Law Week 2016 begins on Monday, 16 May and runs until Friday, 20 May. Law Week provides a chance for the community and the legal profession to engage in an open dialogue and build a shared understanding of the role of law in society.
The opening of Law Week on Monday, 16 May coincides with a national day of action in support of the Law Council of Australia‘s ‘Legal Aid Matters’ campaign, which calls on Parliamentarians and the general public to help tackle the current crisis in legal aid funding.
Successive funding cuts over many years have caused real harm to the most vulnerable members of our community. Young people, people with low socio-economic standing and people with disabilities have all suffered after being denied legal aid.
The Law Society of Western Australia encourages all stakeholders to use Law Week 2016 as a catalyst to end the legal aid funding neglect.
Law Week will once again offer some of the most exciting, thought-provoking and informative events on the Western Australian legal calendar.
The Law Society will showcase a wide array of seminars, information sessions and social events focusing on the theme of law and justice in the community, including:
- The Case for Legal Aid – Law Week Breakfast with Fred Chaney AO, featuring the Attorney General’s Community Service Law Awards – Monday, 16 May;
- Youth Civics Leadership Day – Monday, 16 May;
- Inaugural Law Access Walk for Justice – Tuesday, 17 May; and
- Law Week Cocktail Evening and Lawyer of the Year Awards – Thursday, 19 May.
Law Society President Elizabeth Needham said, “Law Week is a wonderful opportunity to bring the legal profession and the community together.
“Law Week offers a chance for people to become better informed about the work of lawyers, to demystify the legal system and to celebrate legal practitioners who consistently give back to society through their pro bono work.”
More Law Week events will be announced soon. Please visit lawsocietywa.asn.au/law-week to find out more.
– ENDS –
For comment please contact:
Andrew MacNiven
Media and Communications Officer
(08) 9324 8634
amacniven@lawsocietywa.asn.au
