Criminal Law Symposium 2023
Now in its 18th year in Brisbane, the Criminal Law Conference is back to prepare you for the year to come. Hear from the bench with unique insights. Consider disclosure of evidence, explore PCC, analyse coercive control and coerced evidence. Examine migration and citizenship law and its impacts on criminal matters. Gain your mandatory units through sessions that will give you practical assistance for running your practice. Don’t miss out. 233Q12
Description
Attend and earn 7 CPD units including:
4 units in Legal Knowledge
1 unit in Practical Legal Ethics
1 unit in Practice Management & Business Skills
1 unit in Professional Skills
This program is based on QLD legislation
Session 1
Hot Topics in Criminal Law
Chair: Ruth O’Gorman KC
9.00am to 9.30am A View from the Bench
Presented by Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett and Magistrate Belinda Merrin, Brisbane Magistrates Court
9.30am to 10.10am Disclosure of Evidence in Criminal Law: The Right to Know the Case Against You
- Laws that relate to disclosure
- How to seek disclosure of important evidence
- How to confront roadblocks presented by the Prosecution or Police
Presented by Tom Gardiner, Principal, Fisher Dore Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Leading Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle's Guide 2022
10.10am to 10.50am Preparing Applications Seeking Protected Counselling Communications (PCC) under Division 2A of the Evidence Act
- The nature and scope of the division
- Practical steps when pursuing PCC and differing approaches to PCC applications
- A review of the authorities considering Division 2A and a discussion as to future developments of the law
Presented by Terry Morgans, Barrister, Halsbury Chambers
10.50am to 11.05am Morning Tea
11.05am to 11.45am Criminalising Coercive Control
- Criminalising coercive control: what do lawyers need to know?
- Other recent changes to the DFV landscape
- Potential challenges for clients and lawyers
Presented by Anna Cappellano, Barrister, Higgins Chambers; Recommended Criminal Law Barrister, Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2022
11.45am 12.25pm Coerced Evidence: Its Affect on Criminal Proceedings
Legislators continue to abrogate fundamental rights such as self-incrimination privilege it is paramount criminal lawyers understand how to identify issues and what steps to take to protect the rights of clients.
Presented by Calvin Gnech, Legal Practice Director, Gnech and Associates
12.25pm to 1.05pm Migration and Citizenship Law in the Preparation of Criminal Matters
- Criminal charges and proceedings in the context of migration and citizenship law
- Criminal sentencing in the context of migration and citizenship law
- High Court judgment in Alexander v Minister for Home Affairs
Presented by Matt Black, Barrister, Quay 11 Chambers; Recommended Criminal Law Barrister, Junior Counsel, Doyle’s Guide 2022
1.05pm to 1.15pm Closing Comments from the Chair
Session 2
Ethics, Professional Skills and Practice Management for Criminal Lawyers
Chair: Nick Dore, Partner, Fisher Dore Lawyers; Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Practical Legal Ethics
2.00pm to 3.00pm Ethics for Criminal Lawyers: The Empathetic Versus the Amoral Lawyer
- Discuss the concept of being trauma informed in an adversarial system
- The phenomenon of “post traumatic growth” as it applies to criminal law practice
- The challenges associated with too much empathy from a professional perspective
Presented by Rebecca Fogerty, Partner, Jasper Fogerty Lawyers; Leading Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Professional Skills
3.00pm to 4.00pm How to Defend Clients who are the Subject of CCC Investigations
- Preparation essentials
- Dealing with the CCC
- How to best help your client during the hearing
- After the hearing: What comes next?
Presented by Glen Cranny, Managing Director, Gilshenan & Luton Legal Practice; Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
4.00pm to 4.15pm Afternoon Tea
Practice Management and Business Skills
4.15pm to 5.15pm Managing Mental Health in Your Practice
- Self-identification of signs and symptoms
- Identifying signs and symptoms in colleagues
- Strategies for good management of mental health
- Being a supportive employer
A Panel Discussion presented by:
Nick Dore, Managing Director, Fisher Dore Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Rebecca Fogerty, Partner, Jasper Fogerty Lawyers; Leading Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Glen Cranny, Managing Director, Gilshenan & Luton Legal Practice; Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law; Preeminent Criminal Defence Lawyer, Doyle’s Guide 2022
Presenters
Ruth O’Gorman KC
Much of Ruth’s career has included a focus on criminal defence work. These days, she has a broad practice which includes regulatory prosecutions and professional disciplinary matters. Ruth was appointed silk in 2021. In 2022, she was one of the counsel assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service responses to domestic and family violence. She maintains a keen interest in criminal law, and developments in that area. She is currently the chair of the Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee.
Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett
Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett was appointed a Magistrate in January 2013 and thereafter spent three years in Far North Queensland, which included presiding in regional indigenous communities in Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands. Prior to becoming a Magistrate, he was admitted as a barrister and spent almost thirteen years at the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions as a federal prosecutor.
For some eight of those years as a Federal Prosecutor he worked mainly in the prosecution of child exploitation offences. He appeared as counsel in the prosecution of such offences in all courts from the High Court of Australia to the Magistrates Court of Queensland. He has presented papers at numerous international and domestic conferences on child exploitation offences, including as a keynote speaker to the Council of the European Union in 2012 in Copenhagen.
More recently in 2015 and in 2016, Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett travelled to various parts of Indonesia on nine occasions as part of an Australian Government assistance program for judicial co-operation and capacity building with that country’s judicial officers. Deputy Chief Magistrate Anthony Gett has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian-based International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law since 2004 and in 2019 he won that society’s President’s Medal.
Magistrate Belinda Merrin
Magistrate Belinda Merrin was appointed in May 2016. Prior to her appointment Ms Merrin enjoyed a 19 year career at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Starting as a clerk, Ms Merrin worked her way through many roles within the ODPP and first appeared as a Crown Prosecutor in 2000 before attaining the role of Consultant Crown Prosecutor in 2015. Ms Merrin has appeared in all jurisdictions from the Magistrates Court of Queensland to the High Court of Australia. In the role of Crown Prosecutor, Ms Merrin appeared in complex and high profile matters including appeals, trials, sentences, pre-trial hearings, committal hearings, bail applications and the pre-recording of evidence. Since her appointment, Ms Merrin has undertaken regional service in Bundaberg before returning to the Brisbane Magistrates Court.
Tom Gardiner
Tom is a Principal lawyer at Fisher Dore Lawyers and an Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. Tom practices solely in criminal defence and domestic violence.
Terry Morgans
Terry Morgans was awarded “The Top Graduating Student in Law/Criminology & Criminal Justice” by Griffith University following completion of his dual degrees. He was admitted as a solicitor in 2007. Prior to his move to the private bar in 2018 he worked as a senior associate for Fisher Dore Lawyers where he undertook a significant proportion of work as a solicitor advocate. His experience included successful appellant work, conduct of various trials, regular Supreme Court bail hearings and appearances as a solicitor advocate for sentence hearings in the Supreme, District and Magistrates Court.
In addition to his appellant, trial and sentence hearing advocacy he has appeared in coronial inquests and is one of only a small number of advocates to obtain bail pending an international extradition hearing. Within his first six months at the bar, he conducted four District Court trials, succeeded in his first sentence appeal, successfully argued appeal bail in the Supreme Court and appeared in the Court of Appeal, lead by Mr Andre Hoare.
Anna Cappellano
Anna has practiced at the private Bar in Queensland since 2008. She is passionate about social justice and providing fearless advocacy for people who find themselves confronting the criminal justice system. Anna’s practice at the Bar focuses primarily on criminal law and regulatory matters. She regularly appears on behalf of both defendants and prosecuting authorities at the State and Commonwealth level in proceedings in the District Courts, Supreme Court of Queensland, the Queensland Court of Appeal and the Norfolk Island Court of Petty Sessions and Supreme Court. In 2022, Anna was one of the Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service responses to domestic and family violence. Anna is also member of the Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee.
Calvin Gnech
Calvin is the Legal Practice Director of Gnech & Associates. He gained his early legal experience in the criminal justice system serving the community as a sworn Queensland police officer. He later became a prosecutor in charge of a regional prosecutions unit. Calvin quickly became an accomplished prosecutor arguing complex cases before moving to private practice. Since commencing practice as a criminal and professional misconduct defence lawyer, Calvin has gained extensive experience appearing regularly as a solicitor advocate in the Magistrates Court, District Court, Coroner's Court, Queensland Industrial Relations Commission and Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Calvin's experience extends to appearing regularly as instructing solicitor in the Supreme Court, Queensland Court of Appeal and High Court of Australia. Calvin is highly experienced in dealing with the Crime and Corruption Commission investigations. His appearances in inquiries include but are not limited to Operation Tesco, Operation Belcarra, Queensland Flood Inquiry, Federal Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and Queensland DNA Inquiry. Calvin is active in the legal profession appearing on behalf of the Queensland Law Society (QLS) before government public consultation committees in regard to bills before parliament. Calvin is a regular author of publicly produced legal articles and presents regularly at professional development events for lawyers. Calvin has extensive experience in the area of professional misconduct and corruption investigations having successfully represented, police officers, lawyers, teachers, security officers, nurses, town planners, Councillors, public servants and others in corruption/professional misconduct/licensing proceedings. Calvin has in the past been an appointed committee member on the QLS Industrial Law Committee. Calvin currently sits on the QLS Ethics Committee and is currently the Chairperson of the QLS's Occupational Disciplinary Law Committee. Calvin has a passion for tradition within the law and maintains an active voice for the protection of fundamental legal rights such as self-incrimination privilege, legal professional privilege, the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial. Calvin has pursued fundamental rights cases all the way to the High Court.
Matt Black
Matt Black is a barrister at the Queensland Bar and a member of Quay 11 Chambers. He has a broad practice advising and appearing for a range of private and government clients, including extensively in administrative law and disciplinary proceedings. Matt's criminal practice focuses on regulatory and ‘computer hacking’ offences. He also has experience leading and conducting reviews and inquiries, including in respect of deaths in custody, official corruption, and serious misconduct.
Nick Dore
Nick Dore is a widely recognised and well respected member of the legal community. He achieves seemingly impossible results in many high-profile and high stakes legal matters. Nick is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist (Criminal Law) and was awarded the 'Highest Achiever Award' in 2010. He has been a member of the Accredited Specialist Committee since 2016 and was Chairperson in 2020. Nick has been independently ranked by Doyle's Guide with the highest achievement possible in the Queensland and Australia-wide categories of Criminal Law. Nick has always prided himself on being contactable and approachable, and goes above and beyond for every client. Nick's relaxed nature allows him to build an immediate connection with clients and their families, which puts their minds at ease. As Managing Principal of Fisher Dore Lawyers, Nick's mission is to ensure that clients secure the best results possible.
Rebecca Fogerty
Rebecca Fogerty is a highly regarded advocate who provides advice and representation for all criminal cases across Queensland. She is a Queensland Law Society Accredited Specialist in Criminal Law. She was named in the 2017 and 2018 Doyle's Guide of Leading Lawyers and is the Deputy Chair of the Criminal Law Committee of the Queensland Law Society. Prior to establishing Jasper Fogerty Lawyers, Rebecca was a senior lawyer at one of Queensland's largest private criminal defence firms. She handled complex indictable matters, including murder, drug trafficking and white-collar crime. During this period Rebecca developed her reputation for thorough preparation, strategic case analysis and persuasive courtroom advocacy. Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from the University of Queensland. Her psychology background and excellent people skills enable her to successfully navigate clients through the criminal justice process. Part of Rebecca's success is due to her client-centered approach and unwavering commitment to achieving the best possible outcome. Rebecca appears in all courts throughout Queensland and has proven experience in fraud and white-, collar crime, employment related misconduct, drug trafficking, CCC hearings, assaults and drink driving and traffic offences. Outside of the courtroom, Rebecca has written articles for publication in a range of formats, including the Courier Mail and the Caxton Lawyers Handbook (online edition). She has appeared before Queensland Parliamentary committees to discuss criminal law policy and regularly speaks on topics of interest to the profession.
Glen Cranny
Glen Cranny is an accredited specialist in criminal law, and advises and represents clients in both defending and prosecuting. He also assists professional and business people in relation to disciplinary and regulatory investigations. His clients include members of the legal profession, politicians, the health profession, and law enforcement. His expertise in matters of legal professional conduct and ethics has been recognised by his appointment, by both the Queensland Law Society and the Bar Association of Queensland, as a panel solicitor to assist other legal practitioners with professional complaint matters. He is also retained by Lexon Insurance Pte Ltd (the legal profession's compulsory professional indemnity insurer) to provide ongoing advice in respect of issues of criminal law of relevance to the legal profession.
Venue
Hilton Brisbane
190 Elizabeth St
Brisbane City
Brisbane 4000
QLD
Australia
Directions
Due to one way road systems, please note that car access is via Elizabeth Street only. Please programme 190 Elizabeth Street if using a car navigational device.
Nearby Public Transport:Train Stations - Central Station
Bus Interchange - George Square Bus Station
Parking
Parking is not included in your registration. There is valet parking available for AU$58.00