An insight into the world of a High Court Justice

October 05, 2007

The Law Students' Society at the University of New England is to serve up a rare legal experience. As the guest speaker at the Society's annual Law Dinner, former Justice of the High Court of Australia Michael McHugh will provide a personal insight into the pinnacle of the legal profession in Australia.

The 2007 UNE Law Dinner will be at 7 pm on Friday 12 October in "Booloominbah" – the heritage-listed building at the centre of the University. The topic of Justice McHugh's lecture will be "A Month in the Professional Life of a High Court Justice".

Penelope Scott, the President of the UNE Law Society, said Justice McHugh's lecture would be "an exciting opportunity for academics, law students and solicitors practising in the New England region of NSW".

Justice McHugh (pictured here) was admitted to the NSW Bar in 1961, after having taken the Barristers' Admission Board Examinations. He was appointed as a Queen's Counsel (QC) in 1973 and was Vice-President of the New South Wales Bar Association from 1978 to 1981, then President from 1981 to 1983. Justice McHugh was President of the Australian Bar Association from 1983 to 1984. He was appointed as a Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1984. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court in February 1989, a position he held until his retirement in November 2005. After his retirement from the High Court, Justice McHugh was appointed as one of the non-permanent Justices of the Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong.

"I strongly urge everyone with a genuine interest in law to come to the UNE Law Dinner and hear about the working realities of our legal system from somebody who survived and even flourished for many years at the top," Ms Scott said. "The local band 'Switch' will be performing, and at just $60 a head the 2007 UNE Law Dinner will be to be a night to remember. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased from Booloominbah."

"A speaker of Justice McHugh's calibre demonstrates the high regard in which UNE's School of Law is held on a national – and even international – level," said the Head of the School of Law, Associate Professor Jürgen Bröhmer. "The School of Law at UNE is comparatively young. It was established in 1993 but has experienced rapid growth and has earned widespread respect for its law research and graduates. It has played a pioneering and leadership role among its Australian counterparts in areas such as the integration of Web-based applications into law study, research and practice."

For more information on the UNE Law Dinner, contact Penelope Scott on (02) 6773 3174 or 0423 768 648.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at October 5, 2007 04:19 PM