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...]
Stay up-to-date with the latest industry news in our Backstage Pass section made exclusively for law students and legal professionals. Everything from emerging legal leaders, new startups, and developments in innovation and disruption, to insider commentary, career advice and the lighter side of practising law. Have a story you'd like to see featured? Get in touch with our team of word merchants here: hello@bucketorange.com.au
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...]
Junior Lawyers: 5 Traits That Will Guarantee Your Career Success
You've landed that elusive role at a large commercial law firm. Few are fortunate enough to get the chance to commence their careers like this. You probably hustled your way through law school, with many sleepless nights and coffee-fuelled study sessions, dreaming of the day when you'd finally get that coveted piece of paper. And you got there. Congrats! Unfortunately, though, … [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...]
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...]
10 MORE Reasons Why A Law Degree Is A Life Skill, Not Just A Career
here are few degrees that equip you for life like a law degree. At its core, legal work focuses on untangling the inevitable complexities of life that often arise through everyday human interactions. But legal training doesn't commit you to a narrow career pathway - just because you study law does not mean that you are fated to be a lawyer. It's a degree that opens up … [Read more...]
Behind The Scenes: NSW Golden Gavel Clash 2017
ou might think that the concept of lawyers being funny is a bit of an oxymoron.But this year's NSW Young Lawyers Golden Gavel competition, referred to by the Hon. Justice Margaret Beazley AO, as the "Eurovision of the legal profession" absolutely de-liv-ered.The Golden Gavels is a highly anticipated industry event hosted annually by law societies around the country. … [Read more...]
Red Hot Job Alert + Change Of Leadership At Victoria Law Foundation
After a 9 year tenure, Joh Kirby, Executive Director of Victoria Law Foundation, has announced she will move on from the foundation at the end of this financial year.Joh has led Victoria Law Foundation since 2008, having originally started with the foundation as Grants Manager in 2006. She has driven the foundation's commitment to improving legal communication and … [Read more...]
Actually, It’s International Be Kind To Lawyers Day!
"Say no more [mon amour], lips are for kissing, baby, je t'adore ... UMWAH!"Three days ago, April 8, marked a day that will live on in the hearts and minds of Empire Records fanatics the world over.A day in 1995 where kids rocked out to AC/DC at work:When everybody said the first thing that came into their head:A time when it was still okay to tell … [Read more...]
$6 million ‘Rescue Package’ Announced For Community Legal Centres In NSW
Yesterday, NSW Government and Attorney General Mark Speakman SC announced a $6 million ‘rescue package’ for Community Legal Centres in NSW.Society President Pauline Wright says the $6 million commitment will help ‘fill a gap’ caused by a Federal Government proposal to cut funding to community legal centres by up to 30 per cent. Without the decisive action of the NSW … [Read more...]
Future Of Law: New Report From NSW Law Society Leading The Charge For Change
On Tuesday night, the Law Society of New South Wales officially launched what is being described as Australia's most comprehensive report to help lawyers better understand and tackle future challenges and opportunities facing the profession.The Future Committee was established by the Law Society of NSW 2016 and its Future of Innovation in the Profession (FLIP) report is the … [Read more...]
Think Like A Law Student: The Leslie Knope Guide To Overcoming Extreme Procrastination
Happy International Women's Day!hen it comes to procrastination we have all been there, dreaming up every reason to avoid sitting down and making a start on that terrifying 2000 word assessment. Rather than bite the bullet and just do it, instead we misplace our energy and end up cleaning the whole house.Of all undergraduate degrees, law students must cope with … [Read more...]
New Online Tool Streamlines Access To Legal Help For Victorians
Code for Australia and Victoria Legal Aid launch new online checker.Code for Australia (CfA) and Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) have just released a new online tool designed to make it easier for community members to gain access to legal assistance.The new technology was developed through the Code for Victoria Innovation Challenge with the ultimate goal of … [Read more...]
9 Reasons Why A Law Degree Is A Life Skill, Not Just A Career
I have lost count of the number of lawyer jokes I have heard, as well as the number of times that I have been labelled a “failed lawyer” or a “reformed lawyer”. What does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?Taller.But in spite of the inevitable jibes and jokes, many of us choose to pursue legal careers because of a desire to do good and to help solve the life … [Read more...]
Australian Legal Writer’s Challenge Now Open!
Have you always longed for a platform to show off your writing talents and earn some cash?Now is your time to shine.Go To Court Lawyers have just thrown open the doors on the first Australian Legal Writer's Challenge.Budding writers who hold an Australian law degree, or are in their final year of an Australian law degree, are invited to enter the competition by … [Read more...]
Legal Competition! Get Yourself Into The Online Australian Legal Dictionary
Using complex and antiquated language is a time-honoured tradition among the legal profession:"a fortiori", "forthwith", "thenceforth", "whereupon", "ab initio", "dictum"Most historical legal jargon is so dry and complex that it has required defining in thick legal dictionaries, just so that lawyers can understand what they are saying in court.But hold on to your … [Read more...]
#BucketOpinion: A Week In The Life Of A Free Lawyer
ust over a year ago I made the decision to make a dramatic shift in my career and become a ‘free’ lawyer.Now don’t get too ahead of yourselves, this doesn't mean I started working for free!Instead I joined a law firm that is part of the ‘NewLaw’ wave. It is a dispersed law firm, with a completely different approach to the traditional. I am a bit of an enigma now, as I … [Read more...]
Who Are The Real Winners In The Legal Industry’s Tech Disruption?
Change is a lot like a Rubik's Cube.Challenging, frustrating and hard to predict.Like that sly red puzzle piece that shifts the background of your professional game, change bides its time - only making its big move when your attention becomes too focused on solving one side to the puzzle. After all the progress you have made, this can send you reeling back to square … [Read more...]