Program

As at 1 July 2008. Subject to change.

Day 1: Friday 14 November

Opening Session

0830—0915

Welcome to Country

Welcome Address

  • Mr Ross Ray QC — President of the Law Council of Australia

Opening Words

  • The Hon John Hatzistergos MP — NSW Attorney General and Minister for Justice

Opening Plenary

0915—1030

Forming the Agenda — Panel Discussion

Mr Mark Woods (chair)

What should the Commonwealth and State Government’s agendas be for improving access to justice for the next two years and where are the opportunities to work better together?

  • Mr Norman Reaburn — Chairperson, National Legal Aid; and Director, Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania
  • Ms Liz O’Brien — National Convenor, National Association of Community Legal Centres
  • Mr Peter Stapleton — Chair, National Pro Bono Resource Centre
  • Mr Ross Ray QC — President of the Law Council of Australia
  • Mr Frank Guivarra — CEO, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service

1030—1045

Morning Tea

Session 1

1045—1200

 

Stream 1 — Criminal Justice

Mr Tony Whitelum (chair)

Addressing systemic disadvantage and barriers to justice in all areas of the law for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders — why the system isn’t working, and how to fix it.

  • Mr Glenn Dooley — Principal Solicitor, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
  • Ms Jenny Hardy — Director, Legal Aid Queensland
  • Mr John McKenzie — Chief Legal Officer, Aboriginal Legal Service, NSW/ACT

Stream 2 — Current Issues

Mr Phil Lynch (chair)

What is best practice in providing legal services to the homeless?

  • Mr Bill Manallack — Coordinator, Homeless Person’s Legal Service, South Australia
  • Ms Caroline Adler — Manager, Homeless Persons Legal Clinic, Victoria
  • Ms Jane Sanders — Principal Solicitor, Shopfront Youth Legal Centre, Darlinghurst, NSW

Stream 3 — Civil & Family Law

Mr Dennis Farrar (chair)

Grass roots federal justice — A review of the extent and effectiveness of the jurisdiction of the Federal Magistrates Court (both as to subject and geography) and how that court provides access to justice.

  • Federal Magistrate Michael Baumann — Federal Magistrates Court
  • Mr Des Semple — Head of the Review into the Federal Magistrates Court function and staff

Stream 4 — Working Together

Ms Michelle Hannon (chair)

Pro Bono: Working smarter together — new ideas for more effective access to justice.

  • Mr John Corker — Director, National Pro Bono Resource Centre
  • Ms Annie Nash — Coordinator, Community Law Partnership Scheme, Federation of Community Legal Centres, Victoria
  • Ms Anne Cregan — Pro Bono Partner, Blake Dawson

Session 2

1200—1315

 

Stream 1 — Criminal Justice

Mr David Neal (chair)

Filling the black hole from the empty cupboard — When legal aid funding just won't do the job. 

  • Ms Dru Stevenson — Associate Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law, Houston Texas
  • Mr Mark Vassarotti — Price Waterhouse Coopers
  • Mr Alan Kirkland — Director, Legal Aid NSW
  • Mr Tony Parsons — Former Director, Legal Aid Victoria

Stream 2 — Current Issues

Ms Kristen Hilton (chair)

Who’s to blame for credit stress, and how can we help consumers?

  • Ms Carolyn Bond — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Action Law Centre, Victoria
  • Mr Chris Connolly — Director, Galexia

Stream 3 — Civil & Family Law

Mr Richard Funston (chair)

Family Violence — seeking real integration between the courts, the police and the legal community

  • Ms Louise Blazejowska — Manager Community Partnerships, Legal Aid NSW
  • Magistrate Anne Goldsbrough — Founder of specialist family violence and family law courts, Melbourne Magistrates Court

Stream 4 — Working Together

Ms Caitlin Perry (chair)

Striving for holistic service delivery in the social welfare sector.  How do we improve lawyers working with others?

  • Professor Peter Saunders — Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW
  • Mr Mark MacDiarmid — Principal Solicitor, Elizabeth Evatt CLC, Blue Mountains
  • Senator the Hon Ursula Stephens — Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector

Lunch

1315—1415

“Pro Bono Matters”

A short video from UK National Pro Bono Week.

Plenary 2

1415—1530

Legal Needs Research

Justice Wayne Martin (chair)

National Legal Aid has commissioned our most extensive legal needs survey, and have devised a brand new policy for a new Commonwealth Government — what will these developments mean for clients?

  • Mr Geoff Mulherin — Director, NSW Law and Justice Foundation
  • Mr Hamish Gilmore — Immediate past Chairperson, National Legal Aid; and Director, Legal Services Commission, South Australia

1530—1545

Afternoon Tea

Session 3

1545—1700

 

Stream 1 — Criminal Justice

Mr Ben Salmon & Mr John North (co-chairs)

Round pegs into square holes — court approaches to people with atypical backgrounds and special needs.         

  • The Hon Jelena Popovic — Deputy Chief Magistrate, Melbourne Magistrates Court
  • Judge Stephen Norrish QC — District Court Judge, NSW

Stream 2 — Current Issues

Ms Kristen Hilton (chair)

How has access to justice been affected in jurisdictions where Charters of Rights exist?

  • Mr Ron Merkel — Barrister, Victorian Bar
  • Ms Renee Leon — Chief Executive, ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety
  • Mr Philip Lynch — Director, Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Victoria

Stream 3 — Civil & Family Law

Mr Rick Cullen (chair)

Rolls Royce Justice and how we fund civil litigation on a penny farthing budget?

  • Dr Peter Cashman — Associate Professor, Sydney Law School; Past Victorian Law Reform Commissioner; and author of Class Actions by Federation Press
  • Mr John Walker — Managing Director, IMF Australia Ltd

Stream 4 — Working Together

Mr Gary Long SC (chair)

Self represented litigants and court based pro bono schemes, their place in adversarial justice, and how effective are they?

  • Mr Phillip Kellow — Deputy Registrar, Federal Court, Sydney
  • Mr Tony Woodyatt — Director, Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House
  • Mr Shane Draper — "Self-Represented Litigants" Coordinator, Supreme Court of Victoria
  • Mr Jeff Giddings — Convenor, Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution, Griffith Law School

1900—2300

Conference Dinner
Day 2: Saturday 15 November

Plenary 3

0900—1030

The world of justice — policy perception and practice

How the stakeholders in the justice system work to achieve access here and abroad, are we failing where others have succeeded, or can we show the global village a thing or two?

  • Mr Robin Knowles CBE QC — Chairman, Bar Pro Bono Unit of England & Wales; Trustee, LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group of England & Wales)
  • Senator the Hon George Brandis SC — Shadow Attorney-General
  • Incoming Chief Justice of the High Court (invited)
  • Mr Hugh Macken — President, Law Society of New South Wales (invited)

1030—1100

Morning Tea

Session 4

1100—1215

 

Stream 1 — Criminal Justice

Ms Deej Eszenyi (chair)

People with mental illness are missing out on legal services.  What can lawyers do about it?

  • Ms Sophie Delaney — Director, Mental Health Legal Centre, Melbourne
  • Ms Robin Banks — Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
  • Professor Terry Carney — Director of Research, Sydney Law School

Stream 2 — Current Issues

Mr Michael Adams (chair)

Working with Law Schools and students.

  • Ms Andrea Perry-Petersen — Training Coordinator, Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House
  • Professor Carolyn Sappideen — School of Law, University of Western Sydney
  • Shirley Southgate — Acting Director, Kingsford Legal Centre

Stream 3 — Civil & Family Law

Mr Chris Whitelaw (chair)

“It won’t hurt a bit...”  A report card on Family Relationship Centres. Can there be justice when power is imbalanced?

  • Ms Liz O’Brien — National Convenor, National Association of Community Legal Centres
  • Mr George Turnbull — Director, Legal Aid Western Australia
  • Ms Sue Pidgeon — Assistant Secretary, Family Pathways Branch, Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department

Stream 4 — Working Together

Ms Amy Kilpatrick (chair)

Working Together — a macro and micro view.

  • Ms Jane Cipants — Project Manager, New South Wales Legal Assistance Forum
  • Ms Jenny Lovric — Program Manager, Cooperative Legal Service Delivery Model, Legal Aid NSW
  • Ms Joanne Rennick — Partner at Murphy Schmidt; and Chair of Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House

Session 5

1215—1330

 

Stream 1 — Criminal Justice

Mr John North (chair)

Reversing the onus and raising the bar — being alert and alarmed when acting for those accused of terrorism offences.

  • Mr Stephen Keim SC — Barrister for Dr Mohammed Haneef

Stream 2 — Current Issues

Mr Richard Funston (chair)

Older Persons Legal and Education Programs

  • Ms Lauren Finestone — Legal Aid NSW
  • Ms Kristen Hilton — CEO, Public Interest Law Clearing House, Victoria
  • Ms Ros Williams — Solicitor, Caxton Legal Service, QLD

Stream 3 — Civil & Family Law

Ms Deej Eszenyi (chair)

Are we protecting our children from harm and what have we learned?

  • Ms Judith Walker — Director Family Law, Legal Aid NSW
  • Ms Marcia Ella Duncan — Former Chair, Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce, NSW
  • Ms Priscilla Collins — CEO, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency

Stream 4 — Working Together

Ms Jo Shulman & Ms Judi Teasdale (co-chairs)

Improving access to justice in Regional Rural and Remote Australia — What progress have we made in fulfilling the recommendations of the 2004 Senate Inquiry into Legal Aid and Access to Justice?

  • Speaker not confirmed

1330—1415

Lunch

Plenary 4

1415—1500

Generations — Panel Discussion

Mr Mark Woods (chair)

Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y and access to justice.  (This session will be a structured panel discussion on what we have achieved and how to handover to the Gen X and Y generations.)

Gen Y: 

  • Law students

Gen X:

  • Mr Nicolas Patrick — National Pro Bono Director, DLA Phillips Fox

  • Ms Tabitha Lovett — Grants Manager, Victoria Law Foundation

Boomers:

  • Ms Anna Katzmann SC — President, New South Wales Bar Association

Closing Plenary

1500—1545

A new federalism

Ditching the divide between federal and state to bridge the gaps in access to justice.  What can we expect?

  • The Hon Robert McClelland — Attorney-General of Australia

1545

End of Conference

Presented by the Law Council of Australia in collaboration with the National Pro Bono Resource Centre