Miscellany

News, views, Practice Directions, events, forthcoming national and international conferences, CPD seminars and more …

Bar Conference 2014

The Annual Bar conference will be held from 7 to 9 March 2014 at the Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast. The theme of the conference is “Tomorrow’s Bar Today” and will feature many prominent speakers, including the Hon Justice Gageler of the High Court, Lord Justice Moses of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC, Chief Justice of Queensland, Professor John Carter Dr Stefan Hajkowicz from CSIRO Futures, Dr Hayley Bennett, Dr Craig Hassed and other prominent members of the judiciary, the bar and other practitioners.

The conference will be preceded by a pleadings workshop on the Friday. As usual, the program promises to be of very high quality and an excellent chance for members of the Bar and Bench to gather and share ideas and experiences.

Bar Practice Course

The Bar Association now manages and delivers the Bar Practice Course from the Association’s office.

Throughout the six week Bar Practice Course, held twice a year, the course will be conducted in the Gibbs Room and the newly renovated Mediation Rooms on Level 5 Inns of Court.

The Director, Bar Practice Course, Margaret Voight has as part of the arrangement, joined the staff of the Association.

World Indigenous Law Conference 2014

The Indigenous Lawyers Association of Qld will be hosting the World Indigenous Legal Conference in Brisbane between 24 & 27 June 2014.

The actual program will extend over five days, with select international delegates to attend a trip to a community.

The official opening will be held at the Supreme Court on 24 June 2014. The conference sessions will commence on 25 June ending at lunchtime on 27 June 2014.

The conference will also include a black tie/ traditional dress dinner to be held on 26 June 2014.

Papers have been called for. For more information, contact Joshua Creamer, Barrister-at-Law, who is the President of ILAQ, at jcreamer@qldbar.asn.au

Appointment of President of the Industrial Court

On 1 December 2013, the Honourable Justice Glenn Martin AM took up appointment as President of the Industrial Court of Queensland.

Justice Martin has been a justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland since 31 August 2007. His Honour is well known to members of the Association, having been appointed silk in 1998, having served as President of the Association 2003-2005, President of the Australian Bar Association 2006-2007 and having a very substantial involvement with many aspects of the Association’s activities over many years.

A welcome ceremony for his Honour will be held on Wednesday, 18 December 2013 at 3.30pm in the Main Hearing Room, Level 13 Central Plaza II, 66 Eagle Street, Brisbane.

Valedictory for Fryberg J

A valedictory ceremony was held on 28 November 2013 to mark the retirement of Fryberg J.

His Honour served as a Justice of the Supreme Court since 23 September 1994. His Honour was called to the Bar in 1967 and served as Associate to Sir Victor Windeyer of the High Court. He took silk in 1983.

For a copy of the Chief Justice’s speech from Justice Fryberg’s valedictory — click here.

Appointment of Thomas J

On 17 September 2013, Justice David Thomas was sworn is as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice Thomas takes on the role of President of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal for the next three years, replacing Justice Alan Wilson who has completed a five year term as QCAT’s President.

New Bar Council

At the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 27 November 2013 the following members were elected:

New Silks

On 15 November 2013, the following barristers were appointed Queen’s Counsel:

Helen Patricia Bowskill
Thomas Joseph Bradley
Catherine Elena Carew
Peter Alan Hastie
David Robert Kent
Mark David Martin
Timothy Matthews
Damien Peter O’Brien
Adam  Michael Pomerenke
Mark Louis Robertson
Soraya  Mary Ryan
Rebecca Mary Treston
Manuel  Michael Varitimos

Life Members

At the Annual General Meeting of the Association on 27 November 2013, the Hon Justice Patrick Anthony Keane and His Honour Judge Kiernan Damian Dorney QC were each appointed a Life Member of the Association.

Both are well known to members.

Justice Keane graduated from the University of Queensland in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts and in 1975 with a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours. He was awarded the University Medal in Law and the Walter Harrison Prize, Virgil Power Prize and John Hughes Wilkinson Prize.

His Honour then attended Oxford University and graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Civil Laws with first class honours, and was awarded the Vinerian Scholarship and J H C Morris Prize.

Following his return from Oxford, Keane J was called to the Queensland Bar on 15 December 1977, with a successful private practice principally in commercial and constitutional law.  He was also a part-time law lecturer at the University of Queensland from 1978 to 1979.

His Honour was appointed Queen’s Counsel on 10 November 1988 after only 11 years at the Bar, and from 1992 until 2005 he held office as Queensland’s Solicitor-General.

During his time at the Bar, Keane J was involved with the work of numerous committees. He was a member of the Supreme Court Library Committee from 1989 to 2005, and Deputy Chairman of the Queensland Law Reform Commission from 1990 to 1992. He was Chairman of the Supreme Court Library Collection Sub-committee from 2006 until 2010. He has assisted the Association’s continuing professional development programme on numerous occasions with presentations and speeches, as well as membership of the Association’s CPD Sub-committee.

In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Commonwealth Government for his distinguished service to the Queensland Bar.

On 21 February 2005, Keane J was sworn in as a Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland.

During his time at the Supreme Court of Queensland, his Honour was a member of the Australian Institute of Judicial Administration from 2006. He chaired the Projects and Research Committee from 2008 until 2010, and was then President of the AIJA from 2010 until September 2011.

Justice Keane was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia on 22 March 2010, and then as a Justice of the High Court of Australia on 5 March 2013.

In 2011, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by University of Queensland.

Judge Dorney QC graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Arts in 1967 and from the Australian National University with  Bachelor of Laws in 1972.

His Honour was called to the Bar in 1974 and took silk in 1990.

He served as Honorary Secretary of the Association in 1984 and 1985 and as a member of Council from 1989 to 1993. He was Chair for 16 years, from 1993 to 2010 of the Board of Barristers Services Pty Ltd. As Chair of Barristers Services, he made a significant contribution to working with the Council to restructure the Association to make it more efficient and focused on delivering member services and launching Dispute Resolution Services which launched the Bar’s standing as a pre-eminent provider of alternative dispute resolution services.

His Honour also served as a Sessional member of the Commercial & Consumer Tribunal (Q) (2007—2009) and as a Practitioner Member of the Legal Practice Tribunal (Q) (now QCAT) (2004—2010). He was a Member of the Supreme Court Library Committee (1990—2010).