With proposals to expand mandatory minimum sentencing for child sexual offences on the table, the Law Council of Australia has issued a stark warning, arguing that such measures risk undermining judicial independence and the ability of judges to exercise discretion.
Rather than introducing legislation to amend doli incapax, the NSW government should consider addressing the “degree of misunderstanding” within the criminal justice system, the State Parole Authority chair and a former police commissioner have submitted.
By making decisions at the wrong end of the justice system and turning its back on those who need the most support, the government has contributed to the overimprisonment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the president of the Human Rights Commission has said.
Threat actors have claimed a cyber attack on a Western Australia-based family law firm, allegedly leaking highly personal and damaging data belonging to clients, as well as business and staff data.
States and territories across Australia have been urged to follow in the footsteps of the Victorian government by introducing legislation to strengthen abuse victim-survivors’ access to compensation.
National law firm Gadens has strengthened its Queensland workplace practice with the appointment of former Slater & Gordon national head of industrial and employment law.
The ACT Bar Association has named a prominent family law barrister as its newest senior counsel.
This past week, two BigLaw firms took teams from rivals, Victoria named nearly two dozen new senior counsel, and multiple disciplinary orders were handed down. Here is your weekly round-up of the biggest stories for Australia’s legal profession.
An NSW solicitor has been charged over an alleged sexual relationship with an inmate and the unauthorised access of confidential information.
For breaching the duty of candour, a former Northern Territory lawyer had her admission revoked and her name struck from the roll.
