Coast’s community lawyers hopeful about $39m decision

Coast’s community lawyers hopeful about $39m decision

Queensland Law Society president Christine Smyth has welcomed the news that the Federal Government will abandon planned funding cuts to community legal centres, noting that the decision means that society’s most vulnerable people will continue to be able to access justice. “Community legal centres in Queensland are already forced to turn away 160,000 people a year – that’s more than […]

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The power of lobbying for a just cause

The power of lobbying for a just cause

Basic legal rights for all. Reading that sentence, you would think that basic legal rights are a given in any modern-day, first-world society. However, they are not. Whilst we all agree that access to justice is a fundamental right for all members of our society, it is often not the case. One of the key issues we see in Queensland […]

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Christine Smyth

Lawyers must learn to run their own race

Finding a way to forge your own path in law can be difficult, but in the experience of Queensland Law Society president Christine Smyth staying true to yourself will pay dividends. Ms Smyth is Queensland Law Society’s (QLS) 59thelected president, and the fifth woman in the organisation’s history to hold office. Not seeking out what would have been viewed as […]

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Successful Succession – Taxation in Australia | VOL 51(9)

Australian Tax Institute Journal: Successful Succession – Taxation in Australia | VOL 51(9) -Loan accounts and estoppel

Loan accounts and estoppel by Katerina Peiros and Christine Smyth A recent case from the Tasmanian Supreme Court, Dennis v Denis, is a magnificent illustration of troubled family dynamics being played out via complex accounting and legal principles before a senior judge.  Partner Christine Smyth and Katerina Peiros of Hartwell Legal discuss the seemingly minor loan account that wreaks havoc […]

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Lack of Gold Coast magistrates ‘a nightmare’ with some forced to work after hours

TWO out of three summary trials listed daily on the Gold Coast cannot be heard because of a chronic shortage of magistrates at the Southport Courthouse. As a result, prosecutors are forced to discontinue or negotiate to lesser charges to encourage defendants to plead guilty in an effort to finalise matters, legal experts say. Overworked magistrates are now calling on […]

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Crime and Corruption Commission hearing into three Queensland local elections

Crime and Corruption Commission hearing into three Queensland local elections

THE Fadden Forum fundraising arm at the centre of a Crime and Corruption Commission investigation into last year’s local council elections was “a tool for the re-election of a Liberal government” a hearing has been told. Lobbyist Simone Holzapfel, a one-time press secretary of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, offered consultancy services for several candidates in the council election on […]

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Millenials – The revolution will be tweeted, liked & shared

Millenials – The revolution will be tweeted, liked & shared

Millenials – ‘The revolution will be tweeted, liked & shared’ – what we need to do about it, and why In this month’s proctor edition, QLS President Christine Smyth’s President’s Report is titled Millenials – ‘The revolution will be tweeted, liked & shared’ – what we need to do about it, and why. Christine states that in less than a […]

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