Award Recipients
Paul Baker Award
Dr Helen Szoke
Federal Race Discrimination Commissioner
Dr Helen Szoke was appointed Australia’s full-time race discrimination commissioner in September 2011 for a five-year term. From 2004 until August 2011 Dr Szoke was the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission commissioner.
Milestones during her time as human rights commissioner were an outstanding contribution to human rights by championing the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 and for reforms leading to the enactment of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010.
She was a member of former Attorney-General Rob Hulls' Human Rights Leadership Forum and spoke regularly at human rights events across Victoria. Dr Szoke’s experience includes roles as a Preston city councillor, Women’s Health Victoria chair and as a Multicultural Arts Victoria board member.
Rogers Legal Writing Award
Winner
Paul Kallenbach
Partner, Minter Ellison
Mr Kallenbach received the Rogers Legal Writing Award for his article “Piracy Suit Sunk: The iiNEt Case”, which appeared in the July 2010 issue of the LIJ. The article focused on a Federal Court of Australia decision that found mere provision of internet access by an internet service provider did not amount to authorisation of copyright infringement by its subscribers.
Highly Commended
Dimitra Dubrow
Principal, Maurice Blackburn
Ms Dubrow was highly commended for her article “Loss of Chance in Medical Negligence”, which appeared in the September 2010 edition of the LIJ. It focused on the case of Tabet v Gett, where the High Court of Australia ruled on the previously unsettled question of the availability of damages for the loss of a chance of a better outcome in medical negligence claims.
Certificates of Service Recipients
Certificates of service are awarded to LIV members who have demonstrated professional excellence or have made a special contribution to the legal profession. This year’s recipients were:
Alan Goldstone | Tisher Liner and Co
Mr Goldstone is a Tisher Liner & Co partner who has served on LIV committees for more than 25 years and is current chair of the Property Law Section.
Roger Johnson | Mahons Lawyers
Mr Johnson is a longstanding member of the LIV Property Law Section’s executive committee, past chair of the LIV Liquor, Gaming & Hospitality Committee and is currently head of mortgages with Mahons Lawyers.
William Hazlett | Hunt and Hunt Lawyers
Mr Hazlett, a Hunt & Hunt Lawyers partner, is a longstanding member of the Property Law Section’s executive committee and has contributed significantly to many LIV submissions on leasing-related issues.
Toni Higgins | Victoria Legal Aid
Ms Higgins is a Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) senior lawyer practicing in the area of mental health. For the last 18 years, she has worked tirelessly in the area of disability and represents VLA on the LIV Disability Law Committee.
Brian Jacomb | Brian F. Jacomb & Associates
Mr Jacomb, the Brian F Jacomb & Associates principal, has been an active member for 21 years, including a time as chair, of the LIV Taxation and Revenue Committee.
Ross McClure | Australian Government Solicitors
Mr McClure is a senior executive lawyer with the Australian Government Solicitors, where he has specialised in the areas of competition law and taxation law since 1982. He was a founding member, and valuable longstanding executive member, of the LIV Government Lawyers Section.
Phillip Nolan | Schetzer Brott and Appel
Mr Nolan is principal of Schetzer Brott and Appel and lectures in property law at Melbourne University. He was elected deputy chair of the LIV Property Law Section’s Executive Committee last year.
Tony Riordan | Riordan Lawyers
Mr Riordan has been a leading member of the LIV Taxation and Revenue Committee for 20 years and has also represented the LIV on external consultative committees. Of note, the Riordan Lawyers partner helped establish the Australian Taxation Office Professional to Professional Program for legal practitioners.
Robyn Sparks | Aitken Partners
Ms Sparks has been a long-standing and active committee member of the LIV Specialisation Committee for wills and estates and the property law, succession law and probate, wills and administration committees.
Honorary Life Membership Award
John Corcoran
Principal, Russell Kennedy
Mr Corcoran has worked in commercial property and securities and business law and is regarded as an expert in the area of retirement villages and aged care facilities. He is also an accredited specialist in business law. He became a partner of commercial law firm Russell Kennedy in 1986 and is current principal of the firm. He was elected to the LIV Council in 1998 and served as LIV president in 2001-2002.
In 2009, he became only the second Victorian lawyer to serve as Law Council of Australia (LCA) president after joining the LCA in 2004, citing human rights as a key issue for the national legal body. He is also a board member of the International Bar Association – the world’s peak organisation for lawyers – and, in 2003, was awarded a Centenary Medal for services to the community and to the law.
President's Awards - Winners
Access to Justice Award
Robert Melasecca
Partner, Melasecca Kelly & Zayler
Mr Melasecca has always strongly advocated for the importance of rehabilitation and drug and alcohol counselling in the sentencing process and has been proactive in achieving improved conditions and access to justice for prisoners in the court system. Earlier this year, he was made the Victorian Custody Issues Group chair and is a former LIV Criminal Law Section chair.
Community Lawyer of the Year Award
Kairstien Wilson
Principal lawyer, Association of Employees with a Disability Legal Centre
Ms Wilson came to legal practice after 20 years in the nursing industry. As a lawyer, Ms Wilson established the Association of Employees with a Disability Legal Centre. Through the creation of this service, the provision of access to justice for one of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups in society – people with a disability – has significantly increased.
Government Lawyer of the Year Award
Alison O’Brien
General counsel, Victorian Government Solicitors Office
Ms O’Brien is one of Victoria’s pre-eminent constitutional litigation lawyers and is in demand for her advice on statutory interpretation, novel questions of law, legislative development, parliamentary and electoral law and procedure. However, it was her recent involvement with the 2010 Bushfires Royal Commission that truly illustrated the depth and breadth of her expertise.
Suburban Lawyer of the Year Award
Melvyn Barnett OAM
Principal, Barnett and Barnett
Mr Barnett is a fine suburban lawyer and a servant to his local community who, in 1998, received an Australia Day Honours list Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for services to victims of crime. Mr Barnett is also a past board member of Crimestoppers and a former member of the LIV disability law and sole practitioners committees.
Regional Lawyer of the Year Award
Belinda Wilson
Associate, Tyler Tipping & Woods
Ms Wilson is current Gippsland Law Association (GLA) president and, during her term, has revitalised the GLA by providing a uniform voice for Gippsland lawyers. She has also taken responsibility for many tasks, such as ensuring members are provided access to professional development requirements and arranging networking events. She is also a member of the LIV Business Law Committee.
Accredited Specialist Achievement Award
Craig Lynch
Practice Group Leader, Slater & Gordon
In the decade since becoming a specialist in personal injury in 2001, Mr Lynch has displayed a commitment to the Specialist Accreditation Scheme second to none and frequently goes beyond the call of duty as both an advisory committee member and board member. He also regularly delivers CPD activities for legal education providers and contributes to LIJ articles to promote the scheme.
Best Mentor of the Year Award
Lynnette Barratt
Sole practitioner and community lawyer, Moreland Community Legal Centre
Ms Barratt has mentored countless young lawyers, clerks and trainees in her current role and formerly as a Victoria Legal Aid deputy regional office manager and principal of Seniors Rights Victoria and the Fitzroy Legal Service. She mentors both to aid the professional development of young lawyers and improve service delivery to consumers of legal services. She is LIV Elder Law Section deputy chair.
Rising Star of the Year Award
Kim McFarlane
Tyler Tipping Woods
Ms McFarlane is Gippsland Law Association secretary and has been a LIV Gippsland Young Lawyer representative since 2007. Since that time she has helped establish a thriving and successful young lawyers group within Gippsland which has proven crucial in addressing staff retention for young lawyers in the area. She also developed the criminal law practice at Wakefield & Vogrig Lawyers.
Legal Organisation of the Year Award
Peninsula Community Legal Centre
The Peninsula Community Legal Centre has been providing free legal services for 34 years, targeting its services at disadvantaged people who would otherwise fall through the cracks of the justice system. From humble beginnings, the Centre is now one of the largest CLCs in Australia, and provides information and referrals to more than 12,000 individuals each year.
President’s Honorary Award
Pro Bono Legal Team for M70/M106
The ‘M70/M106’ team of lawyers devoted countless hours to fighting for the legal rights of asylum seekers, and have possibly changed the course of Australian history as a result of that work. It is not only inspiring, but a reminder of the value that the legal profession provides to our community through pro bono work. I’m pleased that the majority of our LIV Award winners today have and continue to make significant pro bono contributions.