“Big” win for Subiaco’s Bob Hawke College in 2024 Mock Trial Competition
28 October 2024 Subiaco’s Bob Hawke College has won this year’s Law Society of Western Australia’s Mock Trial Competition – for the second year in a row – in a case which carried themes from the 1990’s cult classic The Big Lebowski. The competition has run since 1987 and pits student teams against each other…
The Law Society of Western Australia comments on the announcement of a proposed new juvenile detention facility
26 September 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia cautiously welcomed today’s unexpected announcement but said the State Government’s timeline for the closure of Unit 18 remained obscure. “The allocated funding is for design planning only and the chosen site still needs State and Federal environmental approvals, so any new facility is a long way…
Applications for the 2025 John Koowarta Reconciliation Law Scholarship are now open
Are you a high academic achiever? The John Koowarta Scholarship can help with your legal education. The Law Council is calling for applications for the 2025 Scholarship round. The John Koowarta Reconciliation Law Scholarship was established in 1994, with the aim of promoting the study and practice of the law by Aboriginal and Torres Strait…
2024 Cluedunnit Kids Winners Announced
19 July 2024 Harrisdale Primary School has taken out this year’ s Law Society of Western Australia Cluedunnit Kids competition, for the second year in a row. The competition challenged Year 6 students from 26 schools to solve a mock ‘crime’ by determining the prime suspects and identifying the offender. They presented their findings in…
Law Society welcomes call for urgent Freedom of Information law reform
26 June 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia has welcomed recommendations of a report into the functioning of Freedom of Information offices across Australia, which has called for proactive information release to be the norm and for better skills and training for public servants. The Culture of Implementing Freedom of Information in Australia report…
After 33 years, it’s time for urgent jail cell ligature point action
The Law Society of Western Australia has written to the State Government calling for the urgent elimination of ligature points across WA’s medium and maximum security prison cells – 33 years after the recommendation was first made. In a letter to Corrective Services Minister Paul Papalia in May, the Law Society said it was echoing…
Old Court House Law Museum marks 50 years
16 May 2024 The Old Court House Law Museum marks 50 years in 2024 as the home of some of the Western Australian legal profession’s most treasured possessions. Now managed by the Law Society of Western Australia, the building opened as Western Australia’s first purpose-built courthouse in 1837 and was still being used as…
Legal Profession to Walk for Good
Members of Western Australia’s legal profession will gather on the Swan River foreshore on Tuesday 21 May, for a walk to raise money for vulnerable people who need legal help. Law Access helps those who can’t afford a lawyer to access one for free, or at low cost, by providing referrals in certain types of…
Continued Public Criticism of Youth Justice Matters Undermines Judicial Independence
Continued Public Criticism of Youth Justice Matters Undermines Judicial Independence In December 2023, Magistrate Michelle Ridley found that a 10-year-old boy had led police in Kununurra on a dangerous chase through residential streets, and at one point drove straight at the pursuit vehicle forcing officers to drive off the road, narrowly avoiding a potentially serious…
Public Criticism of a Magistrate by Another Arm of Government Inappropriate and Undermines the Public’s Confidence in the Administration of Justice
Public Criticism of a Magistrate by Another Arm of Government Inappropriate and Undermines the Public’s Confidence in the Administration of Justice On Tuesday 12 December 2023, Magistrate Michelle Ridley found that a 10-year-old boy had led police in Kununurra on a dangerous chase through residential streets, and at one point drove straight at the…
Professional Standards Scheme – Application for a Continuing Scheme & Public Consultation
The Law Society’s current Professional Standards Scheme (the Scheme) commenced on 1 July 2019 and will be concluding on 30 June 2024. The Scheme applied for will replace the current Scheme and is designed to remain in effect for five years. As with the previous scheme, the new Scheme limits occupational liability to the extent…
Alain Musikanth SC Appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court
Tuesday, 31 October 2023 The Law Society warmly congratulates Alain Musikanth SC on his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia. Mr Musikanth SC is a former president (2017) and a longstanding member of the Law Society. He has been a member of various Law Society committees for several years,…
