he President of the New South Wales Bar Association Arthur Moses SC, the President of The Law Society of NSW Pauline Wright and the President of the Australian Medical Association (NSW) Professor Brad Frankum have come together to express their support for same-sex marriage legislation at the federal level.Our organisations support the introduction of marriage … [Read more...]
‘I made a 180 degree turn’: Change Direction With A Postgraduate Law Degree
ichael Fortson knew he would study law sometime after he finished high school in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He just didn’t think he would wait until he was in his forties, married with two children and living 15,000 kilometres from home before he began.His four-year-plan to pay for college by joining the US military turned into a 23-year career with postings … [Read more...]
FineFixer: A New Service Helping Victorians Manage Fines
nowing how to effectively challenge a fine presents a stumbling block for most of us.In an Australian-first for the legal assistance sector, Moonee Valley Legal Service recently launched FineFixer – a new website that provides personalised legal information to help Victorians understand their legal rights and how to tackle fines.More than 5 million fines are issued each … [Read more...]
Royal Commission Child Sexual Abuse: Proposed Sweeping Changes To Criminal Justice System
he Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released 85 recommendations aimed at reforming the Australian criminal justice system. The proposed sweeping changes are aimed at providing a fairer response to victims of institutional child sexual abuse.The Criminal Justice report released today recommends a number of important and necessary … [Read more...]
Same-Sex Postal Plebiscite: Where The Circus Is Headed From Here
uestion: When does a postal vote on same-sex marriage become a substitute for a legislated plebiscite?Answer: When the federal government fails for the second time to get its Bill for same-sex marriage passed through the Senate.If you’ve been paying attention to the same-sex marriage issue, you will know the Senate rejected yesterday, Wednesday, 9 August 2017, the … [Read more...]
Tell Your Story As Part Of The National Review Into Access To Justice
Countless people do not have access to justice in NSW. Now you have the chance to share your experiences with the justice system as part of The Law Council of Australia’s Justice Project.The Justice Project is a comprehensive national review into the state of access to justice in Australia, supported by The Law Society of NSW, that focuses on the challenges faced by the … [Read more...]
Victoria Law Foundation’s General Grants Close In 5 Weeks
Thinking about applying for a Victoria Law Foundation grant? Have you started to get your application together? The Foundation's 2017/18 General Grants round closes on Monday 28 August.This year with an increased grant budget, the Foundation is looking to fund projects that will make a greater impact and reach more Victorians.The Foundation will consider diverse legal … [Read more...]
New Report Reveals Women Outnumber Men In Legal Profession
The 2016 National Profile of the Profession has revealed that of the total 71,509 practising solicitors in Australia, 35,799 (or 50.1 per cent) are female while 35,710 (or 49.9 per cent) are male.The 2016 National Profile of the Profession is the only report of its kind and captures a demographic profile of practising solicitors around Australia. Data is compared to the … [Read more...]
Half Year Review 2017: Things We Learned (And Some We Wish We Hadn’t)
id anyone else flip to July on their calendars this week and experience a moment of profound discomfort? We've blown straight through to July without blinking! The halfway marker is now looming large and terrifying.A brief mental playback and it seems like January - June screamed by like episodes in a podcast programmed to double speed. Wait ... whaaaaaaaat have we … [Read more...]
Coding For Justice: New Initiative Supports Victorian Women In Tech
ode for Victoria II – Women in Tech matches talented female coders and designers with Victorian Government departments, to apply skills to specific public sector digital challenges.The new program follows on from the success of Code for Victoria's Innovation Challenge - a collaboration between Code for Australia and the Victorian Government’s Public Sector Innovation Fund - … [Read more...]
#LegalNews: Court Orders Are Going Digital From 1 July 2017
s part of the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia’s commitment to the Government’s digital continuity policy, the courts are changing the way court orders are accessed.From tomorrow, 1 July 2017, the courts will no longer post hard copies of sealed orders by mail to legal representatives.All court orders will be signed and sealed … [Read more...]
Netflix Hikes Australian Prices Up To 20% Ahead Of 1 July Digital Tax
etflix has confirmed that Australians will pay up to 20% more for the digital streaming service to align with the introduction of the GST to digital products and services purchased in Australia from international companies.Netflix has increased its prices ahead of the legislative changes which will come into effect on 1 July 2017. The company is using the opportunity … [Read more...]
New ‘Netflix Tax’ To Hit Australian Subscribers This Week
rom 1 July 2017 (this Saturday), Australian Netflix subscribers may pay an additional 10%, or 'Netflix tax,' for the streaming service.Under the Tax and Superannuation Laws Amendment (2016 Measures No. 1) Bill 2016 (the bill), the goods and services tax (GST) will be applied to digital products and services purchased in Australia from international companies.According … [Read more...]
New Executive Director Appointed To Victoria Law Foundation
Lynne Haultain has been appointed as the new Executive Director of Victoria Law Foundation, taking over from Joh Kirby.Ms Haultain has a background as a senior executive and is a passionate advocate for access to justice. She is Chair of the Board of Management at the Victorian Foundation for the Survivors of Torture and is a former Commissioner with the … [Read more...]
Do You Have A Project Idea That Will Help Victorians Understand The Law?
pplications for Victoria Law Foundation’s 2017/18 General Grants are now open. This year with an increased grant budget the foundation is looking to fund projects that will make a greater impact and reach more Victorians.The foundation will consider diverse legal projects including research, service delivery, development of legal resources or community legal education. … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: Gene Simmons Files To Trademark “Rock” Hand Signal
KISS frontman and lead singer, Gene Simmons, has reportedly filed an application with the US Trademark and Patent Office to trademark the infamous "devil horns" rock hand gesture.The application, along with a handy diagram, was filed last Friday, 9 June 2017.Simmons claims to be the first to use the gesture commercially on Nov. 14, 1974, during the KISS Hotter Than … [Read more...]
Change Direction: Study Law As Your Second Degree
ost people work for at least 40 years but rarely nowadays is a full career spent with one employer.More and more people aren’t simply changing jobs, they’re starting over in entirely new careers and, for many, that means a return to studies. However, not all returning students have the time or the flexibility to devote to an undergraduate degree and if they’ve been there, … [Read more...]
#LegalNews: Taiwan First Asian Country To Rule In Favour Of Same-Sex Marriage
A panel of 14 of Taiwan's top judges have ruled in favour of same-sex marriage.In a recent ruling, Taiwan's highest court decided that current laws preventing same-sex unions were unconstitutional and violated rights to equality.Contrary to many misleading reports circulating the internet, laws that legalise gay marriage in Taiwan have not come into force yet. The … [Read more...]
WATCH: Lawyers Remain Awkwardly Motionless As Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ Reverberates Around Court
ourt can be a sombre affair.But not today.Video of some of New Zealand's top legal minds getting on with business as Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' blares around an increasingly awkward courtroom has clocked over 94,000 views on Youtube this week alone.The magic moment was captured on film during initial proceedings in New Zealand's high court in Wellington.The 2002 … [Read more...]
#LegalNews: Bose Headphones Are Secretly Recording Users Listening Habits
ou can tell a lot about a person by their taste in music.It's why we always ask our monthly interviewees 'what they listen to'.Music preferences and listening habits reveal a lot more about you than just your favourite bands or artists. They are a window into your personality, ethnicity, religious views, politics, innermost thoughts and feelings - not to mention … [Read more...]
Agree? Get informed about legal change that impacts you with our newsletter. You'll automatically receive fresh content each time we publish.