Profile: 19 Inns East

As a group, 19 Inns East has existed, more or less unchanged, for the past 10 years. At the time of writing, its members comprised Sandy Horneman-Wren S.C., Colin Forrest S.C., James Linklater-Steele, Karen Carmody, Phil Looney and Greg Shoebridge. At the time of publishing, however, Forrest S.C. will have taken up his appointment as a judge of the Family Court of Australia, thus changing the makeup of the group (not to mention depriving it of its long serving secretary, Ly Bui, who he has ‘poached’ as his new associate).

Shoebridge joined the group in 2009 after another appointment from the group when John Hutton was appointed to the State Magistracy. The appointments of these members of chambers are the most recent in a series, over the years, of current or former members of the group. Those who have been appointed include Bernie Warnick, Peter Hilton, Colleen Moore, Richard Jones and Michael Hogan.

For 5 years the chambers have also been the home of both the Public Interest Monitor (Forrest S.C.) and the Deputy Public Interest Monitor (Carmody). Carmody is also a member of the practitioner panel of QCAT and a director of Barristers Services Pty Ltd (the commercial arm of the Queensland Bar).

For a period, the group was named “Jessie Street Chambers” in honour of the Australian suffragette and human rights advocate. The change of name some years ago was not intended to reflect any diminishing respect for the work of Jessie Street, but for the more pragmatic reason of having the mail delivered with accuracy.

The areas of practice most engaged in by current members of the group include family law, insolvency, taxation and employment/industrial law. This provides a useful bundle of skills and expertise amongst members of the group which may be drawn upon by other members for domestic, if not professional, purposes.

Outside of the law, members of 19 Inns East are involved in a variety of sporting, cultural and civic pursuits. However, Linklater-Steele’s breeding of freshwater crayfish, the management of worm farms, beekeeping and the practice of the ancient art of bonsai, make Forrest’s marathon running and extreme bush walking, Carmody’s skiing, Looney’s Latin dancing and Shoebridge’s (surprising) practice of martial arts seem positively mainstream. Horneman-Wren does nothing of interest.

Sandy Horneman-Wren S.C.

Qualifications: BBus(CQU); LLB (QUT)

First Call to Bar: 27/04/1993

Appointed Silk: 23/11/2009

Major Areas of Practice:

• Administrative
• Appellate
• Civil & Human Rights/ Discrimination
• Industrial/ Employment
• Inquests/ Commissions of Enquiry/ Statutory Tribunals
• Workers Compensation

James Linklater-Steele

First Call to Bar: 27/04/1993

Major Areas of Practice:

• Appellate
• Family Law

Karen Carmody

Qualifications: LLB (Bond); MBA (QUT); LLM (Qld); Grad Dip CSP

First Call to Bar: 18/04/1994

Major Areas of Practice:

• Banking
• Civil & Human Rights/ Discrimination
• Commercial
• Family Law
• Industrial/ Employment
• Transportation Law (Aviation/Maritime)

Philip Looney

Qualifications: BCom(Qld); BAB; CA 

First Call to Bar: 22/04/1996

Major Areas of Practice:

• Commercial
• Contract
• Family Law
• Insolvency
• Taxation

Gregory Shoebridge

Qualifications: LLB; LLM; BBus

First Call to Bar: 23/12/2008

Major Areas of Practice:

• Alternative Dispute Resolution (Arbitration/Mediation/Evaluation)
• Equity
• Family Law
• Wills/ Probate and Family Provision

Colin Forrest S.C. 

Until recently the chambers group included Colin Forrest S.C. who was sworn in as a Judge of the Family Court on 2 February 2011.

Qualifications: BA LLB

First Call to Bar: 29/01/1990

Appointed Silk: 22/11/2010