William and Lonsdale - Lives in the Law

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. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

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...

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...

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 num...

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 pr...

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...

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,...

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 C...

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...

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! www.greenlist.com.au/podcast

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...

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 presi...

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...

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...

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 climat...

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...

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...

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...

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 partici...

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! www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

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. www.greenslist.com.au/podcast

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. www.green...

This week we revisit our conversation with lawyer Daniel Ajak. At 13, Daniel left the Kenyan refugee camp he grew up in with his sister and a suitcase, bound for Australia. He had never left the camp before, let alone boarded a plane or been overseas. A few days later he landed in Australia and would not see his parents again for 12 years. Daniel’s upbringing, work ethic, tenacity, community and v...

As lockdown continues in Melbourne we’re revisiting past episodes of Lives in the Law. Felicity Gerry QC has a dynamic and fascinating Life in the Law, taking her from Essex to Melbourne via Nottingham, Tenerife and Darwin (to name a few). She has worked in areas as varied as terrorism, cybercrime and human trafficking, with highlights including a stay of execution for woman on death row in the Ph...