National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference 2008

Speakers

Major Speakers

Mr Ross Ray QC

President, Law Council of Australia

Law Council President Ross Ray QC’s career at the Victorian Bar spans some thirty years. Mr Ray was appointed Silk in 1996, and now specialises in occupational health and safety. In this capacity he has represented major construction companies, including the first company in Victoria to be charged with manslaughter. Mr Ray has also advised government in relation to legislation in this and other areas. Mr Ray was a Chairman of the Victorian Bar’s Legal Education and Training Committee and Readers Course Committee. He remains involved in teaching and promoting levels of advocacy, and is a Director of the Australian Advocacy Institute.

The Hon Robert McClelland MP

Attorney-General of Australia

Robert McClelland is the Commonwealth Attorney-General and the Member for Barton. Robert has a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of NSW and a Master of Law from the University of Sydney. Before entering Federal Parliament he was a partner in the Sydney law firm Turner Freeman where he specialised in labour and sporting law. He was first elected as the Federal Member for Barton in March 1996. He has served on several parliamentary committees, including as Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties and the Joint Select Committee on the Republic Referendum. In October 1998 Robert was appointed Shadow Attorney-General and later served in a range of shadow portfolios including Workplace Relations, Justice, Homeland Security, Defence and Foreign Affairs. Following the election of the Kevin Rudd Labor Government in November 2007, Robert was appointed Australia’s 33rd Attorney-General.

Senator the Hon George Brandis SC

Shadow Attorney-General

George Brandis first became a Senator for Queensland in 2000. He holds First Class Honours degrees in Law and Arts (majoring in Politics) from the University of Queensland. Prior to entering Parliament he worked as a Barrister, a university lecturer, and co-edited two books on liberalism. He was appointed to Senior Counsel in 2006.
Last year he was appointed Shadow Attorney-General by the opposition leader Dr Brendan Nelson.

Mr Robin Knowles CBE QC

Chairman, Bar Pro Bono Unit of England & Wales; Trustee, LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group of England & Wales)

Robin practises at the Commercial and Chancery Bars. His particular specialisations are in financial law, contract law, company law (including insolvency), the law of professional negligence, and insurance law. Robin sits part-time as a Deputy High Court Judge, and as a Recorder in the Crown Court. Robin also has a long-standing commitment to legal pro bono work. He was awarded the CBE for services to pro bono legal services in 2006. Among other pro bono roles, he is the Chairman of the Bar Pro Bono Unit, a trustee of LawWorks (the Solicitors Pro Bono Group), a member of the Advisory Council of Advocates for International Development, and a member of the Attorney General’s National Pro Bono Coordinating Committee.

The Hon John Hatzistergos MP

New South Wales Attorney General and Minister for Justice

Mr Hatzistergos was elected to the Upper House in 1999 and has held several portfolios, including Minister for Health, Minister Assisting the Minister for Commerce, Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Premier on Citizenship. Mr Hatzistergos has a Bachelor of Economics, a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws. He is a former Senior Legal Officer with the Commonwealth DPP and has been a member of the NSW Bar Association since 1989.

Mr Hamish Gilmore

Immediate past Chairperson, National Legal Aid; and Director, Legal Services Commission of SA

Hamish Gilmore joined the Public Sector 34 years ago. Throughout his career he has sought to dispel the view of the Public Service being slow, inefficient and ineffective when in many cases it is innovative and beneficial to the people it serves. As the current SA Director of Legal Aid, and in his role as Chair of National Legal Aid, Hamish has maintained an active role in promoting access to justice. The Rule of Law and equitable access to Justice are important foundation stones for our civilised society but the battle to fund these principles is a constant challenge for all service providers. Hamish believes that in the current environment of increased legislative powers for police and Governments’ commitment to stronger law and order policies it is just as important that access to justice is preserved and enhanced.

Mr Geoff Mulherin CSC

Director, NSW Law and Justice Foundation

Geoff Mulherin has been Director of the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales since November 2000. He is an Associate of the Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific at the University of Sydney. A former Army officer, his experience includes cease-fire dispute resolution in the Middle East for the United Nations and leadership of humanitarian relief operations in remote areas of Indonesia.

Mr Hugh Macken

President, Law Society of New South Wales

Hugh Macken is the current President of the Law Society of New South Wales. Having worked in private practice for over twenty years, Hugh is a partner at Sydney law firm, Beston Macken McManis and has extensive experience in industrial relations matters, dispute resolution and litigation. He is an Accredited Specialist in personal injury law and has a Master of Laws from the University of Technology, Sydney. Hugh has been involved with the Law Society for over seven years and was first appointed to its Executive in 2006 as Junior Vice President. During his time with the Society Hugh has chaired numerous committees and worked tirelessly with other members of the Society to promote justice and law reform, and tackle issues relevant to the legal profession so that practitioners are best able to service their clients.

Speakers

Ms Caroline Adler — Manager, Homeless Persons Legal Clinic (HPLC), Victoria
Ms Robin Banks — Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
Federal Magistrate Michael Baumann — Federal Magistrates Court
Ms Kylie Beckhouse — Senior Solicitor Family Litigation, Legal Aid New South Wales
Ms Louise Blazejowska — Manager, Community Partnerships, Legal Aid New South Wales
Ms Carolyn Bond — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Action Law Centre, Victoria
Professor Terry Carney — Professor of Law, Sydney Law School
Dr Peter Cashman — Associate Professor, Sydney Law School; Past Victorian Law Reform Commissioner
Ms Carmen Chung — Vice-President, UNSW Law Society
Mr Chris Connolly — Director, Galexia
Mr John Corker — Director, National Pro Bono Resource Centre
Ms Anne Cregan — Pro Bono Partner, Blake Dawson
Mr Hugh de Kretser — Executive Officer, Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres
Ms Sophie Delaney — Coordinator/Principal Solicitor, Mental Health Legal Centre, Melbourne
Mr Glenn Dooley — Principal Solicitor, North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
Mr Shane Draper — “Self-Represented Litigants” Coordinator, Supreme Court of Victoria
Ms Marcia Ella Duncan — Former Chair, Aboriginal Child Sexual Assault Taskforce, New South Wales
Ms Lauren Finestone — Legal Aid New South Wales
Mr Jeff Giddings — Convenor, Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution, Griffith Law School
Magistrate Anne Goldsbrough — Founder of specialist family violence and family law courts, Melbourne Magistrates Court
Mr Frank Guivarra — CEO, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service
Ms Jenny Hardy — CEO, Legal Aid Queensland
Mr Chris Holmes — Vice-President (Education), Australian Law Students Association
Mr Julian Johnson — North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency
Ms Anna Katzmann SC — President, New South Wales Bar Association
Mr Stephen Keim SC — Barrister
Mr Phillip Kellow — Deputy Registrar, Federal Court, Sydney
Mr Ian Kennedy AM — Chair, Family Law Section, Law Council of Australia; and Senior Partner, Kennedy Wisewoulds
Mr Alan Kirkland — CEO, Legal Aid New South Wales
Ms Renée Leon — Chief Executive, ACT Department of Justice & Community Safety
Ms Janet Loughman — Principal Solicitor, Women’s Legal Service New South Wales
Ms Tabitha Lovett — Grants Manager, Victoria Law Foundation
Ms Jenny Lovric — Program Manager, Cooperative Legal Service Delivery Model, Legal Aid New South Wales
Mr Philip Lynch — Director, Human Rights Law Resource Centre, Victoria
Mr Mark MacDiarmid — Principal Solicitor, Elizabeth Evatt Community Legal Centre, Blue Mountains
Mr Bill Manallack — Coordinator, Homeless Person’s Legal Service, South Australia
Mr John McKenzie — Chief Legal Officer, Aboriginal Legal Service, NSW/ACT
Mr Ron Merkel — Barrister, Victorian Bar
Mr Pat Mullins — Partner, Mullins Lawyers, Brisbane
Judge Stephen Norrish QC — District Court Judge, New South Wales
Ms Liz O’Brien — National Convenor, National Association of Community Legal Centres
Mr Nicolas Patrick — National Pro Bono Director, DLA Phillips Fox
Ms Andrea Perry-Petersen — Training Coordinator, Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House
Ms Sue Pidgeon — Assistant Secretary, Family Pathways Branch, Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department
The Hon Jelena Popovic — Deputy Chief Magistrate, Melbourne Magistrates Court
Mr Norman Reaburn — Chairperson, National Legal Aid; and Director, Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania
Ms Joanne Rennick — Partner at Murphy Schmidt; President, Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House (QPILCH)
Ms Susannah Sage-Jacobson — Pro Bono Manager, Seniors Rights Victoria, Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH), Victoria
Ms Jane Sanders — Principal Solicitor, Shopfront Youth Legal Centre, Darlinghurst
Professor Carolyn Sappideen — School of Law, University of Western Sydney (UWS)
Professor Peter Saunders — Director, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Ms Caroline Seagrove — Project Manager, New South Wales Legal Assistance Forum
Dr Albin Smrdel — Assistant Secretary, Legal Assistance Branch, Attorney-General’s Department
Ms Shirley Southgate — Acting Director, Kingsford Legal Centre
Mr Peter Stapleton — Chair, National Pro Bono Resource Centre
Senator the Hon Ursula Stephens — Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion & the Voluntary Sector
Mr Dru Stevenson — Associate Professor of Law, South Texas College of Law, Houston Texas
Ms Jane Stewart — Project Manager, WA Country Lawyers Project, Legal Aid Western Australia
Mr Jeremy Thorpe — Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Mr George Turnbull — Director, Legal Aid Western Australia
Mr John Walker — Managing Director, IMF Australia Ltd
Mr Bevan Warner — Managing Director, Victorian Legal Aid
Ms Ros Williams — Solicitor, Caxton Legal Centre
Ms Helen Wodak — North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA)
Mr Mark Woods — Tyler Tipping & Woods
Mr Tony Woodyatt — Director, Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House (QPILCH)
Ms Dina Yehia — New South Wales Public Defender