Inbrief

PILCH invites you to a screening of Maxed Out

On 21 July the Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) will host a screening of James D Scurlock's Maxed Out, _at Allens Arthur Robinson.�_Dubbed "the movie you can't afford to miss",...

National Archives set to promote 9 July as Constitution Day

The National Archives of Australia has designated 9 July as 'Constitution Day' to encourage�Austrlians to reflect on and celebrate the meaning and continuing importance of the...

Proposed amendments to the Bankruptcy Rules: call for comments

At a meeting of the Federal Court's Harmonised Bankruptcy Rules Monitoring Committee on 30 April, it was agreed that the Bankruptcy Rules be amended to remove the requirement to name a specific...

National security information: a guide for practitioners

The Commonwealth Attorney-General's�Department has released the _Practitioners' Guide to the National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004.�_It provides "a...

UK Government legislates to protect witness anonymity

The UK Government has introduced the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill�to restore a trial judge's power to grant a witness anonymity order, after the House of Lords ruled that...

Second term Yoga programme starts tomorrow

****The next term will begin�tomorrow, Tuesday, 22 July with classes again being held at 7.15am in the Common Room. A 10 week term will cost $150.��Unfortunately, due to lack of...

Steven Woods appointed deputy solicitor-general of the Solomon Islands

Steven Woods of 13 Selborne Chambers has been appointed deputy solicitor-general for the Solomon Islands, effective 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

7 July 2008

Public defender wins Terry Keaney Award

Ms Dina Yehia, a public defender, has�received the Terry Keaney Award for dedication to criminal defence work.

The award is�named in honour of the barrister, Terry Keaney, a member of...

Letter to the editor, Sydney Morning Herald, 4 July 2008

**The president of the Bar Association, Anna Katzmann SC, wrote a letter to the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald concerning comments by the New South Wales Government's World Youth Day...

Long-awaited national e-conveyancing system a step closer

The Law Council has welcomed yesterday’s Council of Australian Government (COAG) resolution on the development and implementation of a national electronic conveyancing system. Law Council...

The Credit Crunch & the Law: the 2008 Supreme Court / Law Society Conference on Corporate Law

The Third Annual Supreme Court/Law Society Conference on Corporate Law 2008 "The Credit Crunch and the Law" will be held from 1.30pm to 6.00pm on Wednesday, 20 August 2008 at the Banco Court, Supreme...

2008 Justice Awards: nominations close tomorrow

Nominations for the 2008 Justice Awards close tomorrow, 15 August 2008.�The Bar Association sponsors the Law and Justice Volunteer award, which is presented to an individual or group who, in a...

Code of conduct for justices of the peace

Attorney General John Hatzistergos has announced�the new code of conduct for justices of the peace. The code is being 'rolled out' today, but�will not come�into force�until 1...

Catholic teaching affirms freedom that may annoy pilgrims: Frank Brennan

Frank Brennan AO has condemned the NSW Government's World Youth Day regulations as "a dreadful interference with civil liberties, and contrary to the spirit of Catholic social teaching on human...

Change to Compulsory Dispute Resolution: a reminder to practitioners

As from 1 July 2008 all applicants, regardless of whether they have filed previous parenting applications (pending or finalised) , must obtain a certificate from a registered family dispute...

World Youth Day: transport and road closure information

Preparations for World Youth Day and the visit by Pope Benedict XVI will affect public transport and traffic arrangements throughout the Sydney CBD, Surry Hills, Randwick and North Sydney between...

Recent House of Lords decisions

__The following three opinions of the lords of appeal are available on the House of Lords web site:

R v Rahman and others (Appellants) (On Appeal from the Court of Appeal (Criminal...

Your opportunity to contribute to criminal law reform

The Law Council of Australia and The New South Wales Bar Association will host a Federal Criminal Law Conference on Friday, 5 September 2008 in Sydney. The primary purpose of the one day conference...

Reminder: Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners lecture

The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) will host an address by James Kessler QC of the English Bar, titled�"Drafting inter vivos trusts and will trusts".�Kessler QC is...

Federal Court of Australia announces full court sitting dates in 2009

The acting chief justice of the Federal Court has approved the dates for the sitting of the full court in 2009. Subject to there being sufficient business, sittings of a full court of the Federal...

Appointments to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has today announced two appointments to the�Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Graeme Innes AM has been appointed disability discrimination...

@LCA: Law Council's e-newsletter, volume 26, June 2008

Download and view the Law Council's periodic e-newsletter, @theLCA. This bulletin provides timely information to lawyers about issues of national importance. Volume�26 is now available online.

ABA and LCA condemn the deterioration of the rule of law in Zimbabwe

The Law Council of Australia and the Australian Bar Association have both endorsed a series of resolutions made by bar associations around the world condemning the recent deterioration of the rule of...

Federal criminal justice forum to be held in Canberra

Minister for Home Affairs Bob Debus has announced that he will host a national forum in Canberra on federal criminal justice on 29 September 2008. A web site for the forum has been launched, which...

Reminder: applications for appointment as senior counsel close on 31 July

Members are reminded that applications for appointment as senior counsel for 2008 will close at 5.00pm on 31 July.�Senior counsel will be selected by a committee comprising the president and the...