Inbrief

Evidence Amendment Bill approved by the Senate

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today welcomed the passage through the parliament of the _Evidence Amendment Bill 2008, _describing it as�a "significant step towards the harmonisation of...

Recent House of Lords decisions

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

_Kay (Fc) V Commissioner of The Police of The Metropolis _[2008] UKHL 69��

R (On The...

Legislation to note: Crimes Amendment (Sexual Offences) Bill 2008

The Crimes Amendment (Sexual Offences) Bill 2008�was yesterday introduced in the Legislative Council by Attorney General Hatzistergos and has received�its second reading speech.�

The...

Appointment of acting magistrate

Mr John Anthony Bailey has been appointed as an acting magistrate and as a mining warden for the period commencing on 20 November 2008 and expiring on 30 June 2009.

27 November 2008

Victorian Bar's senior counsel appointments for 2008

The Victorian Bar announced its senior counsel appointments yesterday. They are, in order of precedence:

William Ross Middleton Philip Anthony Jewell John Paul Dickinson Craig Warwick...

Law Vacation: registrars' sitting arrangements

New South Wales Supreme Court registrar’ lists will operate as usual until 19 December 2008 and from 12 January 2009.

On 22 and 23 December 2008, registrars will sit at:

9.00am - combined...

Victorian barristers to hold a rally over legal aid funding

Victoria's barristers will be among the�criminal lawyers�to hold a public meeting�(before court, at 9.15am) on the forecourt of the County Court tomorrow to discuss increased legal aid...

Vexatious Proceedings Act to commence on 1 December

The Vexatious Proceedings Act 2008 (NSW) has been proclaimed to commence on 1** December 2008.** The objects, as provided in the explanatory notes to the Bill, are:

(a) to enact provisions (which...

Law Council awaits speedy release of Haneef report

The Law Council has welcomed indications made by Attorney-General Robert McClelland that the Australian Government will publicly release the findings of the Clarke Inquiry into the Haneef case before...

Cases selected for reporting in FCR by V Kline

The following cases will be published in a forthcoming volume of FCR: ����������� Harding v Deputy Commissioner of Taxation [2008] FCA 1403 ...

Practice Note SC Eq 2 (Admiralty List)

The Chief Justice, J J Spigelman AC, issued an amended version of Practice Note SC Eq 2 (Admiralty List) on 13 November 2008.� The revised Practice Note commenced operation on Friday, 21...

Changes to the Legal Aid NSW grants application process

From March 2009, barristers who receive direct assignments of legally aided matters will see the following changes:

• A new grants management system will replace the current Grants Online and the...

Review of the International Arbitration Act 1974

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has announced a review of the International Arbitration Act 1974, with a view to improving the�efficiency of the arbitral process.�The Attorney-General's...

Bar Association office bearers for 2010

At a Bar Council meeting on 19 November 2009, the following were elected as office bearers of the New South Wales Bar Association for 2010: President: Tom Bathurst QC Senior vice president: Bernie...

Attorney-General Robert McClelland releases report on improvements to federal courts

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today released Future Governance Options for Federal Family Law Courts in Australia - Striking the Right Balance, and an accompanying discussion paper on...

Victorian criminal lawyers threaten to withdraw from legal aid work

Law Institute of Victoria President Tony Burke has warned that the legal aid system is "on the verge of collapse"�and called for�fees to criminal lawyers�to be�increased. Learn...

Bar Council business for October

Matters reported elsewhere in In Brief are omitted from this summary of Bar Council business. Bar Council regularly considers requests by the attorney general, the courts and other agencies for...

Fees owed to counsel

Pursuant to s623(2) of the Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW), the Law Society of New South Wales has appointed Kelly-Anne Stanford to manage the law practice of** R J Russell, Solicitors, Level 7, City...

Law Council launches its revamped web site

The Law Council has launched its new website. Apart from being given a new look, the revamped website is easier to navigate and features an improved search engine facility as well as audio and video...

Papers to note: effectiveness of the NSW Drug Court

The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research has announced the results of its latest study into recidivism and the New South Wales Drug Court. The results show that although participants in the NSW...

Supreme Court Practice Note on audio-visual links

Supreme Court Practice Note SC Gen 15 (NSW) was gazetted on Friday, 14 November. The Practice Note, which�relates�to the use of audio-visual links in criminal and certain civil proceedings,...

Work2Suit Forum on flexible work practices

The Women Lawyers Association of NSW and the Law Society of NSW invite members to�hear Ann Sherry�AO, CEO of Carnival Australia, speak at�a�Work2Suit forum on 4 December at...

Reminder: Lord Thomas Bingham to speak on a Charter of Rights

Lord Thomas Bingham, former senior law lord of the United Kingdom, will deliver a lecture�entitled "The Role of a Charter of Rights in Promoting Dignity, Fairness and Good Government" in...

Victorian Bar voices concerns about legal aid funding

Chairman of the Victorian Bar Council, John Digby QC, has warned that the pool of specialist criminal barristers doing legal aid cases in Victoria has dropped dramatically over the last three years....

Queensland Bar announces 2008 senior counsel appointments

The president of the Bar Association of Queensland, Michael Stewart SC, said today that the chief justice, the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, has selected�eight counsel for appointment as senior...