Media Release: Liberal Party heeds Law Society’s call for a Judicial Commission and elder law reform
20 February 2025 The Law Society of Western Australia has welcomed today’s announcement by Opposition Leader Libby Mettam that, if elected, the Liberal Party will commit to critical reforms to protect older Australians, as well as the establishment of a Judicial Commission in Western Australia. The announcement comes after years of Law Society advocacy on…
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….
Joint Press Release: The Law Society of Western Australia and Law Access | Planned Law Access Leadership Transition Creates New Opportunities for Growth
Tuesday, 14 December 2021 Malcolm McCusker AC CVO QC is retiring as Chairman of the Law Access Board on 31 December 2021 after more than three years in the role. He will continue his close association with Western Australia’s state-wide pro bono legal referral service as Patron of Law Access. Immediate Past President of…
Joint Media Statement: Funding certainty to help Law Access meet pro bono demand
Friday, 27 August 2021 Law Access and its founder and parent body, the Law Society of Western Australia, welcome the WA Government’s announcement of $250,000 funding for Law Access per annum for four years (indexed). Law Access matches applications for legal help from vulnerable and financially disadvantaged members of the community to lawyers and…
The Law Society Strongly Opposes Mandatory Sentencing
Monday, 18 January 2021 The Law Society of Western Australia is firmly opposed to mandatory sentencing in any form as there is no evidence that it works to deter criminal behaviour and is in fact more likely to result in harsh and disproportionate sentences. The Law Society’s opposition to mandatory sentencing is consistent with…
Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019
Wednesday, 27 November 2019 The Law Society of Western Australia has released its submission in response to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2019 (WA) (the VAD Bill) introduced into the Western Australian Parliament on 7 August 2019. Law Society President Greg McIntyre SC said, “The Law Society has considered the VAD Bill solely from the…
Law Council: Recommendations for a National Compensation Scheme for victims of slavery should be swiftly accepted
18 July 2017 The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement’s recommendation for a National Compensation Scheme for victims of trafficking and slavery has been enthusiastically backed by the Australian legal profession, which has been advocating for such a scheme for some time. Last year, the Law Council of Australia, in conjunction with Anti-Slavery Australia released…
Law Council of Australia urges DFAT to redouble efforts with Chinese Government to release detained lawyers
The Law Council of Australia is urging the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to redouble its efforts with the Chinese Government, with the goal of: securing the release of the 23 lawyers and activists still in detention, ending torture and ill-treatment of those detained, removing travel bans against 39, and stopping the harassment…