Women Lawyers NSW

The peak body representing women lawyers in NSW for the advancement of women in the legal profession.

30 September 2009

Dear Members & Colleagues

We congratulate all our nominees in this year's NSW Women Lawyers Achievement Awards and are delighted to announce the winners as noted below. The winners were announced at a Gala Presentation Dinner on Friday 25 September at WatersEdge, Sydney.

At the recommendation of the Judging Panel which comprised representatives from the Attorney General's Department of NSW, the Bar Association of NSW, the Law Society of NSW, the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association and WLANSW, a further nominee received a ‘Highly Commended’ acknowledgement.

• Woman Lawyer of the Year in Private Practice - Anny Slater, Principal of Slaters Intellectual Property Lawyers;
• "In House" Woman Lawyer of the Year, sponsored by Curwoods Lawyers - Bronwyn Carr, Lead Lawyer at American Express;
• Woman Lawyer of the Year in a Community Organisation - Edwina MacDonald at Women's Legal Services NSW;
• Woman Lawyer Advocate of the Year - Tina Jowett, Sixth Floor Windeyer Chambers;
• "Up & Coming" Woman Lawyer of the Year - Ruth Chalmers at Redfern Aboriginal Legal Service; and
• ‘Highly Commended’ special Judging Panel's Award - Maureen Peatman, Partner at Hunt & Hunt.

Our patron Justice Mathews AO announced that our Keynote Speaker for the Awards Gala Dinner, The Honourable Justice Virginia Bell of the High Court of Australia, was also the recipient of the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented by Her Excellency Prof. Marie Bashir AC CVO, State Governor of NSW.

The Women Lawyers Association of NSW supported by the Law Society of New South Wales, the Attorney-General’s Department of NSW, the NSW Bar Association, the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association, and the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, thank you for joining us in recognising outstanding women lawyers who have achieved excellence in their area of practice, while advancing opportunities for women in the law.

Photos of the evening are available from the Happy Medium Photo Company, Phone: 9299 1973, and may be viewed from 30 September on their website under 'Awards' http://happymediumphoto.com.au/

Kind regards,
Mary
Mary Snell
President

Work2Suit Forum, 5:30pm to 7:00pm on Thursday 8 October 2009
The Law Society of NSW, Level 2, 170 Phillip Street, Sydney.

The Federal Government has overhauled the industrial relations system and introduced ten National Employment Standards through the Fair Work Act 2009. One of these Standards is the "Right to Request Flexibility" (r2r) which will commence on 1 January 2010. The r2r Standard provides eligible employees with significant entitlements, and imposes strict process and decision-making obligations on employers. A key finding from an Aequus Partners/CCH national survey on knowledge about the r2r was that most employees and managers appear to have little or no understanding of the change. Unless employers act before 1 January 2010, non-compliance will be a certainty and employee needs for flexibility will be in doubt.

Join Juliet Bourke from Aequus Partners when she explains r2r from both an employer and employee perspective.
Register now to secure your place. Cost: $25pp (light refreshments served)

OTHER EVENTS & NEWS:

The Shoal Bay Resort & Spa is a 4.5 multi-award winning property situated on the beachfront of Shoal Bay, Port Stephens 2.5hours drive from Sydney. Click here for Hot Deals!

The resort’s purpose built Whitesands Conference Centre exudes a friendly welcome, relaxed mood and efficient service and is a favourite of Conference organisers and delegates. The centre offers a choice of three separate meeting rooms which can in total seat up to 300 people, a variety of breakout rooms and a spacious lobby area. The resorts conference service coordinators can also arrange a variety of unique team building activities and themed events if required. For Conference enquiries please contact: adrienne.lee@shoalbayresort.com or M. 0408 692 451.

The NSW Young Lawyers Human Rights Committee cordially invites you to attend a Fair Trade Forum to be held at 6pm on 7 October 2009 at Mallesons Stephen Jaques. If you have ever wondered what fair trade is all about or know what it is about but want to make more of a difference, this forum is a must! Come along and listen to informative presentations, ask questions of leading industry members and taste free samples of fairly traded products, including coffee, tea and chocolate. Please see the attached poster for more information. If you have any questions or wish to RSVP, please email Kelly Douglas at kelly.douglas@deacons.com.au by 2 October 2009.

2009 Clare Burton Memorial Lecture
A Slow Revolution: Maternity Leave, Women and Work

The 2009 lecture by Associate Professor Marian Baird will address the Australian Government’s recent decision to introduce paid maternity leave in 2010 – looking at why it took so long to achieve this, and exploring the implications for employers and working women. The new book The Promise and the Price. Ten Years of the Clare Burton Memorial Lectures will also be launched at the lecture. This ATN WEXDEV publication brings together the past 10 lectures in the Clare Burton Lecture series. Click here for more details.

Date: 5.30 pm – 7.30 pm Thursday 22 October 2009, light refreshments follow the lecture.
Venue: The Chancellery, Level 4, UTS Tower Building 1, Broadway, Sydney
RSVP: Contact Joanna Leonard 02 95141274; or Joanna.leonard@uts.edu.au, by Monday 19 October
Cost: Free. Places are limited so registration is essential

Invitation

You are cordially invited to join with us in celebrating UN Day 2009 on Friday 23^rd October.
The Association is hosting two events:

• The Cenotaph and wreath laying ceremony honouring Australia’s contribution to UN Peace-keeping over 62 years; followed by
• The annual UN Day Luncheon in Parliament House.

Invitation to Participate in Research:
Age Discrimination in Employment – Experiences of men and women over the age of 45
A major new study has been commenced into Age discrimination in Employment. It is being conducted on behalf of the National Seniors Association and the Australian Human Rights Commission. If you feel you have experienced age discrimination in employment, or know anyone who has, you are invited to participate in a research study about your experience. Please click here for Invitation Notice. If you are interested in participating and would like further information or clarification, please contact in the first instance, the researchers Maria Stafford on 02 9594 4603 or preferably email mariastf@googlemail.com or Penelope Nelson on email penelopeneson@optusnet.com.au

Who are Australian Women Lawyers (AWL)
Formed in 1997, AWL is the national body representing and funded by women lawyers associations in Australia. The current AWL Patron is the Honourable Chief Justice Diana Bryant of the Family Court of Australia.

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For more information contact us
Women Lawyers Association of New South Wales Inc.
DX7304 Wyong / 14A Lonsdale Close, Lake Haven NSW 2263
Ph: (02) 4392 1185 Fax: (02) 4392 9410
Email: executive@womenlawyersnsw.org.au URL: http://www.womenlawyersnsw.org.au

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