Inbrief

Victorian WorkCover review released for consultation

The first independent review into Victoria’s workers compensation legislation in over 20 years was released for community consultation today. The inquiry, conducted by�Peter Hanks QC,...

Abolition of electronic lodgement fee in family law matters from 1 October 2008

The Legal Aid NSW Board has approved the abolition of the Electronic Lodgement Fee (“ELF”) payable to private legal practitioners in Commonwealth family law matters. The ELF was introduced...

NSW Government examining appeals from the Local Court

Attorney General John Hatzistergos�is considering 17 recommendations on changes to the�management of court appeals and reviews,�contained in an Attorney General's Department report on...

Changes to compensation for victims of unlawful discrimination

The maximum compensation pay-out for victims of unlawful discrimination will more than double under legislation introduced into the New South Wales Parliament today. Attorney General John...

New South Wales Government adopts equitable briefing policy

The New South Wales Government has formally adopted�the Equitable Briefing Policy for Female Barristers and Advocates. This policy, formulated by the Law Council of Australia, shall be "applied...

EPLA Conference, Bangalow, 17-18 October

The Environment and Planning Law Association (NSW) is holding its 2008 annual conference in the heritage village of Bangalow in the Northern Rivers hinterland on 17-18 October. The speakers at the...

Cases selected for reporting in NSWLR by the editor, Bret Walker SC

The following five cases will be published in a forthcoming volume of NSWLR:

Sydney West Area Health Service v Staracek [2008] NSWSC 744 Perpetual Trustee Company Ltd and Another v Agusta Pty Ltd...

Sexual assault trials: has the pendulum swung too far against the accused?

At forthcoming�International Criminal Law Congress, Daily Telegraph journalist Lisa Davies will join Stephen Odgers SC and Margaret Cunneen SC for what is sure to be a lively panel discussion on...

Facilities at King Street and Darlinghurst Court complexes

In response to approaches from the Bar Association, the NSW Attorney General’s Department has provided details of the rooms available for practitioners at King Street and Darlinghurst Court...

Bar Council election timetable

Governance

This circular serves as a preliminary notice for the forthcoming election of the 2010 Bar Council. The election timetable includes dates for opening and closing of nominations, as well as...

Reminder: 2008 Hal Wootten Lecture to be held on 16 October 2008

The 2008 Hal Wootten Lecture will be delivered by Emeritus Professor Hal Wootten AC QC.�His topic will be�‘Living in the Law'; a personal account�of�the perennial challenges...

Fees owed to counsel - Avondale Lawyers

Pursuant to s623(2) of the Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW), the Law Society of New South Wales has appointed a�manager to the law practice of **Avondale Lawyers, 25 O'Connell Street, Parramatta....

On top of the new parenting laws, the NSW Government has reformed almost 50 other laws that extend equal rights and obligations to de-facto couples.

Annual indexation of non-economic loss under the Civil Liability Act 2002

Pursuant to s17(1) of�the Civil Liability Act 2002, the maximum amount relating to�non-economic loss has been increased from $442,000 to $450,000, effective�1 October 2008. An order to...

Bench and Bar v Solicitors chess match

The Bench and Bar v Solicitors chess match for the Terry Shaw Shield is to be played on 16 October at 5.45 pm.� If you are interested in playing please contact Gordon McGrath at...

National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference, 14-15 November 2008

The Law Council of Australia and the National Pro Bono Resource Centre have teamed up again to host the second National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference, to be held on 14 and 15 November...

Presumed guilty? What do jurors really think? A Julie McCrossin hypothetical

Julie McCrossin will moderate a hypothetical on juries at the forthcoming International Criminal Law Congress, on Saturday, 11 October. Julie will engage in a lively and interactive discussion with...

LCA: Federal Police adopted a "better to be safe than sorry" approach to Haneef case

The Law Council, in its�submission to the Clarke Inquiry into the Case of Dr Mohamed Haneef, has�called for an independent review of all Australia's terrorism laws. Speaking at�a...

Commonwealth A-G congratulates Law Council for sterling service to the profession

Commonwealth Attorney-General Robert McClelland has congratulated the Law Council of Australia for its contributions to public policy and its representation of the legal profession. Speaking at the...

The Law Council celebrates its 75th anniversary

Judges, politicians and prominent members of the legal profession will gather in Canberra this evening to mark the Law Council of Australia’s 75th anniversary.�Chief Justice Robert French...

Brain and Mind Research Institute survey on depression in the legal profession

Professor Ian Hickey from the Brain and Mind Research Institute spoke this morning�on Radio National's Breakfast programme about the�high incidence�of depression among Australian...

Australian Bureau of Statistics report on corrective services paints a mixed picture

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has published data�on persons in custody and community-based corrections during�the June quarter of 2008.�The average daily number of full-time...

International commercial arbitration: making it work for business

Attorney-General Robert McClelland, the Hon Justice James Allsop, Malcolm Holmes QC and Andrew Bell SC will be among those speaking at a conference on international commercial arbitration. The...

Update on the condition of Chris Branson QC

Chris Branson QC is now in Acute Care at the Royal North Shore Hospital. His progress is slow and unpredictable at this stage and we are dealing with things mainly on an hour by hour basis. He has...

Cases selected for reporting in NSWLR by the editor, Bret Walker SC

The following two cases will be published in a forthcoming volume of NSWLR.

Council of the New South Wales Bar Association v Archer [2008] NSWCA 164 Ulan Coal Mines v Minister for Mineral Resources...