Author adminPosted on Categories Judiciary 2 Comments on Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to the US Supreme Court
Black-letter lawyer and eminent judge Amy Coney Barrett has been appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession, Professional discipline Leave a comment on Nicola Gobbo aka Lawyer X removed from the roll of lawyers
Former Victorian criminal barrister Nicola Gobbo represented a number of high-profile clients during her career at the bar. It was later discovered that she had also been acting as a police informant, and was using confidential information obtained from her clients to assist police in obtaining evidence. This revelation sparked a royal commission in Victoria, and Gobbo’s evidence at the royal commission suggested her motivation for this extraordinary course of conduct was to feel valued.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 4 Comments on Bradley Robert Edwards found guilty of two of the three Claremont killings DNA testing in recent decades has miraculously proven the guilty of the guilty and acquitted the innocent, often many years after the fact. In California, it revealed the identity of the Golden State Killer, and resulted in his convictions for his murderous crimes. The case of the Claremont murders is the latest example of crimes catching up to killers long afterwards, all thanks to DNA.
The murders
On 9 June 1996, Jane Rimmer, a 23 year old childcare worker, was last seen alive outside Claremont’s Continental Hotel on 3 August 1996, Her body was found in bushland at Wellard in Perth’s south on March 15, 1997.
Ciara Glennon, a solicitor aged 27, was last seen in Claremont after visiting the Continental Hotel on 3 April 1997. Her body was later found in bushland at Eglinton in Perth’s north.
A male driver, either in a Telstra vehicle or identifying himself as a Telstra worker, had been seen giving lifts to women in Claremont or neighbouring Cottesloe.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Legal profession, Professional discipline Leave a comment on James Loel stays on the roll after QCAT disciplinary decision
Queensland solicitor James Loel has avoided a strike-off order after it was found that he had engaged in professional misconduct on five occasions, and engaged in unsatisfactory professional conduct eight times.
The rehabilitation he had undertaken since the offending conduct and his acceptance of the conduct were significant factors which weighed in his favour.
The full decision can be accessed here: http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/qld/QCAT/2020/326.html
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 3 Comments on Recalling the infamous “Order me a f*&3ing pizza while you’re at it” incident
Background
David Allan Baker had been charged with attempted murder and had sacked his barrister and solicitors on an earlier occasion when his trial came on for hearing.
Baker’s trial was set to commence before Justice Martin Daubney on 4 June 2012, but the day before he again sacked his legal representatives and the matter came on before the court on an application by his second set of legal representatives for leave to withdraw after he had dispensed with their services. Continue reading “Recalling the infamous “Order me a f*&%ing pizza while you’re at it” incident”
Author adminPosted on Categories Criminal law 2 Comments on Neil Andrew Pentland found not guilty of murder of Philip Carlyle After a lengthy judge-only trial, Pentland was acquitted.
In 1996, Neil Pentland and his wife Dianne set up a company called ATNET Pty Ltd. Pentland was a director and the secretary of the company. The shares were held by him and his wife. The initial operation of the company involved assisting clients to set up email accounts and with basic internet functions. Mr Carlyle was employed by the company as its marketing manager from late 1996. He was not a shareholder but there was an agreement which would have allowed him to buy 30% of the company’s shares for $30,000 at a later time.
Philip Carlyle was murdered on 13 April 1997. He had been lured, or coerced, into a small, sound-proofed plant room in an office building at Robina. He was then shot in the head and neck with four .32 calibre steel jacket bullets. The weapon used to kill Mr Carlyle has never been found.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Industrial relations, Professional discipline 3 Comments on Bangalow lawyer loses appeal against successful sexual harassment suit Former solicitor Owen Hughes, who likened himself to “a sleek kangaroo” and novelist Jane Austen’s noble brooder Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, has lost his appeal against a judgment for sexual harassment he perpetrated against an employee.
This blog had previously reported on the Owen Hughes sexual harassment case brought by a former employee of his law practice.
Junior/trainee solicitor Catherine Mia Hill began working with Owen Hughes’ Bangalow based law firm Beesley and Hughes Lawyers in May 2015. Soon after, Hughes offered to represent her in a mediation for her own family law matter, and she agreed.
A couple of months later, Hughes started his course of sexual harassment by sending Hill emails telling her that he thought she was attractive, and he wanted to be in a relationship with her.
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Author adminPosted on Categories Industrial relations Leave a comment on James Cook University wins appeal against Professor Peter Ridd
In a blow to academic freedom, James Cook University (JCU) has won its appeal against a judgment in favour of a sacked academic who challenged climate science alarmism.
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Author adminPosted on Format VideoCategories Legal profession Leave a comment on BRISBANE LAWYERS
We put your interests first and strive to get the best outcome for you
We are friendly, flexible, approachable and accessible
We have a low cost structure, which means that we can provide high quality and affordable legal services.
Sterling Law can be contacted by phone on 07 3667 8213, or by email: office@sterlinglawqld.com
Author adminPosted on Categories Industrial relations 3 Comments on Employee caught stealing alcohol ‘unfairly dismissed’
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) is known for sometimes making unfair dismissal decisions which arguably are counter-intuitive and/or contrary to community standards and expectations. The following case, in which a Qantas employee was caught stealing and later lied about the stealing, is an excellent example.
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