22 November 2022
The Law Society of Western Australia’s Young Lawyers Committee was honoured on Friday, 18 November 2022, by the Law Council of Australia for their work supporting early-career legal professionals.
At the National Golden Gavel competition and Australian Young Lawyer Awards held in the ACT on Friday evening, Brisbane lawyer Tegun Middleton was named Australian Young Lawyer of the Year, and the Law Society of Western Australia’s Young Lawyers Committee was presented with the Australian Young Lawyer Organisation Award.
“The Law Society of Western Australia’s Young Lawyers Committee has tirelessly advocated on student, graduate and young lawyer entitlements and working conditions and is a deserved winner of this year’s Australian Young Lawyer Organisation Award,” Law Council of Australia President, Mr Tass Liveris said.
The Committee’s work includes the publication of two key resources, “Know Your Rights Guide” and “Fair, Safe and Inclusive Legal Workplaces”, which provide guidance and advice to new lawyers and the profession more broadly.
Chair Demi Swain, who attended the Awards function on Friday to receive the Award on behalf of the Committee, said, “The Young Lawyers Committee of the Law Society of Western Australia is incredibly grateful to receive this award. We have put in a significant amount of time and dedication in developing the “Know Your Rights Guide” and other important initiatives aimed at improving working conditions and employment practices in the legal profession. It is fantastic that this work has been recognised and can be promoted nationally, to the benefit of all Australian law students, graduates and junior lawyers.”
Law Society President Rebecca Lee also congratulated the Young Lawyers Committee and said, “The Law Society of Western Australia is very proud of the great advocacy work being done by its Young Lawyers Committee. These Guidelines will assist employers to make meaningful changes in the legal profession. We also thank the Law Council of Australia for their support.”
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For comment please contact:
Madeleine McErlain
Manager Corporate Communications
(08) 9324 8650
mmcerlain@lawsocietywa.asn.au
The Law Society of Western Australia is the peak professional association for lawyers in the State. The Society is a not-for-profit association dedicated to the representation of its more than 4,500 members. The Society enhances the legal profession through its position as a respected leader and contributor on law reform, access to justice and the rule of law. The Society is widely acknowledged by the legal profession, government and the community as the voice of the legal profession in Western Australia.
