Inbrief

Two life members and the Sir Maurice Byers Address

The 2014 Maurice Byers Address will be delivered by the Hon Justice V Bell, High Court of Australia on Wednesday, 20 August 2014. A small ceremony will be held following the address, at which Justice...

Common Law Practice Update 60

The Bar Association's Common Law Committee has published Practice Update 60, with case notes on sections 5D, 5O, 43 and 43A of the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) and employment. Learn more here.

Family Law Courts Fees to increase from 1 July 2014

The following fees will apply in the Family Law Courts from 1 July 2014. More information is available from the Family Law Courts website.

Family Court of Australia

• $155 Application for consent...

CPD in July

A number of seminars have been scheduled in the Common Room for the coming months. Coming up in July is:

Thursday 3 July: Unpacking Insurance. Presented by Amanda Levine from North City Group and...

Government Bail Act review is premature

The president of the New South Wales Bar Association, Jane Needham SC, today urged the NSW Government to exercise caution in relation to the premature review of the new Bail Act provisions which only...

Review of Bail Laws

The Premier and Attorney General have announced a review of the Bail Act 2013. The review is to be conducted by former Attorney General the Hon John Hatzistergos. The review has been prompted by...

Bar Association Committees for 2014-15

President Jane Needham SC has announced the Bar Association committees for 2014-15. The new committees formally come into effect on Tuesday 1 July 2014. Learn more here

27 June 2014

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.

In providing this assistance, the...

NSW Government changes to the Workers Compensation Scheme

NSW Minister for Finance & Services Dominic Perrottet today announced five changes to the Workers Compensation Scheme, which would be made by regulation. Learn more here.

A special invitation to the Martin Place Early Learning Centre Open Day

Members are invited to attend the open day for the Martin Place Early Learning Centre on 8 July at 1.00pm. The centre is located on level 1, 39 Martin Place, and is the focus of the Bar Association's...

More reforms to Victoria’s courts and judiciary

Responsibility for the administration of Victorian courts as of 1 July 2014 will be transferred from a government department to a statutory entity, Court Services Victoria. The state government has...

Victorian court administration transferring to statutory entity

Responsibility for the administration of Victorian courts as of 1 July 2014 will be transferred from a government department to a statutory entity, Court Services Victoria, answerable to parliament....

Common Law Practice Update 59

The Bar Association's Common Law Committee has published Practice Update 59, with case notes occupier's liability; jurisdiction / foreign state immunity and issue estoppel. Learn more here.

Archibald Prize exhibition tour

Following successful tours of the Sydney Moderns and the America Painting a Nation exhibitions last year, barristers and their friends are invited to a guided tour of the Archibald Prize exhibition...

Subpoenaing the ATO

Legal practitioners are reminded that tax confidentiality laws prohibit the ATO from disclosing taxpayer records, even to a court.

Tax law subpoenas

If a client has a dispute with the ATO about a...

Secretive editing by SCOTUS

The New York Times reports that the Supreme Court of the United States sometimes revises its decisions years after they were issued, without public notice. The revisions include “truly substantive...

NSW AG comments on the new Bail Act

In response to criticism from some sections of the media, the New South Wales Government has established a bail monitoring group which includes representatives from NSW Police Force, the ODPP, Legal...

Productivity Commission's Sydney hearings on access to justice

On 3 June 2014 the Productivity Commission's Access to Justice Arrangements inquiry conducted hearings in Sydney, at which Arthur Moses SC and Dominique Hogan-Doran represented the New South Wales...

Bar Council business for May and June 2014

Bar Council met on 29 May and 5 June 2014 in the boardroom of the New South Wales Bar Association. Matters reported elsewhere in In Brief are omitted from this summary of Bar Council business. Bar...

4th Annual International Family Law Conference

Promoted by Legalwise Seminars

Join us at the 4th Annual International Family Law Conference, taking place in Shanghai, China between 17 and 19 September 2014. Throughout the three days of this...

RACS needs your support

The Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) has set a fundraising goal of $250,000, which it needs urgently following the Australian Government's funding cuts. RACS invites members to donate...

Judge Carmody should reconsider, says the Qld Bar Association

The Queensland Bar Association has issued a media release setting out its position on the appointment of Judge Carmody as the next chief justice of Queensland. The president of the Queensland Bar...

Qld judicial appointment process seriously flawed: ABA

On 20 June 2014 the Australian Bar Association wrote to the editor of The Australian in response to Chris Merritt's article on the appointment of the new chief justice of Queensland. Since the letter...

A tribute from the Bear Pit

Mr Barry Collier MP, the member for state seat of Miranda, recently paid tribute to the work of Phillip Boulten SC during his term as president of the Bar Association. He said that on matters...

NSWLRC final report on criminal appeals

On 18 June 2014 the Attorney General tabled the final report of the NSW Law Reform Commission on criminal appeals. According to the commission, this report is the first comprehensive review of...