Following our AGM on 30th November 2011, I am delighted to be
re-elected President. I would like to thank the outgoing Vice
President, Kate Blue and outgoing committee members, Lee-May Saw and
Jade Tyrrell. Please click here to view my President’s Report from the AGM. The newly elected committee will be meeting shortly and planning is underway for the New Year, and I look forward to bringing you further updates.
Our Christmas Party following the AGM was a terrific event and we were
thrilled that as well as our Patron The Hon Justice Jane Mathews AO of
the Supreme Court of NSW; The Hon Justice Margaret Beazley AO of the
Supreme Court of NSW; The Hon James Wood AO QC Chair NSW Law Reform
Commission, Judge Kevin O’Connor President of the Administrative
Decisions Tribunal; Prof Ros Croucher President of the Law Reform
Commission; Bernard Coles QC President of the Bar Association; Julia
Baird SC Chair of the Women Barrister’s Forum; Heidi Fairhall President
of NSW Young Lawyers; Alexandra Rose, Coralie Kenny and past President
Mary Macken of the Law Society of NSW; Marion Pascoe our host at
UUSC; Louisa Fitz-Gerald from the Cancer Council and Justin Whealing
Editor of Lawyers Weekly, were all there to celebrate the end of
another fabulous year with our members and guests.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Law Society of
NSW for their ongoing support and sponsorship, and TressCox Lawyers for
their ongoing support as host for our committee meetings.
One of our aims for 2012 is to continue to participate in the debate on
diversity on boards and diversity in senior positions of the legal
profession. It was a great pleasure to support the cocktail event on
the 17th November with the Women Barristers Forum, celebrating the
appointment of two new women to Senior Counsel, Sarah McNaughton SC and
Kristina Stern SC. 2012 will also host our biennial signature event
“Celebrating Women in the Judiciary’ and some exciting new projects and
events.
The passing of this year also saw the recent passing of another of our
Life Members, The Hon. Mahla Pearlman AO, who died on 2 December.
Martin Place Chambers fondly recalled that Mahla referred to Chambers
by saying, “you can call it what you like but I know it is really Mahla
Pearlman Chambers”, and she was quite proud that her little court
warranted a specialist Bar. Many gathered to honour Mahla and her life
contributions at the funeral on 4 December. In the words of one of our
Life Members, “A great lady whose fine example made the road for those
women lawyers coming after her a little smoother”, a sentiment I’m sure
shared by all that knew her.
On behalf of the committee I thank you for your support during 2011 and
wish you a safe and happy festive season. Please note that our office
will be closed from 23rd December and will reopen 16th January.
Kind regards,
Rebecca Barry
President
12 December 2011
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Support the organisation that has supported women in law since 1952.
For further information on joining or to renew your membership please contact our office or visit our website.
After graduating from Sydney University in 1960 with an Arts degree and
an honours degree in Law, Mahla practised as a solicitor, until she was
elevated to the Bench as Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court
of New South Wales in April 1992.
Mahla fulfilled a number of roles in conjunction with her legal
practice, beginning with her appointment as the first woman President
of the Law Society of New South Wales (1981-1982). Mahla was also the
first woman President of the Law Council of Australia (1989-1990). She
was
Deputy Secretary-General of the International Bar Association
(1988-1992), Chairman of the Board of Governors of the College of Law
(1983-1988), Chairman of Guardian Trust Australia Limited (1991-1992)
and Member of the Police Board of New South Wales (1991-1992).
The Hon Mahla Pearlman is remembered for her significant contribution
to the legal profession and to the community. She was named a Member of
the Order of Australia (AM) in January 1985 for services to the legal
profession; awarded the Centenary Medal for service to the law in April
2003; and in 2004 was awarded the Order of Australia (AO) for service
to the law, the judiciary and the community.
Australian Women Lawyers 4th National Conference
Fri, 10 August 2012 – Sun, 12 August 2012
University House, Australian National University, ACT
The biennial Australian Women Lawyers 4th National Conference, Women
Lawyers in a Public World, brings together leading legal practitioners
with the aim of educating, encouraging and discovering the balance
between work and life.
The conference reaffirms AWL’s commitment to the practice and
advancement of women in the legal profession. AWL also works to
eliminate both direct and indirect discrimination in the legal system
and the administration of justice to ensure that the legal system is
more responsive to women’s needs.
Program at a glance
• Biodiversity and the law: Examining state, federal and international legislation
• Chief Justice High Court of Australia address
• The good, the bad and ugly truths about social media
• Restorative justice and female offenders
• Powerful bundling of intellectual property rights. Ownership and authorship in a digital medium
• Trailblazing women and the law
• Surviving and thriving as a woman in the law: Attrition, retention and progression
WLANSW Members please quote code WLANSW20 to receive their 20% discount!
Delicious Flowers is an online shop complete with edible floral fruit
bouquets, chocolate dipped strawberries and fabulous chocolate gifts
and edible centerpieces.
WIN AN IN-SEASON DOUBLE PASS COMPLIMENTS OF ICON FILM
THE IRON LADY tells the compelling story of Margaret Thatcher, a woman
who came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to
be heard in a male dominated world. It is a film about power and the
price that is paid for power, a story that is both unique and
universal. THE IRON LADY stars Academy Award-winners Meryl Streep
as Margaret Thatcher and Jim Broadbent as her husband, Denis.
Click here to Download Brochure or view and register online
Please note WLANSW Members are eligible for a $250 discount (this
cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer). Early bird &
Member discounts expire 3/2/2012.
Knowledge management plays a fundamental part in the success of a law
firm. However, knowledge management is not a care business for law
firms, and its intangible values, such as the development of employees’
skills and knowledge, the deepening of client relationships, and the
availability of information are difficult to demonstrate.
Knowledge management professionals therefore face difficulties in
convincing managers of the need to invest time and money in knowledge
initiatives and engaging lawyers who have to account for every 6
minutes in knowledge management initiatives. A targeted approach to
introducing knowledge management initiatives that clearly shows what’s
in it for lawyers is crucial.
This one-day forum will provide you with opportunities to hear timely
and topical knowledge management case studies. You’ll have the chance
to interact and network with presenters and attendees from
organisations similar to yours and share ideas and how to:
Prove the value and ROI of KM and win support for the KM agenda
Implement knowledge sharing initiatives that make a difference in the firm
Harness the drive for social media and mobile technologies
Get lawyers to engage in knowledge management and eLearning
Select the projects and technologies that will have the most impact on the firm
Establish a culture of sharing and the address the role of leadership in it
Formed
in 1997, AWL is the national body representing and funded by women
lawyers associations in Australia. The current AWL Patron is the
Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant of the Family Court of Australia.
Please feel free to pass this email onto colleagues and ensure they are on our email list for future updates and invitations.
If
you wish to continue receiving updates and invitations via email no
action is required. However, if you wish to be removed from our email
list, please email executive@womenlawyersnsw.org.au with the subject heading: UNSUBSCRIBE
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