NT Women lawyers Assocation News and updates

TRACI KEYS

PRESIDENT | NORTHERN TERRITORY WOMEN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (NTWLA)

ntwomenlawyersassoc@gmail.com @ntwomenlawyers

Women lawyers news and updates

On 11 March 2021 in collaboration with Northern Territory Young Lawyers (NTYL), we held the annual International Women’s Day Breakfast. The breakfast was held at the Hilton, with our panel of speakers including:

The Honourable Justice Sonia Brownhill

Supreme Court of the Northern Territory

Arelene Lowry

Special Counsel, Hall & Wilcox

Ben O’Loughlin

Barrister, William Forster Chambers

Tamara Cole

Legal Principal and Officer, Northern Land Council The theme for 2021 was Choose to Challenge. The panel spoke to a range of issues impacting on women in the profession including:

● Sexual harassment ● Barriers to joining the bar ● Workplace flexibility and caring

It was an extremely successful event that for the third year running was booked out. It is also heartening to see each year more and more men from the profession join this event and become part of the conversation. I hope that this reflects a growing realisation that barriers faced by women in the legal profession are concerns for all members of the profession.

I would like to thank and acknowledge the Northern Territory Government, particularly the Office of Gender Equity and Diversity for their funding for this event, that enabled the tickets for the event to be subsidised, allowing junior practitioners and law students to attend. I would also like to thank those on the steering committee, Nick Salagaras (NTYL), Taylah Cramp (NTYL), Sarah Strzelecki (former NTYL President, Nicki Petrou (NTWLA), as well as committee members from both bodies who assisted on the day. I would also like to thank the staff at the Hilton and Beth Lovell who yet again baked her incredible biscuits for all our attendees.

I thank all those attended on the day, and appreciate all feedback provided. Feedback is used each year to inform the next event, which fully intended to run again in 2022.

In Alice Springs we ran a Law N Bowls night also in collaboration with NTYL. This event was held at the Alice Springs Golf Club with Judge Sarah McNamara as speaker.

NTWLA as part of Law Week also ran a movie night showing the film “The Meeting.” This is an award winning Irish film that provides a re-enactment of a restorative justice mediation in relation to a serious sexual assault. The victim in this film plays herself, as does her support person Professor Marie Keenan. Professor Keenan was involved in the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The film is directed by Alan Gilsenan and produced by Tomás Hardiman. Thanks and acknowledgement go to Tomás Hardiman for giving us access to this important and powerful film.

The film was available to view remotely or at a venue on 19 May 2021, with the onsite event enabling some insightful discussion afterwards. Feedback from the film was overwhelmingly positive. Coming up in the ensuing months will be our event deferred from last year — You Can’t Ask That. Please save Friday 2 July 2021 in your diary. This event will be held at the Supreme Court.

The guests on the panel for this event will be a selection of our judiciary who are brave enough to answer your anonymous questions. So get your thinking caps on and send us those burning questions that you have always wanted to ask a judge, but were too afraid to do so (the more outrageous the better!). Send your questions to: ntwomenslawyersaccoc@gmail.com.

Plans are also a foot for Patron’s Drinks which will be on Friday 27 August 2021 — put it in your calendar.

I hope everyone is having a great start to the dry, we hope to see you out and about soon. Regards,

Traci Keys, President.

APPLICATION FOR GRANTS DUE BY FRIDAY 16 JULY 2021

Organisations and individuals are invited to make written applications to the Law Society Public Purposes Trust (LSPPT) seeking a grant.

The LSPPT has limited funds to allocate to grants and invites applications for projects up to a maximum of $10,000 each. Grants will be required to be completed and the funds acquitted by June 2022.

The objectives of the LSPPT are:

1. To advance the education of the community and any section of it with respect to the law; 2. To advance collection, assessment and dissemination to the community and any section of it of information relating to law; 3. To improve the access to the community, and any section of it, to legal services; 4. To improve the quality, standard and effectiveness of legal services available to the community, or any section of it, and; 5. To protect any members of the community using or seeking to use legal services.

Applications must be in accordance with the objectives. Information for Applicants Guide is available here: https://tinyurl.com/3j663na5 Further information: https://tinyurl.com/4krs9cu7

ADDRESS APPLICATIONS TO:

The Secretary, Law Society Public Purposes Trust GPO Box 2388 Darwin NT 0801 Telephone: (08) 8981 5104 Email: LSPPT@lawsocietynt.asn.au