News Archive

The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner (VLSBC) – the primary regulator of the legal profession in Victoria – has commissioned the market research firm Ipsos to conduct a state-wide survey looking at the prevalence and nature of sexual harassment in Victoria’s legal workplaces.

The survey is open to lawyers as well as non-lawyers working in legal workplaces in Victoria. It is also open to former lawyers and others who have previously worked in the legal sector. It is important for the VLSBC to hear directly from people who have experienced, witnessed or heard about sexual harassment in Victoria’s legal sector.

The survey will close at midnight on Monday 9 September 2019.

All Victorian lawyers with a current practising certificate have been emailed a unique link to the survey, to the email address they provided to VLSBC when renewing their practising certificates.

Everyone else who is currently working (or has worked) in a legal workplace in Victoria, and clients of Victorian lawyers can access the ‘open’ link to the survey.

The results of the survey will help VLSBC gain an accurate and comprehensive understanding of sexual harassment in the profession and the wider legal workforce in Victoria, and inform VLSBC’s response to this issue. 

The survey should take about 10-25 minutes of your time. All responses are anonymous and will be kept strictly confidential.

If you have any questions, please call VLSBC on 03 9679 8001. For more information about the survey click here.

Kelvin Ng, AALA (Vic) Committee Member, spoke as a panelist at the ‘Diversity in Law Panel’ held by the Deakin Law Students’ Society on 29 August 2019. The other panelists were Ella Van Der Schans, President of Victorian Women Lawyers, Jared Heath, Chair of Pride - Corrs Network Steering Committee, and Natsuko Ogawa, Head of the All - Ashurst network.

The panelists engaged in an insightful discussion regarding the importance and benefits of diversity, under-representation of diverse groups, improvements and future challenges, and how students can meaningfully contribute.

Thank you Deakin Law Students’ Society for holding the event and Kelvin and the panelists for speaking.

#aalaeventsmelb #diversity #inclusion #culturaldiversity

On 22 August 2019, Asian Australian Lawyers Association (Vic) were delighted to hold its Speed Networking event with the support of RC & Co Lawyers.

Rochelle Castro, principal solicitor of RC & Co Lawyers introduced guest speaker Tuanh Nguyen, immediate past AALA National President and current PWC Legal Director.

Tuanh spoke of the value of networking as a way of investing in relationships in a genuine and meaningful way. She provided helpful reflections on her approach to networking and its impact on her career pathway.

Each pair of participants had 4 minutes to get to know one another before rotating to the next person. It was a fantastic opportunity to bring together legal professionals of our membership who are in different stages of their careers. 

Special thanks to Tuanh for her continued support and RC & Co Lawyers for holding the event at its offices and providing canapes and refreshments on the night.

Thank you to everyone for making the event a successful one!

On Wednesday 18 September 2019, the Asian Australian Lawyers Association & the Queensland Law Society are proud to be jointly presenting a CPD on creating and supporting diversity in the legal profession, to encourage employees to "bring their authentic selves to work" and further the business case on cultural diversity in the law.

A panel of employers, employees and recruiters will share the lessons they have learned and practical steps you can take as an employer, employee and legal professional to encourage and support diversity in the legal profession.

Registration for QLS members, and AALA is free.

A program with more details, and registration is available at: https://services.qls.com.au/web/eventscalendar/event_display.aspx?EventKey=BU1387

On 5 August 2019, Asian Australian Lawyers Association (Vic) and the Asian Law Centre at Melbourne Law School held a presentation by Judge Injun Hwang on “Enforce Your Judgement in South Korea”. Judge Hwang shared his insights and research about recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in the Republic of Korea. This was covered in four parts: the scope of the application, procedure for the enforcement in Korea, substantive requisites of the enforcement, and analysis of Korean Courts’ Decision.

Judge Hwang was later joined by Professor Richard Garnett from Melbourne University to compare the Australian and South Korean regimes and the importance of the Hague Convention in this area.

Thank you Judge Hwang and Asian Law Centre for collaborating with AALA (Vic).

As part of the upcoming Asian-Australian Leadership Summit (AALS) on September 12-13 in Melbourne, ANU, PwC Australia and Asialink, alongside Johnson Partners will be presenting the inaugural 40 Under 40: Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards.

The awards will recognise exceptional young Asian-Australian leaders in their fields. The Awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of the next generation of Asian-Australians, making them more visible in the wider community and to provide a stepping stone to further leadership opportunities. The young leaders will have track records of making a significant contribution to their community, industry and driving Australia’s engagement with Asia. For more details about the awards categories, criteria and nomination process, click here.

Applications close on Wednesday 7 August at 5pm AEST.

Do you identify yourself as an Asian-Australian? Are you between the ages of 18 to 40? Do you believe that Asian-Australians should be better represented at senior leadership levels in Australia? Would you like to become a voice and advocate to help make a difference? If so, we encourage you to register for the upcoming Asian-Australian Leadership Summit’s (AALS) NextGen Dialogue on 12 September, 2019 at the State Library of Victoria.

Part of the wider AALS, the NextGen Dialogue is a session specifically developed for Asian-Australians aged 18-40 years old. Comprising of panel discussions, networking opportunities and an interactive workshop, the NextGen Dialogue will offer selected and invited participants’ opportunities to develop relevant insights, skills and networks to become leaders and advocates in their workplace.

For further information and to register your attendance, click here.

All Victorian members, please join us for a fun, structured and relaxed opportunity to meet a broad range of senior and junior members of the legal profession.

Participants will rotate in quick succession so that each person gets the chance to engage one on one with as many people as possible. For each rotation, participants will have a set time of approximately 10 minutes each to introduce themselves and learn more about the other person, making speed networking highly efficient.

Event details are as follows:

Date: Thursday, 22 August 2019
Time: 5.30pm registration for 6.00 start until 8.00pm
Venue: RC & Co Lawyers, Level 40, 140 William Street, Melbourne
Cost: Free for members

If you're interested, please RSVP by 15th August 2019 via our website

The President and Committee of the Queensland branch of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association Inc. (AALA) are delighted to invite you to our inaugural panel discussion on judicial diversity in Australia with:

• the Hon. Justice Anthe Philippides, Justice of Appeal, Supreme Court of Queensland
• his Honour Judge Craig Chowdhury, Judge of the District Court of Queensland
• Magistrate Anthony Gett, Magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Queensland
• Magistrate Melanie Ho, Magistrate of the Magistrates Court of Queensland

to be followed by closing remarks from the Hon. Chief Justice Catherine Holmes, Chief Justice of Queensland.  Drinks and canapés will be served prior to 6.00pm and following the panel discussion.

Registrations are essential as spaces are strictly limited.  Please register at http://www.aala.org.au/event-3458239. Please contact qld@aala.org.au if you have any questions or issues.

The AALA gratefully acknowledge the support provided by Corrs Chambers Westgarth in hosting this event.

March Of The Women With Habeas Chorus & Melbourne Lawyers' Orchestra (Lawchestra)

Saturday, July 6, 2019

7:00 PM 8:30 PM

Werner Brodbeck Hall (The Assembly Hall Building, Scots' Church) (map)

A celebration of diversity through the music of female composers who have historically been under-represented and under-performed. This concert features works from the 1800's through to the modern era by women of diverse cultural backgrounds. Through this concert, a connection is drawn with the ongoing work being done, and that must continue to be done, to promote diversity in the legal industry. See: https://www.bottledsnail.com/events Tickets are available at https://events.ticketbooth.com.au/event/marchofthewomen.

For further information contact, Aimee Nguyen, Manager, Lawchestra; 0415 546 333; aimee.nguyen@bottledsnail.com