Media Release: Law Society of Western Australia appoints new CEO
4 November 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia has appointed Perth lawyer Kate Wellington as its new Chief Executive Officer. Ms Wellington, who has been CEO of the Costs Lawyer Standards Board in the United Kingdom since 2019, replaces David Price who resigned in August, after more than 18 years in the role. Ms…
Media Release: Law Society of Western Australia chooses its 2025 President
9 October 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia has announced Gary Mack as its President for 2025. Currently Senior Vice President, Mr Mack will replace Paula Wilkinson who has held the role since January. Nominations for the one-year term closed on Tuesday October 8, with Mr Mack the only nominee. He said he was…
Media Release: Australian Human Rights Commission meets WA Law Society on child detention
11 September 2024 Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner has met representatives from the Law Society of Western Australia, to discuss the state of WA’s child detention system. Commissioner Lorraine Finlay was joined by Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss and National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds at an enlightening meeting in Perth…
Media Release: WA Law Society demands urgent action on youth detention
10 September 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia has written an urgent letter to the State Government, demanding an independent review of the entire youth justice system in WA, after the deaths of two teenagers within a year. In its letter, sent last Tuesday (Sept. 3), to Premier Roger Cook and Corrective Services…
Media Release: WA Law Society’s longest-serving CEO calls time
23 August 2024 The Law Society of Western Australia’s Chief Executive Officer David Price has called an end to his 18-year tenure at the helm of the profession’s peak membership body. Mr Price will leave the organisation in December, as the Law Society’s longest-serving CEO. He is the longest serving of the current Law Society…
Media Release: Law Council of Australia | Access to Justice For All
25 July 2024 Australia’s legal profession has today published an open letter to key Commonwealth state and territory ministers, aimed at ensuring every member of our community can access legal support in times of need. “Our profession is calling on all governments to significantly increase their support for Australia’s legal assistance sector,” Law Council of…
Banksia Hill Lockdowns of Teens Ruled Illegal is Unsurprising to the Law Society of Western Australia
The decision published by Justice Tottle yesterday in the Supreme Court of Western Australia finding that the State repeatedly broke the law with its lockdown treatment of three children in the Banksia Hill detention centre, and that similar treatment of some children housed in the maximum-security Casuarina Prison Unit 18 was also against the law,…
Joint Media Release: Law Council of Australia and the Law Society of Western Australia | Excessive use of force on children unconscionable
15 November 2022 The Law Council of Australia and the Law Society of Western Australia are deeply concerned by the revelations in last night’s Four Corners report of the excessive use of force and restraints directed at children at Banksia Hill Detention Centre. “These events further demonstrate the urgent need for all governments to take…
Law Society President says sending children to the main maximum-security prison in Western Australia is not the right solution and there needs to be a rethink
25 October 2022 The President of the Children’s Court has made a number of judicial announcements on how inappropriate it is for the Western Australian government (WA Government) to utilise Casuarina Prison to incarcerate children in WA’s main maximum-security adult prison. In July this year, children were moved to Casuarina Prison. It is understood that there are several children still…
2023 Law Society President Elected
13 October 2022 Ante Golem has been declared elected as the Law Society of Western Australia’s President for 2023. Mr Golem has served on the Law Society’s Council since 2018, most recently as Senior Vice President. Mr Golem is a Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills and is the section head of the firm’s Perth Disputes…
Joint Media Release: The Law Society of Western Australia and Law Access Ltd Sign a New Memorandum of Understanding
Thursday, 16 June 2022 The Law Society of Western Australia and Law Access Ltd signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, as part of a three-year commitment by the Law Society to provide funding and ongoing support to Law Access Ltd, effective 1 July 2022. Law Access matches applications for legal help from…
The Law Society of Western Australia and Law Access Joint Press Release: Pro Bono Lawyers Once Again Walk for Justice
Tuesday, 17 May 2022 The annual Law Access Walk for Justice on Tuesday, 17 May celebrates National Pro Bono Day and the generous pro bono contributions of Western Australian lawyers and law students. The Hon. Robert French AC, former Chief Justice of the High Court launched and led the 2022 Law Access Walk for Justice….
