Event Wrap-up
Golden Gavel By Lyle Swithenbank, Communications Sub-Committee Leader, Young Lawyers Committee
“I never thought I’d learn so much about the law of defamation until 5 minutes after my speech at Golden Gavel. Truly a thrilling, career-stopping experience.” - Joseph Sabbagh, Herbert Smith Freehills On a not so spooky Friday the 13th of August 2021, the Ritz-Carlton ballroom was filled with 330 legal professionals for the 2021 Golden Gavel competition. After a cancellation last year, the Law Society and the YLC dug deep to pull together the event of the year (so far…). The event sold out in record time, with a waitlist longer than the queue in Thursday morning Master’s Chambers, all vying for a spot at a table to watch ten unsuspecting junior lawyers go head to head in a night of wit, cunning and outright comedic genius. This instalment of the Golden Gavel stayed true to history, with the contestants each provided a topic at 4.30pm the night before, on which they were to prepare a five-minute speech with a view to entertaining the crowd whilst also providing proverbial gut punches to each other’s respective firms. My experience speaking at the Golden Gavel was unlike any other. I never thought I would roast the profession in front of my peers or demand a glass of water part way through my speech. As it turned out, the only thing drier than my sense of humour was my mouth on the night. - Izzy Wilson, Ashurst - Third Place Winner The judges tasked with deciding the winner of the prestigious gavel were the Chief Justice, the Hon Peter Quinlan, his Honour Judge David MacLean of the District Court, and Ms Jocelyne Boujos, President of the Law Society of Western Australia. The judges had a difficult decision to make, as the contestants delivered some first-class banter amongst themselves as well as a few good jokes sprinkled in their speeches for good measure. I never thought that embarrassing myself in front of the Chief Justice could be so fun, I hope any future appearances before him go a little bit different. The support I received from my firm and the people I know in the profession was immense, I’d definitely recommend applying for next year’s competition if you are interested. - Max Used, Pragma Lawyers
Staying true to form, the big law firm contestants received the brunt of the insults, along with a smattering for the smaller and non-private practice lawyers who channelled their advocacy and public speaking skills on The Ritz’ lectern.
Laura Hutchinson - Without prejudice — tell us what you really think.
After a lengthy deliberation over dessert, the judges crowned Laura Hutchinson of the Department of Legislative Council as the deserved winner of the 2021 Golden Gavel. Laura had the crowd in fits of laughter with her response to the question: “Without Prejudice – Tell us what you really think”. A close runner-up was Andrew Cavenagh from Hall & Wilcox with “‘Happy to help’ and other lies we tell our Partners”. Golden Gavel was a once in a lifetime opportunity to subject a 300 person audience to stories of my dating life, and a personal challenge to see how much innuendo I could chuck into a 5 minute speech. I’m glad the audience was suitably inebriated by the time I spoke. Hopefully they only remember the funny bits. Should you do it? If a partner asks you, there is only one correct answer — happy to help.
Izzy Wilson - My tips for the 2022 grads
- Andrew Cavenagh, Hall & Wilcox Second Place Winner Thank you to the Law Society and YLC for a great evening, and thank you to the people, for making the right choice. - Aideen Myles, Norton Rose Fulbright “People’s Choice” Winner In addition to winning some prize money, Laura was tasked with representing WA in the National Golden Gavel competition, which was held in Brisbane (in a hybridtype online event for those who won’t be able to attend in person due to the ongoing international pandemic you may have heard some stuff about on the news).
Aideen Myles - Your Honour, those are my instructions.
Overall, it was a fantastic night, with delicious food and a great atmosphere. Congratulations must go to the contestants, and a big thank you to the judges and the Law Society for putting on an awesome event. I am already looking forward to the competition returning in 2022. It was an absolute pleasure to participate in the Golden Gavel — the night was truly amazing. An entrée of seared scallops, followed by a delectable main of beef fillet and creamy mash. With an abundance of dessert options and a veritable cataract of wine, I feel comfortable giving the night a rating of 9/10. The only real let-down was that myself and some other people prattled into a microphone throughout the evening. - Xavier Sweeney, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Andrew Cavenagh - ‘Happy to help’ and other lies we tell Partners.
47
