Inbrief

Indexation of maximum amount relating to non-economic loss

Attorney General Hatzistergos, by order published in the Government Gazette, has specified the maximum amount�for non-economic loss under s16(2) of the _Civil Liability Act 2002, _which will...

More appointments by the federal attorney-general

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock�has announced�more appointments to organisations within his portfolio, including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Australian Law Reform Commission,...

A series of Bar Council events

This circular serves as a preliminary notice for the forthcoming election of the 2008 Bar Council.�The election timetable includes dates for�opening and closing of nominations, as well as...

At the lectern: 25th AIJA Conference, Melbourne, 12-14 October 2007

The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration is holding its annual conference in Melbourne on 12-14 October 2007. The theme of the conference is "Cultures and the Law".

Download a...

Call for greater access to the Bar of England and Wales

The chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, Geoffrey Vos QC, has called for greater access to the Bar and has encouraged politicians to continue to recognise the importance of social...

Media briefing: Barristers' Rules and cross examination in sexual assault trials

President Michael Slattery QC�appeared on�three radio programmes yesterday,�in response�to the NSW Government’s request to change the Barristers' Rules regarding sexual...

More federal judicial appointments

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock�has announced appointments to the Family Court, the Federal Magistrates Court and the Defence Discipline Appeal Tribunal.

Peter Murphy SC has been appointed as a...

Two barristers nominated for the Women Lawyers Achievement Awards

Kate Traill and Margaret Cunneen SC have been nominated for this year's NSW Women Lawyers Achievement Awards. For more information, visit the awards page of the WLA web site.

The Women Lawyers...

New appointments to the Federal Court

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock today announced the appointments of four new judges to the Federal Court of Australia:�Dr Geoffrey Flick SC, Mr John Logan RFD SC, Mr Neil McKerracher QC and Mr...

Major parties fall short on legal aid funding

Both major parties have failed to give any commitment to minimum increases in legal aid funding, despite Australia recording a combined budget surplus of $28 billion over the past two years.

Law...

Charter of Rights Options Paper: send us your comments

The Bar Association resolved on 4 May 2006 to support the previous attorney general’s call for a community consultation with respect to a charter of human rights for NSW. It sought from its...

ALRC releases discussion paper on client legal privilege and federal investigatory bodies

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) today released a Discussion Paper, _Client Legal Privilege and Federal Investigatory Bodies _(Discussion Paper 73), containing 42 proposals aimed...

2007 Forbes Lecture: The Life and Times of William Charles Wentworth

The Francis Forbes Society for Australian Legal History invites all members of the Bar to attend its annual lecture, to be held on Thursday, 8�November 2007�at 5pm in the Bar Association...

Tonight: A seminar on international practice

International practice

Tonight, the president of the NSW Bar Association, Michael Slatttery QC will introduce�the first of a series of�CPD seminars on international practice. This seminar...

The Bar Association supports beyondblue's Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month

Wellbeing

The recent report from Beaton consulting and beyondblue regarding the mental health in the legal profession is the cause of considerable concern. The Bar Association supports the Anxiety...

Listings of bankruptcy matters in the Federal Court

From 2 October 2007, matters filed in the original jurisdiction of the Federal Court under the Bankruptcy Act 1966 will be made returnable on a Wednesday at 9am in the Law Courts Building, Queens...

Children's Court Practice Direction No.28: case management in the Care Jurisdiction

This Practice Direction repeals Practice Direction No. 24 and applies to all proceedings under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act l998 except (unless otherwise indicated)...

ALRC to review freedom of information laws

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission�will examine Commonwealth, state and territory�freedom of information�laws, with a view to...

Web watch: Northern Territory judgments

There is now an advanced search facility available for Northern Territory judgments, 2003 and onwards.�Visit the NT Supreme Court web site>

25 September 2007

Papers to note: Human Rights Watch report on US sex offender laws

In the United States, “Megan’s Laws” have established online registries to provide the criminal history, current photograph, current address, and place of employment of those convicted...

Results of the Victorian Bar Council elections

The Victorian Bar Council election was held on 19 September 2007. The following candidates were elected as office bearers:

Chairman: Peter J Riordan SC Senior vice-chairman: Paul G Lacava SC Junior...

Speeches to note: Australia's Contribution to the Common Law

In this�speech, which�was delivered at the Singapore Academy of Law on 20 September,�the Hon A M Gleeson AC, chief justice of Australia,�asserts that the High Court does not...

Statement of Status for admission to another jurisdiction

When a person moves their principal place of practice to another state/territory/country, they may be required to provide a Statement of Status from all jurisdictions in which they are admitted.

The...

Web watch: Tim Castle's Capital Punishment Database

The names, crimes and fate of the 1300 people who were sentenced to death between 1826 and 1837 are contained in Tim Castle's Capital Punishment Database, which is hosted on the Forbes Society's web...

Papers to note: Persecution of Lawyers in Zimbabwe

As defenders of human rights, Zimbabwean�lawyers often find themselves being targets of persecution. This briefing paper by the Law Society of Zimbabwe�contains an exhaustive report of the...