John Bray Alumni Events

CLE – Sports Tribunals and Judicial Review (July) 

Speakers: Dr Mark Giancaspro, Senior Lecturer in Law, Adelaide Law School, and Barrister and Solicitor, Supreme Court of SA with Chair Martin Frayne SC. 

This session explored the fascinating world of sports disputes and how such disputes are resolved in practice. It explained the importance and function of domestic disciplinary tribunals across sports and the seminal rule in Cameron v Hogan, which generally precludes judicial review of tribunal decisions.

The exceptions to the rule (permitting the intervention of the courts), and the relevant case law, were examined, with consideration given to the role of fundamental principles such as natural justice and procedural fairness. The various avenues for appeal and review of domestic disciplinary tribunals were also covered. 

2024 John Bray Oration (April)

Nothing Compares 2 U: Reflections from Professor Felicity Gerry KC about legal practice in England and Australia

CLE – Mindfulness and Lawyer Well-Being (April)

Professor Thomas Telfer, Western University Faculty of Law Legal professionals often overlook the impact of mounting workloads, multiple demands and highly stressful environments on their ability to perform. Mindfulness can turn these workplace challenges into opportunities by helping us to work with our innate qualities, be less reactive and appreciate different perspectives for healthier workplace interactions.

CLE – Legal ethics: communicating with opposing counsel and with the court (February)

Speakers: Nadine Lambert, Solicitor, Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner, Her Honour Judge Emily Telfer, District Court of South Australia & President, John Bray Alumni Network. Chair: His Honour Chief Judge Michael Evans, District Court of SA.

The South Australia Legal Practitioners' Conduct Rules regulate the ethical obligations we owe when communicating with opposing counsel and with the Court. The move to electronic modes of communication such as e-mail has improved the ability to efficiently communicate with other parties but can undermine the formality and precision that is often necessary in communications in a litigation environment. This session aimed to deliver a refresher about the ethical obligations owed to other practitioners and to the court, and review how they apply when using e-mail and other electronic communication.

CLE – Small business insolvency and restructuring law (October)

John Bray Alumni Network CLE: Small Business Insolvency and Restructuring law update 'Which port (or safe harbour) in a storm? Small businesses in troubled waters.' This presentation looks at the formal options on offer today in the Corporations Act for small businesses to deal with financial distress - particularly the new Small Business Restructuring and Simplified Liquidation processes - and shares some practical points for both creditors and directors. Speakers: Associate Professor David Brown, University of Adelaide and Georgia Gray, Lynch Meyer with Chair Judge Katrina Bochner

CLE – Guilty pleas and bail applications (August)

This session will explore the advocate's journey in the District and Supreme Courts focusing on the skills required for the presentation of articulate and persuasive guilty pleas and applications for bail. There will be a focus on the specific skills and knowledge required for an appearance in the higher courts, including a survey of legislative restrictions to the judicial discretion in bail and sentencing decisions. Presented by: His Honour, Judge Anthony Allen, Judge of the District Court of South Australia. Mr Greg Mead SC, Chief Counsel, Legal Services Commission of South Australia. Chaired by: Ms Lucy Boord SC, Senior Prosecutor, Director of Public Prosecutions.

CLE – Litigation guardians in family law proceedings (July)

Litigation Guardians can be a vital part of Court proceedings to ensure appropriate access to justice and a timely progression of matters but appointing the wrong guardian, or engaging with them incorrectly can also cause undue delays, costs and confusion in already complex proceedings. Mr Jordan Lewis and Ms Anita Brunacci will discuss when consideration should be given to the appointment of a guardian, what you should look out for when selecting a possible guardian and, if no one can be found, the process of appointment of an independent guardian in the family law context.

CLE – Recent developments in tax, superannuation and succession (May)

Speakers: Dr Sylvia Villios, Associate Professor at the Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide and Caitlin Ashworth, CCK Lawyers. This session will explore the latest changes to tax and superannuation laws including: electric cars and the fringe benefits tax exemption; claiming deductions for working from home; and changes to the superannuation tax breaks. It will also cover the key provisions of the Succession Bill 2022 (SA) which was introduced into the Legislative Council on 20 October 2022.

CLE – Mental incapacity: the partnership between the doctor and the lawyer in ensuring client/patient autonomy (February)

The question of capacity is one that seems to arise more frequently than ever as our population ages. In this session, Dr Chris Moy and Simon Ower KC will discuss the different criteria used to assess capacity. This includes the role general practitioners play in assisting lawyers to ensure that their clients have capacity to make important decisions.

CLE – The ethics of judging (November)

Speakers Chad Jacobi SC and Jonathon Wells KC

Our system of administering public justice is adversarial, with two essential features: an independent, impartial and learned judiciary; active parties to the dispute or charge who have principal control over the choice of issues and the gathering and presentation of the relevant information. The strength of the system is its efficiency, through the commitment of professional lawyers and the according of participatory justice to the litigants. What does this mean for the nature of judging? According to what ethical principles should the independent and impartial judge respond to this participatory system?

2022 John Bray Oration (October)

Mr Julian Burnside AO KC: Language, Law and Human Rights
(2021 John Bray Oration - postponed)

Hosted by the John Bray Alumni Network, Mr Burnside is presenting online from Melbourne due to COVID-19 restrictions. A QC since 1990, Julian's principal practice was in commercial litigation. Julian also acted for Bruce Trevorrow in Australia’s only 'stolen generation' case. Julian's two decades of pro bono work with asylum seekers began when he represented refugees rescued by the MV Tampa. The author of five books, Julian is the Chair of Liberty Victoria.

CLE – Appeals: what judges want (September)

This session will explore how to prepare for and present appeals. It will provide insights into preparing grounds of appeal, seeking and obtaining leave or permission to appeal, as well as making written and oral submissions to the Court. The session will be chaired by the Network’s Patron, Justice Mark Livesey, President of the Court of Appeal of South Australia. Speakers will be the Hon Justice Michael Buss, President of the Court of Appeal of Western Australia, Ben Doyle QC and Alison Doecke.

CLE – Client capacity: ethical guidelines (August)

This session explores the ethical values that underpin the protection and enhancement of autonomy in the context of 'lawyer client' relations and offers practical support in managing this difficult area without overstepping client autonomy. The panel includes Mr Jonathan Wells QC and Ms Margaret Castles. They will be joined by Ms Jennifer Corkhill, whose work involves representing people with a mental illness.

CLE – Bullying and harassment: mapping a way through the maze (July)

With the advent of the #MeToo Movement, and then high-profile instances of sexual assault and/or harassment at the heart of our political and legal institutions in recent years, public discussion of sexual harassment in the workplace has intensified. A likely result of this renewed focus will be that victims of sexual harassment will feel more empowered to take action against harassment they have suffered. But they will be faced with a somewhat bewildering array of potential action. Speaker Mr Simon Blewett with Chair Ms Jodeen Carney, SA Commissioner for Equal Opportunity.

CLE – Remote oral evidence (June)

Kerry Clark SC and Gillian Walker discuss when witnesses will be permitted to give their oral evidence remotely using technology. They will share their practical experiences from the last two years in conducting remote and ‘hybrid’ trials. Special arrangements made for vulnerable witnesses to give their evidence from outside of the court room will also be covered. Chaired by Justice Natalie Charlesworth.

CLE - Wine and the law (May)

We have an excellent panel including Louisa Rose, chief winemaker at Yalumba, Rachel Triggs General Manager, Corporate Affairs and Regulation at Wine Australia and Kate Hardy Senior Legal Counsel at Accolade Wines. The panel will ask the question Why is wine so heavily regulated, then addresses the topic of alcohol regulation: getting the balance right and what happens when things go wrong. 

CLE - Legal and IP considerations for doing business in Asia (April)

Our presenters were Richard Kimber, Consulting Principal at Keypoint Law who presented a general overview on contract and business negotiations in Asia, due diligence issues, general commentary on cultural challenges, risks and benefits of joint ventures and dispute resolution. Karen Abraham Head, Intellectual Property at Shearn Delamore & Co presented on the importance of intellectual property protections when conducting business in Asia. 

CLE – Sports law (August)

This presentation by Barrister Anthony Crocker was chaired by Justice David Lovell. Anthony explained the structure of the IOC and the establishment of the WADA Code. He also discussed legal issues which have subsequently arisen, particularly around the privilege against self-incrimination and the standard of proof to be applied. This presentation will appeal to those interested or involved with sport.

CLE – Six Solicitors General (April)

Our first CLE in March 2021 was the Covid-postponed event from March 2020. It was a highlight for the year as it’s not often you get six Solicitors General in the same room. We had Malcolm Gray discussing One Common Law; John Doyle discussing The Mason Court; Chris Kourakis discussing Judicial Power; Martin Hinton discussing Bikies and the French Court; Chris Bleby discussing The Implied Freedom of Political Communication and current SG Mike Wait discussing Responsible Government. Chaired by Professor John Williams AM there were 200 registrations for this event … it was stand-out.

CLE - Communicating with Indigenous clients (December)

Speakers included Stephen Kenny who leads the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team at Camatta Lempens Lawyers; Brenda Underwood, Chair, Arabana Aboriginal Corporation, Karina Lester, Co-director, Mobile Language Team and Dr Paul Monaghan, Linguist and a foundational member, both from the University’s Mobile Language Team, Marg Castles, senior lecturer, Adelaide Law School and Jess Black, graduate lawyer, MPS Law. The speakers illustrated how history, culture, colonialism, and current legal political considerations impact on Aboriginal people today, exploring culturally appropriate ways of elicit ing information and managing narrative, and consider how common Anglo Australian legal norms can act as barriers to justice access for different cultures.

CLE - Unfair dismissal (November)

Navigating Australia's Unfair Dismissal Jurisdiction in a Contemporary Context. The conversation will include questions around what actually constitutes 'unfair' dismissal, navigating the complexities of the Fair Work Commission's unfair dismissal jurisdiction from both the employer's and employee's perspective, as well as sharing of common successes and challenges experienced at both the conciliation and hearing stages of an application. Speakers for this session included Dr Gabrielle Golding, lecturer, the University of Adelaide, Andrew Short, Partner, Minter Ellison, Will Snow, Partner, Finlaysons, Erin McCarthy, Partner, Piper Alderman and Kirsty Stewart, Barrister Howard Zelling Chambers. 

In Conversation with Bill Smith, War Crimes Prosecutor (October)

As a former Adelaide police prosecutor, Bill Smith left South Australia in 1993 to work for the United Nations in The Hague, helping to prosecute international war crimes committed during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Currently he is a co-prosecutor of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (a joint enterprise of the UN and the Cambodian government) where, for the last 13 years, he has been prosecuting members of the Khmer Rouge who murdered two million citizens.

CLE - Climate change (September)

Recent developments and future trends with guest speaker Elisa de Wit, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability, Norton Rose Fulbright 

Wine tasting at the Sir Samuel Way building

The Honourable Justice Martin Hinton QC (Patron, John Bray Law Alumni) and Judge Katrina Bochner (President) hosted a wine tasting at the Sir Samuel Way building in November 2018. The event was a resounding success, with more than 90 alumni and guests enjoying wine generously donated by Basket Range Wine, Lambert Estate and Tomich Wines.

CPD - Magistrates appeals

On Tuesday 19 February 2019 the John Bray Law Alumni network held their inaugural Continuing Professions Development session on magistrates appeals, with guest speakers Lindy Powell QC and Ian Robertson SC. The Honourable Justice Lovell chaired the session. Speakers dealt with how to present a magistrates appeal and best assist the Court.

The session was well attended with court room eight in the Sir Samuel way building at capacity.

John Bray Oration 2019 - “Who Owns the Past?”

Mr Geoffrey Robertson AO, QC (founder and joint head of Doughty Street Chambers, UK) presented the 2019 John Bray Oration. Named in honour of the late Chief Justice John Jefferson Bray, Mr Robertson reflected on Dr Bray's influence on him when he was a law student. Mr Robertson drew on his own work returning Aboriginal remains from British museums and advising the Greek government over the Parthenon Marbles to ask who owns the past?

Who is an employee? Making sense of the changing labour market

The John Bray Law Alumni network held their second CPD session on Tuesday 9 April 2019. Chaired by Justice Tim Stanley, Michael Roder SC (Howard Zelling Chambers) and John Bray Professor of Law (Adelaide Law School) Professor Andrew Stewart spoke about the many reasons why it may be necessary to decide whether an arrangement for the performance of work should be classified as an employment contract.

CPD - guilty plea

The John Bray Law Alumni network held their third Continuing Professions Development session on Tuesday 21 May 2019. Chaired by David Edwardson QC, His Honour Judge Rice, Magistrate Dixon, and Chief Crown Prosecutor Jim Pearce QC focused on the content and presentation of a guilty plea.

In Conversation with The Hon Christopher Pyne MP and Ms Annabel Crabb

The Alumni In Conversation with Annabel Crabb and Christopher Pyne event was held on Thursday 13 June 2019 in the recently renovated UniBar. Hosted by the John Bray Law Alumni Network, it brought together two University of Adelaide law alumni who have excelled in their respective fields. Moderating the conversation was fellow law alumni and barrister Anthony Durkin who ably managed to ask the right questions and ensure the appropriate level of theatrical tete-a-tete.  Another successful John Bray Law Alumni Network event with close to 200 in attendance.

In conversation with Richard Beasley

On Thursday 19 September the John Bray Law Alumni held their second ‘In Conversation’ event with Mr Richard Beasley SC. Richard spoke about his experience managing dual careers, a Barrister and more recently Senior Counsel Assisting the Murray Darling Basin Royal Commission to an author of five books including Hell Has Harbour Views (2001, Pan Macmillan), which was adapted as a telemovie on ABC TV in 2005.