Criminal Law Conference
213V20: Catch up on all the most relevant topics in criminal law. Analyse judge alone trials, representing clients online, changes in sentencing decisions and the credibility of complainants. Plus, gain your core CPD units in issues of paramount relevance to criminal practitioners, including making an effective bail application, the duty of disclosure, and trauma informed courts. You’ll leave equipped with the information and skills your clients and the courts will expect of you.
Description
7 CPD units including:
3 units in Substantive Law
1 unit in Ethics & Professional Responsibility
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
2 units in Professional Skills
This program is based on VIC legislation
*We are currently offering in person registrations to 2021 Victorian events, however should Victorian government regulations not allow for this at the time of the event, your registration will automatically be transferred to live online.
Session 1
Hot Button Issues in the Criminal Law Landscape
Chair: Philip Dunn QC, Crockett Chambers
9.00am to 10.00am Judge Alone Trials: A Legislative Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
- How do judge-only trials work in practice?
- What can practitioners expect from them?
- Impacts on rights of the accused
- Plans to retain judge-only trials post-COVID: How and in what capacity?
Presented by Julia Munster, Senior Public Defender, Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law and Zubin Menon, Public Defender, VLA Chambers, Victoria Legal Aid
Professional Skills
10.00am to 11.00am Representing Clients Online
- Communication: court/client/witnesses
- In summary Magistrates’ Court hearings : importance of case conferencing and conformation of resolution including summaries
- Bail applications in all jurisdictions
- Written submissions: form and content
- Documents to be relied upon
- In contested committals in the Magistrates’ Court: sharing of documents – witness and client preparation
- County Court Plea hearings: importance of summaries being settled, priors admitted filing of documents, witness and client preparation
- Directions/Mention hearings in County and Supreme Court
Presented by Melinda Walker, Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Co-Chair of the Criminal Law Section, Law Institute of Victoria
11.00am to 11.15am Morning Tea
11.15am to 12.15pm Changes in Sentencing Decisions
- Analyse the impact of the pandemic on sentencing with regard to:
- The utilitarian value of guilty pleas
- The impact of delay
- The changes to conditions of incarceration
Presented by Patrick Tehan OAM QC, List L Ground Floor
12.15pm to 1.15pm Credibility and Reliability of Complainants after Pell: Recent Appellate Cases
- Examining Pell and subsequent ‘unsafe and unsatisfactory’ appeal decisions in state courts
- Analysing implications for appeals and trial practice in sexual offence cases
Presented by Dr Michael Fitzgerald, In-House Counsel, Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Doogue George Defence Lawyers
Session 2
CPD Compulsory Units for Criminal Lawyers
Chair: Peter Chadwick QC, Foley’s List
Professional Skills
2.00pm to 3.00pm Making an Effective Bail Application
- When, and whether, to make an application for bail
- What supports are required for your client? From the minimum to the ‘Rolls Royce’ treatment
- How to deal with the informant
- Structuring submissions
Presented by Sam Norton, Partner, Stary Norton Halphen; Preeminent Criminal Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2020
Ethics & Professional Responsibility
3.00pm to 4.00pm Duty of Disclosure by Prosecution and Police
- Divisions in disclosure between prosecution and police
- The current law of disclosure
- How the law of disclosure has become even more important in the wake of the Jason Roberts Case/Inquiry in the Supreme Court and the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants
Presented by Ruth Parker, Principal Lawyer and Director, Galbally Parker
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Practice Management & Business Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Trauma Informed Courts
- Trauma informed practice as an integral part of procedural fairness
- Explore various case studies and research projects including Raising the Bar: A Case for Trauma Informed Lawyers by Roslyn Carnes and International Journal of Evidence & Proof on October 4, 2016 and the 2017 American Bar Association (ABA) publication The Impact of Trauma on the Attorney Client Relationship
- How to recognise vicarious trauma and its impact on court users and the risk of secondary stress on yourself and your staff
Presented by Felicity Gerry QC, Crockett Chambers
Presenters
Philip Dunn QC
Philip Dunn QC has 40 years experience as a criminal barrister. He has appeared in many of Australia's most significant cases and inquiries. His clients have included John Elliot, Brian Quinn, Gary Ablett, Peter Walker, Maritza Wales-King, James Ramage, Alan Bond, Carmen Lawrence, Warren Anderson, John Kizon, WA Gypsy Jokers, WA Coffin Cheaters and Laree Jane. Philip has served as a member of the Bar Council for 10 years and has served on its executive committee and ethics and advocacy training committee. Philip is the Chairman of Foley's List and member of the Bar Association's Equality and Diversity Committee.
Julia Munster
Julia Munster is an experienced trial advocate. She appears for legally aided accused in all criminal jurisdictions, but most frequently the County Court. She has been at Victoria Legal Aid for almost 10 years, and is currently a Senior Public Defender with VLA Chambers. Before that, she was a solicitor advocate for 7 years with the Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission in Alice Springs. Prior to legal practice, she worked as an anthropologist for an aboriginal land council for 10 years, primarily on native title and land right claims.
Melinda Walker
Melinda is an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist. Melinda completed her degrees at La Trobe University. In 1998, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. She was then was admitted to practice in 2000 and commenced sole practice in 2003.
Melinda attained Accredited Criminal Law Specialisation in 2014 and is a current member of the Executive Committee for the Criminal Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria.
Melinda has now been involved in the service of law for the past 25 years in various capacities and has been an advocate for indigenous people, single mothers and a proponent for women’s issues in domestic violence throughout her career.
Dr Michael Fitzgerald
Dr Michael Fitzgerald is an experienced jury trial advocate who has appeared regularly in the Court of Appeal. Michael has extensive experience appearing before Royal Commissions and the Australian Crime Commission. He appears in bail applications, committals, trials, pleas and appeals, particularly in complex drug, fraud and conspiracy matters.
Michael was admitted to practice in 2011 and became an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law in 2016. He prides himself on preparation of his cases and his knowledge of the law.
He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2003 with Bachelors degrees with honours in Arts and Law.
Peter Chadwick QC
Peter Chadwick has been a barrister for over 40 years. He has practised criminal lawexclusively for the last 30 years. In 2010 he took silk. For many years Peter conducted a circuit practice appearing regularly in North Eastern Victoria and Southern NSW defending persons charged with almost indictable every offence on the legal calendar. Peter's practice is now primarily defending persons charged with sexual offences and homicide in Victoria. With the complexity of the law, especially in the area of sexual offences, Peter spends much of his time as Queen's Counsel leading and mentoring junior barristers in these difficult areas.
Sam Norton
Sam is an accredited criminal law specialist and is ranked in the Doyle’s guide as a Preeminent Criminal Defence lawyer and a Leading Traffic and Drink Driving lawyer – the highest ranking categories available. He has extensive experience as an advocate having appeared in trials, plea hearings and bail applications in the Supreme and County Courts as well as innumerable matters in the Magistrates’ Court. Sam was admitted to practice in 2001, and obtained specialist accreditation in Criminal Law 2008. He is the Senior Vice President of Liberty Victoria and is a former Co-Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV).
Ruth Parker
Ruth is the Principal criminal defence lawyer in our office and the leader of our team. She has worked in this firm since 2007, before which she worked in Barristers Chambers, the Children’s Court of Victoria, and Monash University Law School.
Ruth appears and instructs in a diverse range of cases across all jurisdictions in Victoria and New South Wales, including voluminous criminal syndicate matters, complex drug matters (including federal drug importation matters), violent crime, homicide and fraud matters. Ruth has particular experience in violent crime and indictable matters, and regularly represents individuals in Victoria and New South Wales charged with murder and associated offences.
Felicity Gerry QC
Professor Felicity Gerry QC is admitted at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) in The Hague, to the Bar of England & Wales and in Australia (Victoria and the High Court Roll). She has also had ad hoc admission in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. As an international QC she is regularly called upon to handle serious, complex and sensitive trials and appeals at every level of court. Her cases and advisory work often involve an international or human rights element, including genocide, war crimes, torture, terrorism, homicide, biosecurity, illegal logging, human trafficking and other major domestic and international crime.
Zubin Menon
Zubin Menon joined VLA Chambers in 2021 after previously being at the private Bar since 2013. He has experience appearing in criminal proceedings in the Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Children’s Court including for both prosecution and defence. His trial experience includes appearing in two Judge-alone trials, including the first of its kind conducted in Victoria. He holds a Master of Criminology and has a particular interest in the analysis of how race and culture influence experiences of and outcomes within the justice system.
Patrick Tehan OAM QC
Patrick Tehan has an extensive practice in criminal law at trial and appellate level. At the appellate level, he regularly appears before the High Court of Australia, the Victorian Court of Appeal and other State and Territory Courts of Appeal. In a career of over 40 years, he has appeared in many leading criminal appeal cases in these Courts. At the trial level, he appears in major criminal jury trials, including terrorism and murder trials, in the Victorian Supreme Court. His practice also includes advising and tendering opinions concerning the criminal law to a diverse range of legal agencies. In 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Fellow of the College.
Venue
RACV City Club
Level 2, 501 Bourke St
Melbourne 3000
VIC
Australia
Parking Information
Parking is not included in your registration. Here are some options below.
RACV City Club Car Park. Click here to view rates
Directions
Nearby Public Transport:Tram Stations - William/Bourke St or Queen/Bourke StBus Interchange - Little Collins St or Supreme Court