Forget Boston Legal - the reality of life as a lawyer makes for TV gold
21 May 2010
Lander & Rogers insurance lawyer, Gavin Hollamby, took out the Golden Gavel trophy today at Sydney's Annual Golden Gavel competition, after successfully arguing the topic "Why my firm should/shouldn't conduct its own reality TV show".
Gavin convinced the audience that - not only Lander & Rogers - but every firm is a ready-made reality TV show, just begging to be filmed. Drawing comparisons to "The Apprentice", "Queer Eye", "Big Brother", "Man vs Wild", "Masterchef" and many more, Gavin had the 450-strong crowd laughing from start to finish.
This annual public speaking event is a chance for young lawyers to showcase their advocacy skills, with five minutes to argue the case on whatever far-fetched topic they've been assigned. Given only 24 hours to prepare, the lawyers battled it out for a chance to win the coveted Golden Gavel trophy and to represent NSW at the national event in October.
The competition was adjudicated by Justice Patricia Bergin of the Supreme Court of NSW. Her Honour applauded the efforts of all involved, but was won over by Gavin's content and timing, together with what she called the "richtometre" of audience response.
Congratulations to the Lander & Rogers lawyers who were selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in Australia!
12 March 2010
Congratulations to the Lander & Rogers lawyers who were selected for inculsion in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in Australia!
Congratulations to Ian Fullagar (Sports), Lisa Gaddie (Real Property), and Michael Landvogt (Insurance) who were selected for inclusion in the 2010 edition of Best Lawyers in Australia. Lawyers are selected through peer evaluation, and the 2010 edition is based on more than 220,000 lawyer evaluations from around Australia.
Law firm Lander & Rogers has made two new senior appointments to its Melbourne office, underscoring the firm's continuing programme of expansion.
Former Rennick & Gaynor partner, David Gillard, has joined the Lander & Rogers' Family Law group as special counsel. David is an accredited Specialist in Family Law and acts as legal adviser to a number of voluntary and charitable bodies in Victoria. He has broad experience within the family law jurisdiction with particular expertise in complex commercial family law matters, third party litigation and overseas cross-jurisdictional cases.
Simon Ellis has joined the firm's Insurance Law & Litigation practice as a senior associate. Simon, who recently returned to Australia after spending 3.5 years with a major insurance law firm in London, has extensive experience in professional indemnity insurance, having acted in claims brought against solicitors, barristers and brokers. Simon also has broad commercial litigation expertise, in particular involving claims in the financial services and aviation sectors.
Says the firm's Chief Executive Partner, Andrew Willder, "We are continuing to experience strong growth across all our practice areas and David and Simon's appointments are part of our broader strategy of ensuring we have high quality staff in place to meet the increasing demand for our services. Both are highly experienced lawyers in their fields and we are delighted that our client base and the quality of the work we undertake allow us to attract lawyers of David and Simon's calibre ".
Lander & Rogers continues growth in Sydney and Melbourne
27 October 2009
Law firm Lander & Rogers has appointed two new senior partners to its Sydney office, as part of its strategy to continue growing the firm's presence and resources in Sydney and nationally.
Former head of Construction, Engineering and Infrastructure at Minter Ellison, David Fabian, has joined Lander & Rogers' Sydney office in a senior partner role and will be responsible for growing a national Projects, Construction and Infrastructure practice for the firm. David, a well known and very highly regarded construction and infrastructure lawyer, brings an extensive body of experience in these industries to the firm, as well as expertise in negotiating and managing major projects, project administration and dispute management. He is also trained and experienced as a mediator.
Neil Napper, former head of PricewaterhouseCooper's Employment and Industrial Relations group has joined Lander & Rogers' Workplace Relations & Safety group as a partner in the firm's Sydney office. Neil is an accredited workplace law specialist and has more than 20 years experience advising employers in both the private and public sectors. Neil's expertise includes workplace restructures, dispute resolution, enterprise bargaining, employment litigation, occupational health and safety, discrimination and equal opportunity law.
Says the firm's Chief Executive Partner, Andrew Willder, "We are delighted to have lawyers of David and Neil's calibre on board. They both have extensive experience and solid reputations in their respective areas and their appointments help to underscore our growing presence in the Sydney legal market".
Demonstrating the firm's continuing expansion, Lander & Rogers has also made a range of new senior associate and special counsel appointments in both Sydney and Melbourne offices. These include:
Workplace Relations & Safety lawyer, Melanie Schleiger, has been selected as one of Lawyers Weekly's 2009 "Young Guns to Watch".
"Young Guns" is an annual feature which promotes talented junior lawyers and their achievements. Ten lawyers were selected for inclusion from firms around Australia.
Click here to read the full article which appeared in Lawyers Weekly (2 October 2009).
Pursuing a legal career appealed to Melanie because she always felt compelled to speak up if something was unfair and because she wanted to work in a profession that strived to promote justice.
Melanie combines her passion for human rights with her role in Lander & Rogers' Workplace Relations & Safety team. Her practice involves employment and industrial relations law, including anti-discrimination matters, as well as human rights law more generally, including providing advice about the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.
Grant Levy and Hubert Wajszel join the Lander & Rogers team
26 August 2009
Law firm Lander & Rogers continues to expand its growing Insurance and Litigation practices, with two new senior appointments at partner and senior associate levels.
Grant Levy, formerly a partner at Rigby Cooke, joins the firm's Commercial Litigation group as a partner. Grant has more than 20 years litigation experience, and practises in all areas of commercial litigation, with a particular focus on retail tenancy disputes and property-related litigation. He has acted for both landlords and tenants in over 250 retail disputes.
Hubert Wajszel has joined the firm's Insurance Law practice as a senior associate. Hubert recently returned to Australia after having worked at a national insurance law firm in the UK. He has extensive insurance law experience, with expertise in the construction and financial lines sectors.
Chief Executive Partner, Andrew Willder, said: "Demand for our services in these practice areas continues to be high and we are continuing to grow our insurance and litigation practices with people of Grant and Hubert's calibre."
The Future on Show - Victorian Gaming Machine Briefing
07 August 2009
The new gambling legislation, due to come into effect in 2012, was the key topic of discussion at the Gaming Technologies Association's Victorian Gaming Machine briefing on 24 June.
This legislation is set to be the largest single overhaul of gaming regulation in the State's history. Lander & Rogers' Special Counsel, Bill Brown, presented to delegates on the legal implications for gaming machine operators.
To read the full article, which appeared in the August 7 edition of Australian Hotelier, click here.
Lander & Rogers graduate, Diana Costaras, was named most outstanding advocate in the Hanover Mooting grand final on Thursday, 23rd July.
The Hanover Moot is a long-running competition between law firms to develop advocacy skills among young lawyers, as well as raising funds for Melbourne's homeless.
Congratulations to Diana and the Lander & Rogers mooting team of Matt Hooper, Gavan Blau and Vivian Klaf, who were narrowly defeated by the "Judge's Associates" team!
Click here to read the full article, which appeared in The Age on Saturday, 25th July.
2009 promotions - Lander & Rogers continues to "grow its own"
01 July 2009
Lander & Rogers is delighted to announce the appointment of two new partners and six new senior associates, taking effect from 1 July 2009.
Partners
Senior Associates
Jacqui Hawkins
Workplace Relations & Safety
Kristina Antoniades
Family Law
John Wells
Property, Planning & Environment
Darren Boyd
Corporate Advisory
Amelia Lynch
Corporate Advisory
Sarah Robertson
Property, Planning & Environment
Joseph Ryan
Workplace Relations & Safety
Amie Saunders
Workplace Relations & Safety
Chief Executive Partner, Andrew Willder, said "Our 2009 promotions reflect the continued expansion and growth of the firm across all our key practice areas."
"All our appointments are internal promotions, demonstrating the firm's confidence in both the quality of our people and the practices they are developing for themselves".
Lander & Rogers ensures smooth succession for Chief Executive Partner position
12 June 2009
Law firm Lander & Rogers advises that its Chief Executive Partner, David Fitch, will retire from his current position as Chief Executive Partner and from the Lander & Rogers' Board as at 30 June, 2009.
Andrew Willder, head of the firm's national Property, Planning & Environment practice, will replace Mr Fitch as the firm's new Chief Executive Partner. Grant Scott-Hayward, Lander & Rogers' Chief Operating Officer, will work closely with Mr Willder as he moves into his new role, to ensure a smooth transition for the firm as it continues on its strong growth trajectory.
During his 13 years as the firm's Managing Partner and more recently as its Chief Executive Partner, Mr Fitch has overseen the firm as it has gone through an extraordinary period of growth, while still retaining the down-to-earth and friendly culture it is renowned for. During Mr Fitch's tenure, the firm has also recorded one of the highest industry levels of partner and staff retention.
Greg McKenzie, Chairman of the firm's Board, said, "Throughout his time at the head of our firm, David has worked tirelessly and passionately to pursue his vision of Lander's future."
"He has remained an independent thinker, often refusing to follow what other firms are doing, preferring to do things the Lander & Rogers' way. This has assisted the firm to remain in a strong position through different economic cycles, including the current financial crisis. He has also vigorously promoted the firm's open and collegiate culture - one of our key strengths."
Mr McKenzie commented that Andrew Willder was a highly competent leader and worthy successor to Mr Fitch, and shared many of his ideals. "Andrew has the complete confidence of the partnership - we know he is the right person to steer our firm through the next phase of its evolution."
Mr Willder is a highly respected and astute corporate property partner. He is the partner responsible for many of the firm's major client relationships, including Wesfarmers Limited, Bunnings Group and Foster's Group. He was the lead partner acting for Wesfarmers on all national due diligence and property related issues during the acquisition of the Coles Group in 2007.
Before assuming his senior management positions, Mr Fitch was a leading insurance litigator and partner within Landers' Insurance Law and Litigation practice. He has spent a total of 28 years with the firm. Mr Fitch will continue to have an ongoing role with Lander & Rogers and also plans to develop a number of interests with external enterprises at board level.
Lander & Rogers lawyer, Melanie Schleiger, will participate as part of an Australian non-government delegation which will brief the high-level United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee in May. The Committee, which comprises 18 independent human rights experts from around the world, is meeting in Geneva to review Australia's compliance with its international human rights commitments.
Melanie, a solicitor in Landers' Workplace Relations & Safety practice, is the only commercial law firm lawyer to accompany the delegation. Phil Lynch, Director of the Human Rights Law Resource Centre said, "Melanie was invited to take part in our delegation because of her substantial expertise in discrimination, employment, human rights law and gender equality. Melanie is a Board member of the HRLRC and was previously seconded to the Centre for six months from Lander & Rogers as part of the firm's pro bono program. Her combination of practical human rights experience and background in employment and equal opportunity law will greatly enhance the skill and expertise of the delegation."
The Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee is the UN body responsible for monitoring the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Essentially, it is responsible for ensuring that countries comply with globally accepted standards of human rights relating to economic, social and cultural issues, such as work, education, health and living standards.
At its May session, the Committee will receive submissions and briefings from both government and non-government delegations from Australia. At the conclusion of the session, the expert Committee will comment on positive aspects of Australia's human rights performance and make concrete recommendations as to how Australia could improve its human rights compliance in other areas.
Non-government organisations, such as the HRLRC, play an important role in ensuring that the reporting process is effective and rigorous. In 2008, Australian non-government organisations submitted their response to Australia's compliance report. This 'shadow' report was prepared by the HRLRC, the National Association of Community Legal Centres and Kingsford Legal Centre, and was endorsed by over 100 non-government organisations from around Australia. The report has been welcomed by both the Committee and the Australian government as comprehensive and constructive.
Other non-government organisations and representatives expected to attend the session include Amnesty International, the Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action, and the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
Law firm Lander & Rogers continues its focus on growth, announcing a new senior appointment and an internal promotion in their Insurance Law & Litigation practice.
Olivia White, formerly of Deacons, joins the firm as a Senior Associate. Olivia has an extensive background in commercial litigation and has worked on a number of large, complex cases including Biota v GlaxoSmithKline, and a long-running dispute involving a defined benefit superannuation fund.
Jane Fiske, an experienced medical negligence practitioner, has been promoted to Senior Associate. Jane has acted on behalf of many Victorian public and private hospitals and doctors and has extensive experience in coronial enquiries, significant claims and defence litigation in the medical malpractice sphere.
The firm is experiencing strong growth in work flow from both new and established clients and anticipates that this demand will continue. It sees the current market environment as an opportunity to continuing growing its business through a mix of internal promotions and tactical use of lateral appointments.
Law firm Lander & Rogers has won the BRW Client Choice Award 2009 for Best Victorian Firm, making it the top rated professional services firm in Victoria.
The BRW Client Choice Awards are regarded as the most prestigious awards for professional services firms in Australia. They are open to all professional services firms, including law, accounting, IT consulting, consulting engineering, architecture and actuarial firms. The BRW Award winners are selected from a rigorous survey process, conducted by Beaton Consulting on behalf of BRW Magazine, to assess the views of clients of professional services firms.
Chief Executive Partner, David Fitch, said "Understanding our clients, their businesses and expectations is the result of the character and commitment of Lander & Rogers' people, now and over many decades. We are both humbled and delighted to win this award and sincerely appreciate being recognised by our clients in this way. We look forward to continuing to provide our clients with the outstanding service and results they expect from Lander & Rogers."
For the second year in a row, Lander & Rogers have been named as "Best Lawyers" in the Australian Financial Review's annual survey.
In the special lift out today, Partners Lisa Newcombe (Insurance Law & Litigation) and Julian Riekert (Workplace Relations & Safety) were nominated by their peers as being outstanding lawyers in their respective fields.
Selection is based on an exhaustive and rigorous peer-review survey comprising more than 66,000 confidential evaluations by 335 leading lawyers in Australia.
Lander & Rogers adds to Commercial Litigation and Family Law teams
30 January 2009
Lander & Rogers adds to Commercial Litigation and Family Law teams
Law firm Lander & Rogers has made a significant move to increase its commercial litigation and family law capabilities, with the creation of a new commercial litigation team in its Sydney office and the appointment of a new partner to its Melbourne Family Law practice.
Senior litigators Craig Higginbotham and Genevieve Staff, formerly of Thomson Playford Cutler, have joined the Landers partnership, along with their team of three other staff, in a Sydney-based litigation practice focusing on insolvency, construction and environmental litigation for national and NSW-specific clients.
Well known family law practitioner, Peter Royston, has also joined the firm's Family Law practice from Wilsons Lawyers.
Says the firm's Chief Executive Partner, David Fitch, "It's a natural fit to our business to have lawyers like Craig, Genevieve and Peter on board. Each of them has extensive experience and solid reputations in their respective areas, and we are delighted to have them join us."
"Work in Craig and Genevieve's practices is obviously on the rise, and their presence in Sydney particularly will help us extend our litigation services into that market. Family law is also an area that has not been greatly impacted by the economic downturn and is a key practice area for our firm. Peter is a highly experienced lawyer, having practised for 35 years, and his appointment will enable us to keep growing this high demand area of our business as well."
Continued strong results for Lander & Rogers in latest legal partnership surveys
12 December 2008
The latest AFR and The Australian partnership surveys show that Lander & Rogers continues to experience strong growth, achieving 16.7% growth over the 12 months from January - December 2008. This puts the firm within the top ten fastest growing partnerships of the 30 firms surveyed by The Australian.
The firm was also recognised as a leading firm in the appointment of female partners, having the second highest overall proportion of female partners, and coming in the top ten firms where women won the most new partnerships this year.
Lander & Rogers won a place in the BRW Top 30 Law firms survey. The survey reviews law firm performance for the 07/08 financial year and lists the top 30 accordingly. Lander & Rogers came in 21st by revenue and 25th in terms of size.
Key construction appointment to Lander & Rogers' Sydney office
Law firm Lander & Rogers' confidence in the potential of the NSW construction market has led the firm to make a key appointment to its Sydney office.
Construction and infrastructure lawyer Mike Krsticevic has been hired as a senior associate in Lander & Rogers' Property Planning & Environment group. Mike's practice will focus on matters ranging from tender preparation and submissions, contract drafting and negotiation, and general contract advice to alternative dispute resolution, Security of Payment Act claims and general litigation.
According to Chief Operating Officer, Grant Scott-Hayward, "During this period of economic uncertainty, there will be ongoing need, and potentially pressure, for governments around Australia to continue progressing public infrastructure projects as a way to provide stability and growth for their economies. We're looking to the opportunities that will arise for our services in relation to these and private projects, and appointing Mike is a natural step towards enhancing our capabilities in this area."
Thomas Wait, partner, Property, Planning & Environment group said, "We have been looking for the right opportunity to expand our construction capabilities in Sydney and are delighted to have someone of Mike's calibre on board. Mike brings to the firm solid experience in this area of law."
Mike previously worked as a sole practitioner, focusing on construction, property and commercial law. Prior to this, he worked for a large national law firm, where he advised on construction, design and infrastructure projects.
Mike said, "This is a really exciting opportunity for me to leverage Lander & Rogers' expertise in the areas of property, planning and environment into an area with potential for increased investment and development."
Internet and telephone betting services are not confined to a geographical location. Their constitutional right to freedom of interstate trade will overcome restrictions imposed by protectionist state laws....click here to read article (PDF 346 KB).
This article appeared in the October 2008 Law Institute Journal (LIJ). It has been reproduced with permission from the LIJ.
Lander & Rogers' 4th year lawyer, Darren Boyd, was named as top young lawyer in a recent Lawyers Weekly feature (19 September 2008).
Living by the motto "work hard, play hard", passionate sportsman Darren combines his career at Lander & Rogers with his career as a sports commentator.
Since completing his articles with the firm in 2004, Darren has specialised in sports law within Lander & Rogers' dedicated sports law practice (part of Lander & Rogers' Corporate & Commercial group). This has given him some unique opportunities, like serving as the primary legal advisor for the Melbourne 2007 World Swimming Championships.
Outside of the law, Darren still finds the time to pursue his passion for sport with his role as a sports commentator for ABC TV, where he calls VFL and Women's National Basketball League games each weekend.
New appointment for Lander & Rogers' Workplace Relations & Safety group
Lander & Rogers is pleased to announce the appointment of Cath Gillard as Special Counsel in our Workplace Relations & Safety group.
Derek Humphery-Smith, practice group leader in Workplace Relations & Safety, said "We are delighted to have Cath on board. Coming from her previous in-house role with Linfox, she further strengthens our understanding of what a large corporate client is looking for from its workplace relations legal advisors."
Cath brings to the firm extensive experience in industrial relations, employment and anti-discrimination law. Throughout more than a decade of practice, Cath has provided strategic and technical advice to clients in a wide variety of industries in both the public and private sectors including retail, transport, financial services, manufacturing, education and health.
Cath joins Lander & Rogers most recently from Linfox Australia, where she worked as a senior corporate lawyer specialising in workplace relations. Prior to this, Cath spent nine years with Minter Ellison in their HR & IR practice group.
The National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) will be holding Breakfast Seminars in QLD, NSW and VIC over the next couple of months titled 'The National OH&S Inquiry: Some Legal Observations'.
Seasonal clerkships are a law student's key opportunity to gain first hand experience of the law in practice, and competition for places is tight.
In a recent feature in The Australian (25 July 2008), Lander & Rogers was reported as taking on 36 seasonal clerks each year, representing three intakes of 12 clerks. Clerks are chosen from about 800 applicants, 80 of whom get to the interview stage.
The interview usually last around 45 minutes and, according to Lander & Rogers senior HR advisor, Jorja Hicks, it is the key to assessing whether "we'd be prepared to put a candidate in front of our clients".
"At the interview we find out if the energy level matches what the CV might suggest," she said. "We find out such things as whether the person is articulate, friendly and engaging, as well as having the intellectual qualities which are taken for granted."
In its clerkship program, Lander & Rogers seeks to provide an ambience that law students will find exciting. "We make sure the program is properly structured," says Hicks, who sees the main aims as offering real work experience, building students skills and experience through workshops on drafting, negotiating and mediation, as well as providing a social aspect.
Lander & Rogers offers summer clerkships at both its Melbourne and Sydney offices. For more information about the programs, click here.
Strong results for Lander & Rogers in latest legal partnership surveys
01 July 2008
Lander & Rogers has appointed six new partners and seven new senior associates, making the firm one of the top five fastest growing partnerships in the recent AFR and Australian partnership surveys.
Lander & Rogers was also recognised as a leading firm in the appointment of female partners, with women currently making up 31% of the firm's partners. One of Lander & Rogers' new Property Planning and Environment partners is Lisa Gaddie who has risen through the ranks from part-time senior associate to part-time partner.
With the current shortage of experienced and talented lawyers, many firms are now allowing partners to work part-time, job share or work from home. Lander & Rogers continues to promote their commitment to flexibility and work-life balance for staff, and was highlighted in the surveys as a firm which has a significant number of partners working flexibly.
Chief Operating Officer Grant Scott-Hayward attributes Lander & Rogers growth to 15% revenue growth for the past 5 years, solid retention strategies and surging property, insurance and family law practices.
This year is also a landmark year for new partner Matt Dudakov who first started work with Lander & Rogers in the mail room in 1994 and has just been appointed a partner in the firm's Melbourne Insurance Law & Litigation practice.
The partners of Lander & Rogers are delighted to announce the appointment of Grant Scott-Hayward.
Grant joins the firm as Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, Grant will work with the firm's Board and Chief Executive Partner on a range of initiatives to further improve Lander & Rogers' business and market presence. He will focus on the firm's strategy implementation, ongoing finance, technology and operational improvements, as well as provide strategic direction to the firm's marketing and HR functions.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Grant and a great step for us," says Chief Executive Partner, David Fitch. "Very few Australian firms recognise the value of a COO role and we are confident that Grant will make a valuable addition to our professional management team."
Senior Associates join Family Law and Corporate & Commercial Teams
21 April 2008
The partners of Lander & Rogers are delighted to announce the appointments of Anna Cameron and Jodylee Bartal as Senior Associates.
Anna Cameron joins our Corporate & Commercial team. After beginning her career in private practice, Anna progressed to the Australian Children?s Television Foundation as a legal officer and later head of legal. In 1997 she left Melbourne for London to practise with the media law group at Herbert Smith. Most recently she was the head of legal and business affairs with UK media talent agency The Agency. Anna brings to the firm and the Corporate & Commercial group a great depth of experience in IP and its commercialisation in media and entertainment. Anna?s appointment will augment the firm?s significant entertainment law and intellectual property expertise, increasing the specialist resources available to our clients.
Jodylee Bartal joins our Family Law team, bringing with her many years of experience in complex financial settlements and litigation, preparation of binding financial agreements including pre-nuptial agreements, de facto litigation and cohabitation agreements, superannuation splitting and related advice, post-separation parenting agreements, child support matters, and international divorce and property cases. Jodylee is a Member of the Family Law Section of the Institute of Victoria, Victorian Women Lawyers and the Law Council of Australia, Family Law Section. Jodylee is regularly invited to speak on a wide range of topics at family law seminars and to other groups such as banks, accounting groups, and schools.
Congratulations to our 4 teams who competed in the Oxfam Trailwalker in Melbourne on 11-13 April 2008. Teams of 4 walked 100km from Jells Park, Wheelers Hill to Westburn Park. To date our Oxfam trailwalkers have raised $14,887 for this worthy cause.
Respondents completed the survey directly on-line and rated on the following criteria:
Financial rewards
Professional development and training
Feedback and supervision
Quality and variety of work
Workload and work-life balance
Career and partnership prospects
Chief Executive Partner David Fitch has thanked all Lander & Rogers partners and staff for their contribution to the firm. "There are many reasons for the position we are in. The most important is the character and quality of everyone in the firm, your commitment to doing fabulous work and developing and supporting everyone in the process, bringing out the best in everyone. We all have an important role to maintain Lander & Rogers as the place to be and in which to build futures."
Lee and Andrew's appointment will augment the firm's significant property expertise, adding to the steady growth of our team, and increasing the specialist resources available to our clients.
Lee has joined our Melbourne office. She graduated from Monash University in 2001 with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees. She was admitted to practice in 2002 and gained experience as an associate in the property department of a boutique Melbourne based firm prior to joining Lander & Rogers.
Andrew has joined our Sydney office. He holds both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law degrees with the University of New South Wales. He is a results driven lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in property law, specialising in the areas of commercial and retail leasing.
Sports Business Expert Ian Fullagar is speaking on risk management at the upcoming Event Host 08 Conference (11-16 March). For more information on the conference, please click here.
Lander & Rogers is proud to support the upcoming Victorian Association for Restorative Justice (VARJ) Conference "Restorative Justice: Bringing Justice and Community Together".
The Deputy Premier and Attorney-General of Victoria, the Hon. Rob Hulls MLA will open the conference and key note speakers will include Dr Michael King former magistrate and Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Law at Monash University; Margaret Thorsborne, pioneer in the use of RJ in schools and the Managing Director of Margaret Thorsborne & Associates & Transformative Justice Australia (Qld) and; Paul Ban, Family Group Conference expert. There will be a number of concurrent “streams” in the program including research and practice, legal systems, and schools.
The conference organisers welcome the submission of abstracts of papers for consideration for presentation at the conference. A paper may be on any aspect of restorative practice. Abstracts should be no longer than 150 words. Proposals for panels of 4-5 speakers on a particular aspect of restorative practice are also welcome. The proposals should clearly outline the aspect of restorative practice and key issues to be covered.
Submission of abstracts and panel proposals should be accompanied by a proposed title of the presentation and the names, contact details and position of the presenter(s). Early expressions of interest and queries in relation to possible topics and the submission of abstracts and panel proposals are welcome.
Abstracts should be submitted by email to Peter Condliffe, President & Conference Coordinator, no later than 29 February 2008. Contact Peter via email: pc@vicbar.com.au or telephone: (03) 9225 6888
For further information, please visit the VARJ website at www.varj.asn.au
Sharing Community Spirit through the Festive Season
19 December 2007
When the festive season descended on Lander & Rogers this year the firm committed itself to a number of projects aimed at extending goodwill and joy beyond our office door.
Our Sydney team assisted Josephite Community Aid's hamper appeal by donating food and presents, and on Saturday 8th December, our partners and staff delivered hampers to Sudanese families throughout NSW.
Under the guidance of the Pro Bono and Community Support Committee, staff have enthusiastically embraced the hamper initiatives at both offices, generously donating hamper items, money and time to pack and deliver the hampers. The firm is very proud of their enormous efforts.
Lander & Rogers is delighted to support all of these community initiatives as an extension of its strong commitment to pro bono legal services.
The partners of Lander & Rogers are delighted to announce the appointment of Kate Francis as Special Counsel in our Insurance Law & Litigation Group.
Kate has extensive experience in the defence of medical malpractice, personal injuries, transport accident and public liability claims in all Victorian jurisdictions. She has been involved in many high profile coronial inquests. She has acted for public and private hospitals and provided advice to hospitals and professional bodies on a wide range of legal issues. She was the lawyer member of the Nurses Board of Victoria from 1993 to 1997, a role which involved participation in disciplinary hearings and statutory interpretation. She is a current member of the Animal Research and Ethics Committee of the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital.
Lisa Newcombe, partner, says "Kate's appointment will augment the firm's medical malpractice expertise, adding to the steady growth of our Insurance Law & Litigation team and increasing the specialist resources available to our clients."
Major Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations come into force today, Wednesday December 12.
Lander & Rogers has been assisting a wide range of reporting entities in meeting their obligations, including preparing AML programs and customer ID regimes. We are well placed to provide urgent assistance to anyone who has “left it to the last minute”.
For the finance and gambling sectors an AML/CTF Program must be in place that will cover all of the following components:
ML/TF risks assessed
AML/CTF Officer appointed
AML/CTF record keeping – required records to be kept
AML/CTF risk awareness training – prepared and underway
Employee due diligence program – prepared and in place
Customer identification procedures – prepared and in place
Annual compliance report to AUSTRAC – first report due March 2008
Mackrell International Celebrates 20th Anniversary
30 November 2007
Lander & Rogers are proud to be the Australian representatives to Mackrell International. Mackrell International is one of the world's major networks of independent law firms, currently numbering over 60 firms in more than 100 offices on five continents. If you would like to read more about Mackrell International's 20th anniversary, please click here.
Raini Zambelli, Senior Associate in our Commercial Litigation team was awarded the Insolvency Practitioners Association David Fogarty Award for Excellence at the recent IPA Vic/Tas Seminar & Dinner after receiving the highest marks of Victorian Students completing the 2007 Insolvency Education Program.
After many years of offering clerkships in Melbourne, Lander & Rogers is excited to invite applications from law students for its first ever intake of summer clerks in Sydney.
The Sydney summer clerkship program offers 2 practice group rotations and will run from 26 November 2007 - 15 February 2008.
To apply, send your letter of application, CV and academic results to Jorja Hicks, Human Resources Advisor by e-mail to careers@landers.com.au
Meet us at the Deakin Law Students' Society Careers Week
11 September 2007
On 20 September, Allison Nicholls (Senior Associate, Family Law), Matt Stockdale (Lawyer, WorkCover) and Jorja Hicks (HR Advisor) will be on campus at Deakin University at part of their annual Law Students' Society Careers Week. The event is a great opportunity for Deakin University law students to meet our people and learn more about career opportunities for law students.
Details
Date
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Time
1.00pm - 1.45pm
Venue
Law School, Deakin University, Burwood
Presenters
Allison Nicholls, Senior Associate, Family Law
Matt Stockdale, Lawyer, WorkCover
Jorja Hicks, HR Advisor
The partners of Lander & Rogers are delighted to announce the appointment of Bill Brown as Special Counsel in our Corporate & Commercial Group.
Bill was until recently General Manager Legal & Regulatory for Tabcorp Holdings Limited, having previously been General Counsel, Star City Casino and General Counsel, Aristocrat Leisure Industries. In his in-house roles, Bill has provided advice on a wide range of subject areas including contract, finance, acquisition/disposition, employment, property, tax/revenue, competition and consumer protection, marketing, intellectual property, corporate governance, as well as managing substantial litigation and dispute resolution. Bill has particular experience in the gambling/hospitality and entertainment/leisure sectors and, most recently, played a leading industry role in reform of the anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws in Australia.
This appeal to the New South Wales Supreme Court is a useful reminder that in the absence of fraudulent intent, misrepresentation and non-disclosure within the policy proposal do not entitle an insurer to avoid a policy.
Insurers must be careful when alleging fraud as a means of avoiding the ramifications of poor policy drafting because if the repudiation of the policy is wrongful, damages will be calculated so as to put the insured in the position they would have been but for the wrongful repudiation. In this case, the damage was roughly $1.4 million dollars.
For further information on the background, the issue, findings of the supreme court and comments click here.
Lander & Rogers is delighted to announce that we are the Platinum sponsor of the Retail IR National Conference on 5 September 2007 at the MCG.
Attendees will hear from key decision makers and representatives in the current industrial relations debate. The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Honourable Joe Hockey, will open the event and Ms Julia Gillard MP, Industrial Relations Opposition Spokesperson and Deputy Leader will address the conference luncheon on the ALP's industrial relations policy.
As the major sponsor we are able to offer our network the opportunity to attend the conference at the early bird member discount rates. Registration for the full conference (including luncheon) is $295 plus GST. You can also register only for the conference luncheon for $125 plus GST.
With the upcoming Federal election and industrial relations at the forefront of the political debate, these speakers are not to be missed. Attending will give you the opportunity to hear and ask questions of authoritative participants in Workplace Relations. Places are strictly limited so please act now to secure your place at the conference/lunch at these special prices.
Click here to view the full conference program.
Click here to download your Registration Form
Our Corporate & Commercial group have been acting for the Get Going Sport Foundation Ltd, a not-for-profit organisation recently established to sponsor and promote sporting programs in Victorian schools in partnership with the Victorian government.
Maria Appla and Christopher Stevens are seen here at the media launch of Get Going with directors Russell Morris, Andrew Gaze, ex-AFL CEO Ross Oakley and Todd Woodbridge.
For further information on our probono work click here.
The partners of Lander & Rogers are pleased to congratulate Radhika Mendis on her appointment to Senior Associate.
Radhika joined the firm as an Articled Clerk in 2001, and was admitted to practice in 2002, joining our Insurance Law & Litigation team. She has recently returned to Australia from London, where she spent two years working with US firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw and then as Assistant Legal Counsel at Spectrum Syndicate Management.
The partners of Lander & Rogers are delighted to announce the appointment of three new partners and six new senior associates. Congratulations to these talented lawyers on their success.
The partners of Lander & Rogers Lawyers wish to formally announce the addition of Georgina Ward as a partner in the Property, Planning & Environment (PP&E) group in its Sydney office from 2 July 2007. Georgina joins the firm from Arnold Bloch Leibler, where she was a partner in their property & development practice in Sydney. Three members of Georgina's team are also moving with her to join Lander & Rogers.
Georgina brings expertise and experience across a wide range of property-related areas including property development; sales & acquisitions; commercial, industrial and retail leasing; due diligence; and GST. She has acted for a number of blue chip Australian corporations on a range of property related matters over a number of years.
Georgina is an experienced presenter and speaker, and has presented at a number of industry seminars on property and GST-related issues.
The addition of Georgina and her team brings the number of partners, lawyers and staff in Lander & Rogers' Sydney PP&E team to 11. This is complemented by 23 PP&E partners, lawyers and staff in the firm's Melbourne office.
Thomas Wait, partner in the PP&E group's Sydney office, says "the addition of Georgina and her team to our group provides much depth and experience, which will complement and enhance an existing successful and well regarded Property, Planning & Environment team."
Guest speaker Simon Illingsworth, is a thirty-nine year-old ex-Detective Sergeant who spent 17 years fighting organised crime and police corruption in Victoria. He will share his insight into the increasingly frightening world of Melbourne's gangland killings, his efforts to disclose police corruption and the challenges he faced during this period. Simon appeared on ABC's Australian Story as a whistleblower which drew an audience of over 1 million Australians and won gold quill for current affairs in 2005.
Business Leaders' Boardroom Luncheon - 3 August 2007
11 July 2007
Our guest speaker will be one of Australia's leading economic experts Saul Eslake, Chief Economist with the ANZ Bank. Saul will discuss Australia's economic outlook post-budget and in the lead up to the Federal election.
