AALA welcomes you to join the College of Law Webinar on 21 October at 5.00pm AEDT: Careers in International Commercial Law: Arbitration, M&A, Cross-Border Transactions, Trade and Investment.

International law covers many global issues, such as commerce and trade, environmental management, human rights, and conflict resolution. International law practitioners work on a vast range of tasks, from brokering bilateral trade deals to helping to resolve disputes via arbitration or mediation.

This free webinar offers a chance to hear from the industry experts from Malaysia, the UK and the US on how to develop your skills to enhance your career opportunities in international law.  

This webinar should interest many students and practitioners - not just those interested in pursuing careers overseas. The world is becoming a smaller place. Many local practitioners act for (or against) overseas clients or are involved in matters with an international connection.

Attend and learn:

• How experienced practitioners came to practice in international commercial law
• What does a day in your work life looks like
• Advice for lawyers looking to move into cross-border M&A and trade, or international arbitration
• The skills you need to practice international commercial law
• How to network and raise your profile

Presented by

• Moderator: Wenee Yap, Legal Journalist, The College of Law (Sydney, Australia) 
• Raphael Tay, Commercial Law Partner and Teaching Fellow, The College of Law (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) 
• Martin Polaine, Barrister and Teaching Fellow, The College of Law (London, UK)
• Prof. Don Lewis, Teaching Fellow, The College of Law (San Francisco, USA)

Time Oct 21, 2021 05:00 PM in Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Link: please register at this link to attend the event. 

AALA South Australian Branch is hosting the End of Year Mentoring Event on October 28! It is an excellent opportunity for mentors and mentees to reflect on and share stories about their experiences in the mentoring program. 

This year we are glad to have Chris Kwong, Executive Advisor from Australian Red Cross as our guest speaker. A sincere thank you to Laity Morrow for sponsoring the event. 

"We cannot achieve diversity by replacing white men with white women"

Women’s Agenda has recently published the linked article featuring Molina Asthana, AALA Vice-President, and lawyer Tu Le, on the topic:"We cannot achieve diversity by replacing white men with white women".

As a new financial year has dawned, AALA wants to take the opportunity to congratulate all members who have been successful in the recent round of promotions. You have done fantastic jobs in advancing cultural diversity within the legal profession, and AALA is delighted to witness your impressive progress over the years. Sincerely wish you continued success in your career.

For the SA Branch’s first National Cultural Diversity Summit this year, we hosted a panel of guest speakers to provide insight on their own experiences as legal professionals in line with our event theme “Being more than a lawyer”. Our Diversity Panel consisted of:

1.         Ahura Kalali, barrister at Barry Jennings Chambers (as chair);

2.         SA District Court Judge Rauf Soulio; 

3.         Thuan Nguyen – solicitor at the Legal Services Commission; and

4.         Kate Bickford – partner at HWL Ebsworth.

Amidst tough COVID restrictions across the country, the National Summit After Party here in SA was a welcomed event.  With a turnout of 50 guests in attendance, the breadth of experience and diversity of practice areas added a nice touch to what had been a showstopper of a National Summit throughout the course of the day.  

The panel discussion segment of the evening touched on some important but rarely discussed topics of the legal profession, such as work/life balance, finding passion in one’s career, key career drivers, and words of wisdom from our panelists that they wish they’d given their young selves knowing what they know now.

In AALA SA Branch tradition, the panel discussion was followed by lots of delicious food and even better drinks.

We are so lucky to have the support of so many amazing businesses here in SA.  We would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing sponsors, who have made this event possible:

1.             Cimicky Wines – for providing beautiful Barossa Valley wines for serving throughout the evening as well as incredible door prizes;

2.             1/3 by NNQ – for generously opening up their beautiful restaurant to our guests and for their incredible hospitality throughout the evening;

3.             Two Accent Gins – for providing us with their fine gins as door prizes; and 

4.             Panel members – for taking time out of their precious Saturday evening to share their words of wisdom to those in attendance.

We hope our members and guests who attended the SA Branch’s National Summit After Party left with full tummies, meaningful connections with other members of the profession and a deeper understanding and curiosity on what it means to be more than a lawyer.

Breaking the bamboo ceiling: Young Asian Australian women share their tips for success

by Ashleigh Barraclough, ABC News, posted 11.09.21

While Asian Australians continue to be underrepresented in leadership positions, some young women have managed to break through the "bamboo ceiling".

The ABC spoke to four finalists in the 2021 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australians Awards — a nanotechnology engineer, a ballet dancer, a human rights lawyer and a telco executive — about the challenges they have faced in their careers.

The awards are an initiative of the Asian-Australian Leadership Summit, and the ABC is a media partner.

The Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) welcomes and applauds the appointment of the Honourable Hament Dhanji SC as a judge of the Supreme Court of NSW and would like to extend its heartiest congratulations to him. This is a significant appointment as he is the first Australian of Indian descent to be appointed to the NSW Supreme Court and one of only a few Australians with Asian heritage to be appointed as a judge of an Australian superior court.

AALA is the first incorporated association in Australia to focus on the growing number of Asian Australian lawyers in the profession, as well as other lawyers with an interest in Asia. AALA's mission is to advance cultural diversity in the legal profession and beyond and connect lawyers with an interest in Asia. The importance of increased cultural diversity in the legal profession cannot be underestimated. Where the makeup of our judiciary is reflective of our Australian demographic, the litigant is likely to have greater faith in the dispensation of justice.

AALA has been vocal in our advocacy for more diversity in judicial appointments and this appointment lends credence to our work. Though much still needs to change, this appointment will hopefully be the catalyst for many more diverse and meritorious appointments, and for a larger change in the makeup of our legal profession to reflect and represent the citizens we serve. 

To read Media Release of Hon. Mark Speakman, Attorney General of NSW, 8 Sept., 2021

• When: 18 Sep 2021
• 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM (UTC+09:30)
• Location

  1/3 By NNQ, 1 King William Street, Adelaide, SA 5000

Register here!

• $35 for AALA members – $35.00

  This is a discounted price for AALA members. Full price is $60 per person.

• $60 full price for non-AALA members – $60.00

  Full price for non-AALA members, so you might as well join or renew membership to get the discounted pricing of $35!

National Summit SA After Party! Saturday 18 September 2021

The AALA SA Branch is pumped to invite you to the National Summit After Party! 

We are taking it to the next level and having a 3 course dinner at 1/3 By NNQ followed by our own Diversity Panel event on the topic of "Being More Than a Lawyer" where we will be hearing from:

• SA District Court Judge Rauf Soulio
• Kate Bickford - Partner at HWL Ebsworth
• Chris Kwong - Executive Adviser at Australian Red Cross

The panel will be chaired by Ahura Kalali, Barrister at Barry Jennings Chambers.

The details of the event are:

• 1/3 By NNQ, 1 King William Street, Adelaide, SA, 5000
• Saturday 18 September 2021 at 5.30pm to 10.30pm
• 3 course dinner
• Drinks on consumption and pay as you go 
• Discounted price of $35 for AALA members 
• Full price of $60 for non-AALA members (so you might as well join AALA  or renew  your membership now by clicking here)
• There will be a door prize for AALA members
• Dress code is smart casual.

Thank you to our generous sponsors Cimicky Wines and Two Accents Gin!

Spots are strictly limited so please RSVP quick! This event is open to everyone so please share with your friends and colleagues!

Please email sa@aala.org.au if you have any dietary requirements.

This will be a great opportunity to catch up with friends and make new friends over delicious food and drinks in a fun and relaxed environment. You know we organise awesome events, so we'll see you there! 

2021 National Cultural Diversity Online Summit

Cultural Diversity and the Legal Profession: Towards a More Inclusive Future
 

Date: Saturday 18 September 2021

Time: The Summit begins at midday (AEST), with a series of sessions throughout the afternoon, to conclude around 4:00 PM.

Registration: Registration is essential and is free for all people in Australia and across the world. To receive your personalised CVENT registration, you must register. Registration will open soon.

Summit Agenda: coming soon.

The Summit key note speakers include:

• The Hon. Diana Bryant AO;

• His Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Rabinder Singh;

• Cheryl Chan, Director, Remotely Legal;
• Remy Hii, Journalist and Actor (Neighbours and Crazy Rich Asians); 
• Cross-cultural consultant, Tasneem Chopra OAM;
• Award- winning comedian Sami Shah; and,
• Hari Sivanesan will play you some sublime music. Hari has played for the BBC and with George Harrison from The Beatles.  

 

Hosting: The Summit will be hosted online by CVENT. The CVENT platform will provide registrants a seamless Summit experience, providing registrants the opportunity to actively participate in the Summit’s discussions. The CVENT platform creates a dynamic and immersive experience, allowing registrants to connect with our Sponsors and Partners and network with fellow registrants. 

Our impressive Summit sponsors and partners will be announced soon! AALA is excited to bring to our guests this year's exciting line up of speakers, thought-leaders and sponsors. This is the second National Cultural Diversity Summit and we aim to deliver yet another engaging, challenging and fun experience!

Who is the Summit for? 

AALA is throwing its doors wide open to the entire community and is giving all people, including students, policy-makers and practitioners, a chance to watch and participate in this conversation. The annual Summits are ideal for those who actively work in the legal industry in roles of management, human resourcing and reform and equally for those people who work in the wider community to promote and advocate for intersectional diversity and equal access to justice. The AALA National Summit is an ideal opportunity to expand your networks and ability to forge change.

The Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) is deeply concerned by the developments in Afghanistan that are severely impacting its people, particularly the basic human rights of its women and children.

We extend support to our sisters and brothers from the Afghan Australian community in these difficult times. We share your grief and stand in solidarity in praying for the safety and well-being of your loved ones back home.

AALA joins with the International Association of Judges, the International Association of Women Judges, the Australian Association of Women Judges and the Australian Judicial Officers Association, in calling for urgent, meaningful and sustained support for all of the judiciary and members of the legal profession in Afghanistan, and particularly for women judges and lawyers.

We also support the call by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre for Australia to implement an immediate emergency humanitarian intake plan for refugees from Afghanistan.

AALA urges its members to support these efforts and contribute generously to the humanitarian organisations presently offering support to Afghanistan and its people.