LSB July 2022 LR

A roundup of recent Society
meetings & conferences
ROSEMARY PRIDMORE, EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Homeless Legal Donor Circle Impact
Update
4 TMay 2022
he President, Justin Stewart-Rattray
attended a presentation by a Panel
(headed by the Honourable John Sulan
QC) as to impact of the Homeless
Legal Service on homelessness in South
Australia.
Meeting with the Aboriginal Legal
Rights Movement
11 May 2022
The CEO of the Aboriginal Legal
Rights Movement (ALRM), Mr Chris
Larkins spoke about issues currently being
experienced by the ALRM at a meeting
with Justin Stewart-Rattray and Stephen
Hodder. The issues included funding to
the ALRM and legal aid services generally;
court services in remote areas and
conflicts; and the importance to Aboriginal
children of raising the age of criminal
responsibility.
Leader of the Opposition and Shadow
Treasurer
14 June 2022
At the invitation of the leader of the
Liberal Party, David Speirs and the Shadow
Treasurer, Matt Cowdrey, Justin Stewart-
Rattray and Paul Black (Co-Chair of the
Accident Compensation Committee) met
with these members of the Opposition
to discuss the Society’s submission in
relation to the Return to Work (Permanent
Impairment Assessment) Bill 2022.
Joint Rules Advisory Committee
16 June 2022
Justin Stewart-Rattray, Alex Lazarevich
(Chair of the Civil Litigation Committee)
and Philip Adams represented the Society
at a meeting of the Joint Rules Advisory
Committee. Various potential amendments
to the Uniform Civil Rules were discussed,
along with a proposal by the Society that a
Commercial and Expedited Commercial List
be introduced (to be further considered by
JRAC) and additions to the draft Uniform
Special Statutory Rules 2022 drafted by
the Director of Ethics and Practice and
proposed by the Society, in relation to the
freezing of funds in legal practitioners’ trust
accounts under Court Order.
Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary
Standing Committee
17 June 2022
Representing the Society in an
appearance before the Aboriginal Lands
Parliamentary Standing Committee, Justin
Stewart-Rattray and Richard Bradshaw
(Co Deputy Chair of the Aboriginal Issues
Committee) spoke to the Society’s written
submission, which had been informed by
the Aboriginal Issues Committee.
Quarterly Law Council Directors’ and
associated meetings
18 – 19 June 2022
Justin Stewart-Rattray and Stephen
Hodder variously represented the Society
at quarterly meetings of Directors of the
Law Council of Australia (LCA), CEOs of
Law Societies, Joint CEOs (Law Society and
Bar Association), Law Society Presidents
and the Conference of Law Societies,
which were held in Darwin. Dr James
Popple, newly appointed CEO of the
LCA, was introduced to the Constituent
Body representatives and attended various
meetings. Matters discussed included the
production by the Law Society of NSW of
a new edition of the profile of solicitors; the
LCA’s Equitable Briefing Policy; coercive
control trauma informed practice; bystander
training; unconscious bias training; and
anti-money laundering (the view of the new
Federal Government on the inclusion of the
legal profession not yet known).
ANU Panel on Facial Recognition
27 June 2022
The President-Elect, James Marsh
stepped up at very short notice (in place
of a very ill Justin Stewart-Rattray) as
a Panel Member at a forum on the use
of facial recognition technology, which
was convened by the Australian National
University. The Adelaide City Council’s
consideration as to whether to purchase
facial recognition software for use with
new cameras to be installed in Rundle
Mall provided the impetus for the forum.
Shortly before the forum, the Council
voted against doing so. The Society
noted the need for appropriate legislation,
restrictions on the purposes for which the
technology could be used, data security
and rights of review. B
July 2022 THE BULLETIN 37