Inbrief

Bar Council business for November-December 2008

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...

NSW Drug Court celebrates 10th anniversary

The New South Wales Drug Court marks its 10th anniversary today with the opening of a special conference. Attorney General John Hatzistergos, citing a Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research...

Inter-library loans from the University of Sydney

As reported in In Brief, the University of Sydney Law Library closed its doors for the last time at its Phillip Street premises at 6.00 pm on Friday, 23 January 2009. The librarians and the...

Accreditation of mediators in 2009

An information seminar will be held by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee at 5.15pm on 3 June 2009 for barristers interested in being accredited as mediators under the National Standards...

Web watch: the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG

Fresh off the bench of the High Court, the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG has published his own web site: www.michaelkirby.com.au which allows him to "speak directly to you". The site contains his famously...

Discussion paper on proposed national model for surrogacy laws

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) and Ministerial Councils for Community Services and Health have released a discussion paper on a proposed national model for the regulation of...

Changing the face of human rights

Australia's National Human Rights Consultation Committee begins its consultations on a Charter of Rights next week in Queenbeyan. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the Right Honourable Jack Straw MP,...

Recent decisions of the House of Lords

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

Z T (Kosovo) (Respondent) v Secretary of State for the Home Department (Appellant)� [2009] UKHL...

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

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

Salter by her tutor Steven Folino-Gallo v The Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) [2008] NSWSC 1325 McEwen v Simmons and...

Australian Bar Association office bearers for 2009

At its annual general meeting on Monday, 2 February 2009, the following were elected as office bearers of the Australian Bar Association:

President's speeches at the High Court

President Anna Katzmann SC spoke on behalf of the New South Wales Bar at two ceremonial sittings of the High Court on 2 - 3 February, marking the retirement of the Hon Justice Michael Kirby and the...

Law Council welcomes latest moves towards a national legal profession

The Law Council has today welcomed Prime Minister Rudd’s announcement that legal profession reform is now part of the Australian Government’s ongoing micro-economic reform agenda. Law...

The Aurora Project - Rio Tinto NTRB Scholarships

Rio Tinto is once again offering two scholarships to lawyers currently working or interested in working at Native Title Representative Bodies (NTRBs) or Native Title Service Providers (NTSPs)....

Vale Christopher Anthony Pike (1955-2009)

Christopher Anthony Pike died on 24 January 2009. Members are invited to attend his funeral, to be held in the Magnolia Chapel of the Macquarie Park Crematorium, Plassey Road, Macquarie Park on...

Online notification of statutory instruments in New South Wales

Beginning on 2 March 2009, certain statutory instruments are to be notified on the official NSW legislation web site and listed in the Gazette. This will affect all environmental planning...

Revised Federal Court Practice Note No 17

On 29 January 2009 the chief justice of the Federal Court issued a new Practice Note No 17 – The Use of Technology in the Management of Discovery and the Conduct of Litigation which replaces...

Commercial Law Association seminars in February through April

The Commercial Law Association has organised a series of lunch time and half-day seminars, to be held at the NSW State Library. Upcoming topics include Disclosure, Professional Indemnity Insurance...

Prisoners Legal Service Panel

The NSW Legal Aid Commission's Prisoners Legal Service Panel is currently open for applications to undertake Parole Authority hearings. Applications must be lodged by close of business on 20 February...

2010 Bar Library Academy Awards Competition

The Bar Library Academy Awards Competition is one of the most popular institutions of the New South Wales Bar. Entries must be lodged at the Bar library** by close of business on Friday, 5 March...

Review of Royal Commissions Act 1902

Attorney-General Robert McClelland today announced that the Australian Law Reform Commission will review the Royal Commissions Act 1902.

“Royal Commissions have been an important means of...

Life Membership for the Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG

At a recent meeting of the Bar Council it was formally resolved to appoint the Hon Justice Michael Kirby AC CMG as a life member for his ‘exceptional service to the Bar Association and to the...

Recent decisions of the House of Lords

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

R (On The Application of Black) (Respondent) v Secretary of State for Justice (Appellant)�...

High Court decision in Fiji Times contempt case

On 27 January 2009 Fiji's military-backed government declared Rex Gardner, the publisher and acting chief executive of the Fiji Times, to be a prohibited immigrant and ordered his removal from the...

A busy year for LAWACCESS NSW

In 2008 LawAccess answered just under 180,000 enquiries, which represents a 23 per cent increase in demand for the free legal information service compared to 2007. The increase is in line with the...

Fee recovery assistance

The Bar Association assists members with recovery from solicitors of unpaid fees which have been outstanding for more than three months but less than two years.� The association will only assist...