The Annual BAQ Bench & Bar Golf Day
The Annual BAQ Bench & Bar Golf Day was held on Sunday 3 October 2010 at the Royal Queensland Golf Club. Greg Egan organised the event and has provided a selection of photos of the day.
QUT Faculty of Law – W.A. Lee Equity Lecture
The WA Lee Equity Lecture is held each year in honour of foremost equity and trusts academic and author, Mr W.A. “Tony” Lee. The lecture will be held on Thursday 18 November 2010 in the Banco Court and will be chaired by Justice Margaret McMurdo.
This year the lecture will be presented by Chief Justice The Honourable Paul de Jersey AC. Paul de Jersey has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland since 1998. He is a grateful former student of Tony Lee: a member of the 1969 Succession Law cohort.
The Chief Justice will address some remedial aspects of the courts’ jurisdiction in the administration of deceased estates: current approaches to family provision applications, upholding irregularly executed wills, and court-made wills for those lacking testamentary capacity.
Attendees may claim one CPD point for this lecture.
Please RSVP to rsvplaw@qut.edu.au or telephone (07) 3138 5208
TC Beirne School of Law Book Launch
The TC Beirne School of Law’s Centre for Public, International and Comparative Law will be launching the book, “The Law of Politics: Elections, Parties and Money in Australia,” written by the school’s Associate Professor Graeme Orr. Join the Honourable Andrew Fraser MP, Treasurer and Minister for Employment and Economic Development, for the event on Thursday 2 December 2010 at the Banco Court Foyer at 5.30pm (for a 6pm start).
Attendees are asked to RSVP by 26 November 2010 to Ms Beth Williams by telephoning (07) 3346 9350 or emailing marketing@law.uq.edu.au.
Richard Cooper Memorial Lecture
The TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland will host the Richard Cooper Memorial Lecture on Thursday 11 November 2010. This series of lectures was established in 2005 in honour of the late Justice Richard Cooper of the Federal Court of Australia, who passed away suddenly on 14 March 2005. It is dedicated to the strong interests in maritime and native title law which he developed over the course of a long and distinguished legal career.
This year the lecture will be presented on the subject of native title by Professor Bradford Morse, Dean of Law and Professor of Law at the University of Waikato Te Piringa, in Hamilton, New Zealand. Professor Morse also remains a Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa where he previously served as Vice-Dean and Director of Graduate Studies. His career includes appointments as Executive Director of the Native Legal Task Force of British Columbia (1974-75); Research Director if the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba (1988-91); and Chief of Staff to the Hon. Ronald A. Irwin, Canadian Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (1993-1996). In addition, Professor Morse has served as legal advisor to many First Nations as well as national and regional Aboriginal Organizations since 1974.
The lecture will be held on 11 Novemeber 2010 in Court Room 1, Commonwealth Law Courts at 5.30pm. It is essential that attendees RSVP by Thursday 4 November 2010 to Ms Beth Williams by telephoning (07) 3346 9350 or emailing marketing@law.uq.edu.au.
Return to work assist
Amendments to the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (the Act) regarding a worker’s obligation to mitigate their loss came into effect from 1 July 2010.
Section 267 of the Act has been amended to provide that a worker must satisfactorily participate in any return to work program or suitable duties arranged by Q-COMP.
Return to work assist is a free Q-COMP initiative aimed at helping injured workers whose compensation claims are nearing completion, or are completed, and who don’t have a job to return to.
Requests for a copy of a Return to work assist file should be made as follows:
- S572 of the Act — a worker (or their solicitor) can apply for a copy of their Return to work assist file by sending a written request to Q-COMP. Written requests from a worker’s solicitor should be accompanied by a signed authority from the worker.
- S573(3A) of the Act — Q-COMP may, if asked by an insurer, disclose to the insurer any information it has that is relevant to a claim against the insurer. Requests should be made in writing and should include the claim number.
Requests for information from a Return to work assist file should be sent to legalservices@qcomp.com.au
Practice Direction No.1 of 2010
Chief Federal Magistrate John Pascoe AO CVO issued Practice Direction No. 1 of 2010 on 9 August. The practice direction relates to the robing of counsel in the Court. Both the practice direction and information on robing and court etiquette are available at the Federal Magistrates Court’s website – http://www.fmc.gov.au/services/html/court_etiquette.html
The following robing requirements for counsel apply in all jurisdictions from 6 September 2010:
- Barristers will robe in final hearings for all judgments, trials and contested hearings in which oral evidence is to be adduced. Barristers will robe wherever the Court is sitting (including all circuit locations).
- Barristers should not robe in duty matters or for interim or interlocutory applications (unless such applications form part of a trial or a contested hearing in which oral evidence is to be adduced).
- Barristers will robe for ceremonial sittings.
- Wigs, full-bottomed or otherwise, are not worn on any occasion.
TC Beirne School of Law – Current Legal Issues Seminar 2010
Current Legal Issues is a series of seminars which commenced last year. The series seeks to bring together leading scholars, practitioners and members of the Judiciary in Queensland and from abroad, with a view to:
⢠providing a forum for the critical analysis and discussion of current legal issues;
⢠bringing to bear upon those issues the different perspectives offered by leading members of the Academy, profession and Judiciary;
⢠forging stronger links between academic and practising lawyers in Queensland.
Each seminar will comprise a chair, speaker, and commentator. The chair will introduce the speaker and commentator. A paper will then be presented by a leading practising or academic lawyer, and will be subject to a brief, expert commentary. Subsequent debate and contributions from the floor will be facilitated by the chair. Seminar papers will be available in advance at www.law.uq.edu.au/current-legal-issues-series, a website hosted by the University of Queensland.
Admiralty and Maritime Law Seminar – 9 November 2010
The Federal Court of Australia’s Admiralty and Maritime Law Seminar will be held via videolink on 9 November 2010. The seminar will be chaired by the Honourable Justice D M Ryan and the Honourable Justice S D Rares. The topics of this year’s seminar are ‘Is it time to consider reform of the Admiralty Act 1988?’, to be presented by Alexander Street SC and Edward Cox, and ‘Demystifying the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 in Admiralty Law’ the presenters of which are Gregory Nell SC, Andrew Boxall, Frazer Hunt and Dr James O’Donovan.
For more information please contact Tony Tesoriero on (02) 9230 8250 or Rainer Gilich on (08) 9268 7122 or email nswevents@fedcourt.gov.au
Call for presenters – the 2011 Queensland Law Society professional development calendar
The Queensland Law Society’s professional development team, in collaboration with the Law Society’s Sections and Committees, are now planning a range of conferences, seminars and interactive workshops for 2011, including our flagship program for March, the 49th Annual Symposium.
Expressions of interest are sought to present on substantive topics (across a range of practice areas and levels of experience) and additionally, the suite of core subjects for solicitors, including practical legal ethics, professional skills and practice management/business skills.
To express your interest in presenting, please email a current CV, a 100-word description of your nominated topic, plus preferred presentation format to the Manager of Professional Development, Holly Bretherton, (h.bretherton@qls.com.au), or alternatively, give Holly a call to discuss on (07) 3842 5905.
The Australian Bar Association Conference – Berlin – 3 to 6 July 2011
Expressions of interest are now being taken for the Australia Bar Association Conference to be held in Berlin between 3 July and 6 July 2011.
The Conference will commence in Berlin on the evening of Sunday, 3 July 2011 and conclude with a Gala Dinner on Wednesday, 6 July 2011. The Business sessions will be held at the Adlon Hotel.
The names of those interested will be placed on a Priority List to receive a registration brochure prior to any general mailout. Please send your full contact details to Dan O’Connor at the email address below or by facsimile.
Questions about registration?
Contact Dan O’Connor, ABA Conference Secretariat, Tel: (07) 3238 5100, Fax: (07) 3236 1180, Email mail@austbar.asn.au
Questions about travel?
Contact Ruth Carlton, World Travel Professionals, Tel: (07) 3220 2008, Fax: (07) 3220 2288, Email ruth.carlton@worldtravel.com.au
5th ABA Residential Advanced Trial Advocacy Course – 17 to 21 January 2011
Registration for the fifth ABA Residential Advanced Trial Advocacy Course to be held in Melbourne from 17 to 21 January 2011 is now open. Places in the course are limited to people with seniority of at least two years at the private Bar. The coaching faculty will comprise top senior Australian and international barristers, judges and performance coaches.
The course provides an opportunity for members to develop their advocacy skills by preparing a case and experimenting with a number of styles of performance to see which is the most effective for that advocate on that occasion.
For more information please contact Chris D’Aeth, ph. (02) 9229 1712 or email cdaeth@nswbar.asn.au.
17th Commonwealth Law Conference, Hyderabad, India – 5-9 February 2011
The 17th Commonwealth Law Conference ‘Emerging Economies & the Rule of Law – Opportunities and Challenges’ will take place at Hyderabad, India, from 5 to 9 February 2011.
The Commonwealth Law Conference (CLC) is a prestigious event that brings together legal practitioners from all over the Commonwealth to debate current issues affecting practice and the profession, exchange views and experiences with colleagues and get up to date with the latest commercial products and services.
Programme streams will focus on:
⢠Human Rights & The Rule of Law
⢠Corporate & Commercial Law
⢠Legal & Judicial Profession
⢠Contemporary Legal Topics
For more information, visit www.commonwealthlaw2011.org
