and to advocate to Attorneys-General at a state and federal level. At a recent Heads of Chambers meeting, the Bar Council Executive outlined a number of initiatives including updated Best Practice Guidelines for chambers and that will utilise a WHS lens.

Our ongoing work to combat sexual harassment involves advocating for significant policy, cultural and organisational change within the Bar, the legal profession and our broader community. It is critical that we keep the momentum going to address this issue, and the release of the Government’s response today is an important step.

Members may recall the Association made a submission to the AHRC’s National inquiry into sexual harassment in 2019, which is available here.

Further information and resources, including the Association’s factsheet titled “Who can I talk to about sexual harassment at the Bar?”, is available here.

BarCare provides an independent, professional counselling service and can be contacted via https://barcare.org.au/

The program has been designed in conjunction with Art of Mentoring and the New South Wales Bar Association Education Committee. If you wish to nominate yourself as a mentee or mentor please read and complete the online application form. Applications close Friday, 16 April 2021.

If you would like to know more, or are unsure if this program is suitable for you, you are invited to contact the Program Manager, Danita Needleman or the New South Wales Bar Association's Professional Development Director Bali Kaur for further information.

This year, with the expected increase in insolvency, as COVID measures are rewound, barristers may be called on at short notice to assist in setting aside a statutory demand or defending such an application.

Join the Honourable Justice Kate Williams, Christopher Wood SC and Karen Petch to build the tools and confidence to be able to accept briefs in this area and avoid the common pitfalls. This seminar is aimed at under 7s who may have relatively little experience in these applications.

This webinar is open to Bar Association members and will be run by registration only. Numbers are limited. For further information, or to register for this event, please click here.

**There are only 24 places available. Please register early to avoid disappointment.

PRESENTERS:

• Chief Justice Susan Kiefel AC, High Court of Australia
• The Hon. Justice Julie Ward, Chief Judge in Equity, Supreme Court of New South Wales
• Sandra Boyle TEP & Christopher Boyle TEP - Former Registrars of the Supreme Court of Western
• Australia (recently retired), Perth
• Prof. Gino Dal Pont, University of Tasmania
• Dr Bernard Walrut TEP, Murray Chambers, Adelaide
• Prof. John Glover, Owen Dixon Chambers, Melbourne
• Prof. Reid Mortensen, University of Southern Queensland
• Christine Smyth TEP, Christine Smyth Estate Lawyers, Brisbane
• John Balazs, Balazs Lazanas & Welch LLP, Sydney
• Kimberley Martin TEP, Worrall Moss Martin Lawyers, Tasmania
• Jane Needham SC, St James Hall Chambers, Sydney
• Michael Olesnicky TEP, Baker McKenzie, Hong Kong
• Michele Sheehan TEP, enTrust Law and Sheehan & Co, Brisbane
• Craig Gregson TEP, Gregson & Associates, Perth

Signatories to the Target have collectively reported over 4.3 million hours of pro bono legal work since its commencement in 2007.

Why should you sign up to the Target?

Through involvement in pro bono work, barristers are able to use their unique skills to support a wide range of vulnerable individuals in our community and provide vital legal assistance to community organisations. Many barristers are already helping others in this way. Other barristers are keen to participate and indeed many feel an ethical professional responsibility to do so. Although the Target is entirely voluntary and unenforceable, becoming a signatory prompts involvement in pro bono work and helps each barrister to set a goal for the amount of pro bono work they will undertake each year.

Moreover, by signing up to the Target, the Centre is able to formally recognise and record that work and, in doing so, inspire other barristers to become involved. The Centre publishes a de-identified report on pro bono hours performed by Target signatories each year and, through a variety of publications and events, showcases a range of pro bono work and lawyers involved to recognise this dedication of time and skills and its impact.

Significant professional and personal benefits ensue from using one's skills to help those in need. Please see the link below to learn more and sign up.

How to sign up to the Target

Please click here to learn more about the Target, and to become a signatory.

If you have any questions, please contact the Centre by email at info@probonocentre.org.au.

**There are only 24 places available. Please register early to avoid disappointment.

Members are advised that, although the Bar Association is regularly updating the COVID-19 page of its website as information comes to hand, please refer to the latest court resources directly as developments are changing quickly at this time. Do not make any assumptions regarding your case without first doing so. Links to the various court and tribunal pages are provided in the body of the guide.

Please register your interest here.

The organisers have not yet settled on a name for the group and would welcome suggestions from members, such as 'Bar Ramblers'. Please send your suggestions and any questions about the program to wellbeing@nswbar.asn.au

The Warragamba Walking Club was formed in 1895 and since that time bushwalking has been a favourite Australian pastime. The Wellbeing Committee has set up a bushwalking group as part of its collegiality program, as well as supporting members to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

This year, with the expected increase in insolvency, as COVID measures are rewound, barristers may be called on at short notice to assist in setting aside a statutory demand or defending such an application.

Join the Honourable Justice Kate Williams, Christopher Wood SC and Karen Petch to build the tools and confidence to be able to accept briefs in this area and avoid the common pitfalls. This seminar is aimed at under 7's who may have relatively little experience in these applications.

This webinar is open to NSW Bar Association members and will be run by registration only. Numbers are limited. For further information, or to register for this event, please click here.