William & Lonsdale - Lives in the Law

This week we welcome Mark Leibler AC. Mark is the senior partner at Arnold Bloch Leibler and one of the leading tax lawyers in the county. As well as his distinguished career in the law, Mark has made significant contributions to the cause of Reconciliation in Australia and as a leader in the Jewish Community. It is a wide ranging conversation and it was a pleasure to welcome Mark to the show to hear about his Life in the Law.

This episode we welcome former police officer and current CEO of Police Veterans Victoria, Dave McGowan. Over his decades on the force, from a young constable to Detective Sergeant, Dave experienced the extremes of human behaviour. As a member of the armed robbery squad he worked on a number of major cases as they progressed through the courts, working with solicitors, barristers and importantly shepherding witnesses through the process. And now as CEO of Police Veterans Victoria, Dave works to support the thousands of former officers affected by the work they did on “the job”, as it’s known.

This episode we are delighted to welcome The Hon Linda Dessau AC CVO. Linda has had enormous variety in her career; she began her law degree at the ripe old age of 16, had a successful practice at the bar, became a Magistrate working in the Children’s Court and Coroners Court; went on to serve as a Judge in the Family Court of Australia for 18 years; and of course became the first female Governor of Victoria. Along the way she also worked as Crown Council in Hong Kong and received a Churchill Fellowship! It was an honour and a delight to hear about her Life in the Law. 

Today we bring you the second part of our conversation with The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG. In this episode we’ll hear about Michael’s appointment to the NSW Supreme Court as President of the Court of Appeal, his ascension to The High Court of Australia and his extensive work with the United Nations on issues such as human rights violations in Cambodia and North Korea and the AIDS epidemic.

Our guest for the next two episodes is The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG. Today, in Part 1 of our conversation we discuss Michael’s early years, schooling and university days, his work with the Council for Civil Liberties, extensive industrial relations work and becoming the inaugural Chair of the Australian Law Reform Commission.

Our guest today is HH Magistrate Noreen Toohey, lead magistrate of the Neighbourhood Justice Centre, an innovative court based on a community justice model. Noreen brings a wealth of experience to the role from her time at the OPP and as a magistrate in the suburbs of Melbourne and rural Victoria. It was a pleasure to have her on the show and wonderful to hear about her life in the law. 

Today we welcome Forensic & Child Psychiatrist Dr Adam Deacon. Throughout his career Adam has worked in many areas of the justice system including with adult inmates in prison, youth in the juvenile justice system, writing psychiatric court reports for both defence and prosecution and currently at the Youth Forensic Specialist Service with Alfred Health. All this along with a thriving private practice! 

Adam brings a fascinating lens to Lives in the Law and it’s a pleasure to have him on the show.

Our guest this episode is The Hon Anthony North KC. Tony has been involved in some of the largest cases in Australian history as both a barrister and a judge, including the pilots strike in the late 1980’s, the Patricks waterfront dispute, the Tampa Affair and multiple native title cases. He is currently the chair of the Victorian Law Reform Commission, working on many fascinating projects, including the incredibly important work of Improving the Response of the Justice System to Sexual Offences.

This week we welcome His Honour, Magistrate Rob Stary. Rob grew up in the western suburbs of Melbourne and has remained strongly connected to the area throughout his life and career. Rob is probably best known for his long and often highly publicised work as a criminal defence lawyer, having been engaged by the likes of Tony Mokbel and Carl Williams among many others. He became a Magistrate in 2021 beginning another interesting chapter in his long and dynamic life in the law.

Today we welcome Dan Meagher, Professor and Chair of Law at Deakin University. As we’ll hear, despite studying law and doing his articles, Dan initially tried fairly hard to avoid a life in the law, until he found academia or perhaps more accurately until it found him. Dan specialises in constitutional law; lecturing, studying and publishing in the topic all over the world, and in the lead up to this year’s referendum, it is  truly enlightening to hear his insights on the proposed Voice to Parliament.

This week we welcome The Hon Justice Michael Croucher KC. Amazingly, His Honour dropped out of school in year 10, at the ripe old age of 15, to pursue his dream of becoming a professional motocross rider. Fortunately for us that didn’t work out and he made his way to the law, ultimately becoming a Victorian Supreme Court Justice. It’s a fascinating tale, and we’re delighted to bring you Justice Croucher’s Life in the Law. 

Today we welcome Lauren Cruickshank to the show. Lauren is an associate at Pinsent Masons, specialising in Construction Law. In her teens Lauren had two big goals; to be a teacher and to go to the Paralympics for discus - neither of which eventuated. But as we’ll hear, after a chance work experience placement in year 10 Lauren found her passion and she hasn’t looked back. 

This week your host Michael Green speaks with Ali Besiroglu, principal lawyer at Robinson Gill and head of their Crime and Advocacy department. 

In recent years Ali has been involved in some incredibly significant and high profile cases, not least of which is the recent coronial inquest into the death in custody of Veronica Nelson.

Throughout her life in the law The Hon Jennifer Coate has been a Magistrate, the Head of the Children’s Court, a County Court Judge, Victorian State Coroner, one of the commissioners in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and most recently, Chair of the COVID 19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry. She has had an extraordinary career and made an enormous contribution to the Victorian legal system. It was an honour to hear about her Life in the Law.

Today, your host Michael Green speaks with Her Honour Nola Karapanagiotidis.

Before becoming a Country Court Judge in 2021, Nola had a variety of experiences beginning as an articled clerk at Victoria Legal Aid all the way to the bar, with a large amount of pro-bono work along the way.

Interestingly, Nola is the first female Greek / Australian County Court Judge in Victoria.

Her parents migrated from Greece in the 1960’s with no English and limited education. From those humble beginnings, Nola and her brother Kon have had a huge impact on our legal system and it was a pleasure to explore that journey in our conversation.

This week we welcome Peter Ward OAM, one of Victoria’s leading criminal law practitioners for over 40 years. Peter has spent his entire career at the firm of Galbally & O’Bryan and worked on some of the most high profile cases in Victorian history, including the Walsh Street police killings in 1988. Like most practitioners, Peter had to work incredibly hard to prove himself at the start of his career, no one he knew had worked in the law and he had no real connections, but Peter also had the additional challenge of being born with only 10% vision. It was a privilege and a pleasure to hear about Peter’s Life in the Law.

This week your host Michael Green speaks with Sally Nicholes, founder and managing partner at Nicholes family lawyers. Sally has worked on some extraordinary cases throughout her career, including a groundbreaking matter involving sperm donor rights and an international kidnapping case that she led as an articled clerk and first year solicitor!

Today we welcome HH Federal Court Justice Iain Ross AO. From ACTU Assistant Secretary to Vice President of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission; from County Court Judge to the president of VCAT; Iain has had a dynamic and impactful career and we were thrilled to hear about his Life in the Law.

This week we revisit our conversation with the wonderful Jill Prior. Jill is a criminal lawyer who has served as the principal legal officer at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and is now cofounder of the Law and Advocacy Centre for Women. Despite being a natural advocate as a child and student, Jill never planned on a Life in the Law. But after a seminal experience supporting a friend in a sexual assault case, Jill realised that the courtroom and its procedures just made sense to her, and was where she wanted to forge her career.

This week we revisit our conversation with the singular Judge John Smallwood. His Honour is instantly recognisable in both the law district of Melbourne and the circuit courts of country Victoria, largely because he has not shaved since he was admitted to the bar, over 45 years ago. His Life in the Law began with the now defunct Articled Clerks course, saw him navigate years of relentless back to back murder trials, had him welcomed to the bench of County Court of Victoria, lead the Victorian Koori Court and serve as a mentor & sage for the next generation of practitioners. He knows how to tell a good yarn and it was a pleasure to hear about his considerable Life in the Law.

As Peggy O’Neal AO concludes her distinguished tenure as President of the Richmond Football Club, we revisit our 2021 conversation with the consummate leader and lawyer.

Peggy’s life and career have taken her from the coal mines of West Virginia to the top end of Collins St and of course Punt Rd oval. Her work and achievements include decades of experience in pension and superannuation law, on numerous boards and committees and in the advancement of women in leadership roles.

This week we revisit our conversation with Coroner John Olle. Throughout his decades of work as a barrister in crime and the coroners court, John has always believed it is a privilege to work on behalf of another person's liberty. In 2000 John became a Coroner himself and despite the significant workload and unique stresses, he relishes the opportunity to make systematic change and work towards preventing future tragedies.

His Honour Magistrate Tony Parsons ran his own criminal law firm for many years, was head of Victoria Legal Aid and has just completed eight years as Supervising Magistrate of the Victorian Drug Court.

Tony originally studied science and was very active in student politics at Monash University in the 70’s. He spent years advocating for drug law reform while driving taxis and didn’t come to the law until his late 20’s, viewing it as a pathway to politics. Little did he know that all that real world experience, combined with his love of the law would make him the perfect candidate for Supervising Magistrate of the Drug Court.

Today we’re replaying our excellent conversation with the Hon Betty King QC. Betty began her career as a criminal barrister, working in both defence and as the first female prosecutor in Victoria and the first prosecutor ever for the Commonwealth of Australia. Betty also served as a member of the National Crime Authority, a Judge on the County Court of Victoria and a Justice of the Supreme Court, where her very first case was the notorious “Gangland murders”.

Today we replay our interview with iconic criminal specialist, the Hon Frank Vincent QC AO. Frank came from humble and sometimes challenging beginnings to become a renowned criminal barrister, a Justice of the Supreme Court, Chancellor of Victoria University and chair of the Adult Parole Board. He also spent much of his career travelling back and forth to the Northern Territory, working with the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service. Frank’s insights into all this and more make for a fantastic conversation.

This week we revisit our conversation with iconic Australian writer Helen Garner. Helen has long been fascinated with our justice system, spending countless hours “hanging around the courts” as she describes it.  Her loitering has resulted in a Walkley Award winning piece for Time Magazine, numerous stories for The Monthly and the best selling novels, ‘Joe Cinque’s Consolation’ and ‘This House of Grief’.

Helen writes about many facets of our justice system; from complex legal cases and exceptional practitioners, to broken families and the selfless volunteers that support them. Hearing her perspective on our courts and the people that populate them is simply riveting.

Throughout his Life in the Law, Julian Gardner AM was a founding member of the iconic Fitzroy Legal Service, the inaugural director of Victoria Legal Aid, co-edited the first incarnation of The Law Handbook and served as The Public Advocate. And that’s only the half of it!

We’re taking a short break from releasing new episodes but rest assured we’ll be back soon with more wonderful guests, including the Honourable Iain Ross, Justice of the Federal Court of Australia and President of The Australian Fair Work Commission. Sally Nicholes, founder and managing partner at Nicholas Family Law. Esteemed Criminal Law specialist Peter Ward. And recently appointed County Court Judge, Her Honour Nola Karapanagiotidis.

This week we welcome Her Honour Magistrate Abigail Burchill, former barrister and one of only two Indigenous magistrates in Victoria. Abigail is a proud Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung woman from a long line of academics and activists. At high school in Mooroopna, Abigail could not see a clear path to the law but her mother knew better and simply would not let her potential go to waste. From the president of Tawirri to the DPP, from the bar to the bench Abigail's life in the law is fascinating and rich, and it was an honour to hear her story.

Today our guest is barrister Michelle Britbart QC. Michelle practises primarily in common law, insurance law, public liability and personal injuries litigation, running trials in both the Supreme and County Courts. For many years Michelle grew her practice whilst also being a single mother to two young children. And on top of that, she managed to gain a Graduate Diploma of Genetic Counselling and a Masters in Health and Medical Law.

This week we welcome Rob Hulls AM, former Deputy Premier and attorney-general of Victorian, and current director of the Centre for Innovative Justice at RMIT.

As attorney-general, Rob introduced many significant and lasting changes to our Justice System, including the introduction of the Koori Court, Drug Court and Australia’s first Neighbourhood Justice Centre.

Through all the ups and downs of a career in the law and politics, Rob has been guided by a simple philosophy; that the justice system can be a positive intervention in peoples’ lives.

Today our guest is Emma Dunlevie, lawyer and principal at Russell Kennedy.

Emma’s career is split between her work as a commercial lawyer and managing the pro-bono practice within the firm.

From a case in the Tasmania Supreme Court during her articles, to a groundbreaking case that began with a dishevelled man showing up unannounced at Russel Kennedy’s offices and the relatively new area of climate law, this is a wide ranging and fascinating conversation about Emma’s life in the law.

Our guest this week is Judy Lazarus AM. Judy has had an incredible Life in the Law, supporting prisoners and their families for almost 40 years. Much of that time was spent working with VACRO, The Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders, where she began as a social worker and finished as the CEO. The impact of Judy’s work has been so significant, she has had a prison named in her honour; the Judy Lazarus Transition Centre.

This week we are delighted to speak with Andrew Dillon, Executive General Manager of Football Operations, Legal & Integrity and General Counsel for the AFL. When he began at the AFL in 2000, Andrew was the first ever in-house legal counsel. In the 20+ years since his legal training has prepared him well for the enormous growth of the AFL and all that has entailed; unprecedented TV and internet deals, drug scandals, the introduction of the AFLW, navigating COVID and more.

In this week’s episode we speak with Julian McMahon AC SC. Julian is a barrister at the Victorian Bar who came to international prominence representing Australians on death row. In the early 2000s Julian defended Van Nguyen in Singapore and later Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, part of the infamous Bali 9, against drug charges that ultimately led to their deaths. He is highly regarded for having navigated long and complex trials in areas such as homicide, terrorism, corruption and fraud but despite all these accomplishments he insists luck has had a big part to play in his Life in the Law.

This week we are revisiting our conversation with the wonderful Joan Murphy. Joan has volunteered for Court Network, at Frankston Magistrates Court, for over 25 years. Her Life in the Law began at 12 when her father, a psychiatrist, took her along in the school holidays when he testified in the Children's Court. Far from being traumatised by what she witnessed - on the contrary - Joan was hooked!

Shaun Braybrook has worked across many areas of the Victorian Justice System, supporting and empowering indigenous men and women. He is now the general manager of Wulgunggo Ngalu Learning Place in country Victoria. The Learning Place provides Koori men on a Community Corrections Order with an important opportunity to learn new skills, reconnect with or further strengthen their culture, and participate in programs and activities to help them address their offending behaviour. It was a fascinating conversation and a pleasure to have Shaun on the show.

This week we revisit our wonderful conversation with former Attorney General of Australia, Michael Duffy ONZ. It was a privilege and a delight to spend the afternoon with Michael. From his childhood in the country, to his practice in Queen Street, from member for Holt to a Minister in the Hawk Government, he has a lot of wisdom and some great stories to share!

Emmett Dunne began his career in the back pocket for the Richmond Tigers and finished as Assistant Commissioner for Victoria Police. His Life in the Law included frontline policing from Prahran to Heidelberg, conflict resolution, hostage negotiation, the Ethical Standards Department and one of his most challenging and enjoyable roles, as a Police Prosecutor.

This week we return to our conversation with Peter Norden AO. Peter was the Chaplain at Pentridge Prison for over 10 years. He has studied and visited prison systems in the US, UK, Holland & Sweden and advocated for people within the justice system for many years, via many avenues.

As you can imagine Peter has a unique perspective and has had a thoroughly fascinating Life in the Law.

We are revisiting our conversation with County Court Judge Arushan Pillay. He is thoughtful, intelligent, funny and a great conversationalist. We follow his journey all the way from the early years in South Africa and childhood in Tasmania, to the incredible and unexpected phone call he received from the Honourable Jill Hennessy in 2019.

This week we’re revisiting one of our favourite and most popular episodes, our conversation with the Hon Marilyn Warren QC, AC, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria. From feminism to football, leadership to legacy - the conversation was candid, lively, thought provoking and inspiring.

Our guest on episode 20 is the Chief Judge of the County Court of Victoria, the Honourable Peter Kidd. During his first few years in a commercial firm, The Chief was unsure if law was for him, but a decision to move to crime ignited his passion for the profession. After his time at the Commonwealth DPP, he went to the bar and was quickly working on very large and often high profile cases, honing his skills and advocacy style, often under immense pressure. Peter also managed to combine his love of travel with his love of the law, working as a prosecutor at the War Crimes Tribunal in Bosnia; another challenging, enriching and fascinating chapter of his career. Our episode covers all of this and of course his role as The Chief, and is an enlightening and fascinating conversation.