Inbrief
Toongabbie Legal Centre Tax & Equity Seminar - Friday, 19 March 2021
Members are invited to the TLC’s 5th annual Tax and Equity Seminar to be held on Friday, 19 March 2021 at the Ashurst Conference Room, 5 Martin Place Sydney, as it may be of interest to them.
The...
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Suzie Miller joins the NSW Bar Association's International Women's Day Panel 2021
The New South Wales Bar Association’s Diversity and Equality Committee (DEC) is delighted to announce that playwright and screenwriter, Suzie Miller, will be joining Michaela Whitbourn, Legal...
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Annual Report - Legal Services Council and the Commissioner for Uniform Legal Services Regulation
The Annual Reports for the Legal Services Council and the Commissioner for the Uniform Legal Services Regulation are now available on the LSC website, click here.
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New Clerk - Sir James Martin Chambers
The Board and Members of Sir James Martin Chambers are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Clerk of Chambers, Jo McGoldrick.
After many years, our long-standing Clerk Kirsti Reith, has...
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clerk@sirjamesmartinchambers.com or by telephone on
02 9223 8088 or mobile 0418 866 010.
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Email Fraud Warning
The Association has been advised that the email account of one of its members was compromised and a number of emails sent out purporting to be from this member’s address. These emails are...
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Join the Bar Running Group
Wellbeing
The Bar Running Group, launched late in 2020, organises short runs (max. 30 mins) on Thursday afternoons, departing from the fountain at the top of Martin Place at 4.30pm. The pace is...
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Walk around the Botanic Gardens every Monday at lunch time
Wellbeing
Weather permitting, the Bar Walking Group meets at 1.05pm at the fountain at the top of Martin Place and Macquarie Street every Monday, with a 1.10 departure time. A quick lap of the...
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A woman’s place is in the courtroom…and the Women Barristers’ Forum!
At the AGM held via Zoom on Wednesday 24 February 2021, the following women were elected to positions on the Women Barristers’ Forum (WBF), a Section of the New South Wales Bar Association:
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Funeral Details - Philip Ford Davies (1951-2021)
Members are advised the funeral service for Philip Davies will take place at 11 AM on Saturday, 27 February 2021 at James Murray Funeral Chapel, 44 Blackall Street Broadmeadow, Newcastle.
Members...
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2021 Orange Conference
2021 Orange Conference Program Released
The 2021 Orange Regional Conference will be held on Saturday 20 March at the Greenhouse, Orange. It will run from 9.00 am - 3.25pm and attribute 5 CPD points....
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2021 Sydney Conference
2021 Sydney Conference Program Released
The 2021 Sydney Conference will be held on Saturday 13 March at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. The event will be the NSW Bar Association's first hybrid conference,...
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Personal Injury Commission Ceremonial Sitting - Watch Via Live Stream
The Personal Injury Commission of NSW officially opens next Monday 1 March 2021. The occasion will be marked by a Ceremonial Sitting of the Commission at the NSW District Court at 9.30am on the day....
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Andrew Coleman SC, Craig Smith SC and Tanya Smith SC Appointed to the District Court of NSW
The Attorney General the Hon Mark Speakman SC MP has announced the appointments of Andrew Coleman SC, Craig Smith SC and Tanya Smith SC as Judges of the District Court of NSW.
Mr Smith will be sworn...
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Celebrate International Women’s Day 2021 - International Women’s Day Panel Webinar - 5.15pm Monday 8 March 2021
The New South Wales Bar Association’s Diversity and Equality Committee (DEC) is delighted to invite members to our “Choose to Challenge” International Women’s Day Panel Webinar on Monday 8...
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2021 Sydney Conference
2021 Sydney Conference Program Released
The 2021 Sydney Conference will be held on Saturday 13 March at the Hyatt Regency Sydney. The event will be the NSW Bar Association's first hybrid conference,...
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Tomorrow: Advocacy Tips and Tricks for appearing in Inquests and Inquiries
Webinar - Thursday 25 February
The NSW Bar Association Inquest & Inquiries Committee is pleased to host “Advocacy Tips and Tricks for appearing in Inquests and Inquiries” on Thursday 25 February...
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Next meeting of the Bar Book Club - Tuesday 30 March 5.30pm
The next meeting of the Bar Book Club will be held on Tuesday 30 March 2021 at 5.30pm in the Bar Library. The book is Summerwater by Sarah Moss. A review is available here.
And for those of wishing...
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Statement from the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia
The Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia has released a statement following the passage of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of...
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NSW Land & Environment Court joins First Nations Law Students Clerkship
The Association is pleased to advise that this year for the first time students completing the First Nations Law Students Clerkship in Autumn will have the opportunity to spend a day at the NSW Land...
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Room for Sale - Denman Chambers
Large, well appointed, external room overlooking Liberty Place is available for sale.
The room is 21.5 m2, in excellent condition and is fully furnished with shelving, desk and cupboards, lounge and...
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Vale Philip Ford Davies (1951-2021)
Philip Ford Davies passed away this morning, 23 February 2021, of Motor Neurone Disease.
Philip was admitted in 1976 and came to the Bar in 2004, joining Newcastle Chambers.
Members will be advised...
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Advocacy Tips and Tricks for appearing in Inquests and Inquiries
Webinar - Thursday 25 February (Capacity Increased)
The NSW Bar Association Inquest & Inquiries Committee is pleased to host “Advocacy Tips and Tricks for appearing in Inquests and Inquiries” on...
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Leadership at the Bar
Practice Management Essentials Webinar Series - Module 4
How often do you carve out the time and headspace to work on your career – not just in your career? As a junior barrister, how do you look...
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Vale His Honour Anthony Frederick Garling
His Honour Anthony Frederick Garling, former judge of the District Court of NSW, passed away on Tuesday 16th February.
A funeral service will be held at St Mary’s Catholic Church, corner of Miller...
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Message from the President - Passage of Family Courts Merger Bill
The New South Wales Bar Association echoes the disappointment expressed by many over the passing of the Government’s merger bill by the Parliament last week, including the Law Council of Australia,...
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the disappointment expressed by many over the passing of the Government’s merger bill by the Parliament last week, including the Law Council of Australia, Women’s Legal Services Australia, Australian Women Against Violence Alliance, Community Legal Centres Australia, NATSILS, retired Chief Justices and retired judges.
The Family Court of Australia 2.0 model put forward by the Association in July 2018 as an alternative to the merger remains the model preferred by more than 155 individuals and organisations who work in the family law system serving families and children.
Unlike the Family Court of Australia 2.0 model, the Government’s merger will have the effect of abolishing a stand-alone specialist Family Court as we know it, collapsing it into the under-resourced and over-worked Federal Circuit Court.
In proposing the 2.0 model, the Association said that there was a “pressing need for a national discussion about the future of family law in Australia” and a “national conversation about the benefits of preserving a specialist family court in Australia”.
In the course of parliamentary debate on the 2019 merger bill, the Association’s 2.0 model was referred to on more than 30 occasions in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
While the Association is disappointed with the outcome of the vote, we are proud to have made an important contribution to informing this critical public discussion and advocating for the best interests of Australian children, families and victims of family violence. We will continue to do so.
As stakeholders said last week, the interests of families and children have always been at the heart of the legal profession’s advocacy on this critical issue and we will continue to do whatever is possible to support the new Court in the delivery of justice to Australian children and families.
The Association said in 2018 that the Family Court could not be a gold star institution without “proper funding and resource commitment from government”. Regrettably, the merger bill was not accompanied by any additional funding for many states and territories, including NSW.
This is despite the fact that even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court were each already facing backlogs of more than a year’s worth of cases.
As at November 2020, five Federal Circuit Court Judges in the Sydney registry had between 300 to 400 cases each in their dockets. Another Sydney-based Federal Circuit Court Judge and three Federal Circuit Court Judges at the Parramatta Registry had between 400-500 cases in their dockets. One further Judge in the Parramatta Registry is currently not sitting. The single Federal Circuit Court Judge in the Wollongong registry had more than 600 cases in their docket and has not been replaced since being elevated to the Family Court. The Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court, as his Honour then was, had suggested some years ago that reforms to reduce the number of cases to something like 100 cases per judge would be needed to significantly reduce delays. Regrettably, that has not occurred and these reforms will not do so.
More than 10 Judges across the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court nationally will be retiring in 2021-22. It is critical that these appointments are promptly replaced to avoid contributing to further delays for parties.
The single most significant driver of legal costs in family law is delay in having matters proceed through the courts and this will be compounded by the merger. The Association will continue to work with stakeholders to advocate for proper resourcing of the NSW registries in a system that has been neglected for more than a decade.
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