Briefs

NEWS

YOUNG LAWYERS
COMMENDED
AT 2015 PATRON
AWARDS

28th LAWASIA a success

The winners of the 2015 NSW

Young Lawyers Patron Awards
were announced at the Young
Lawyers Annual Assembly Gala
Dinner on 7 November.

Travelling from regions as diverse as Hong Kong, the UK, Nepal,

Kazakhstan, and Myanmar, delegates gathered to hear addresses on the
theme of cross-border law and practice in Asia-Pacific. Michael Tidball,
CEO of the Law Society of NSW and LAWASIA, said important issues
around the rule of law unite lawyers from such diverse backgrounds.
The glue of LAWASIA is the rule of law. Rule of law issues are the bedrock
values that underpin civil society, said Tidball.

Now in their fifth year, the awards

recognise exceptional contributions
by NSW Young Lawyers to the legal
profession and the community.
Migration lawyer Besmellah Rezaee was
awarded the distinguished Young Lawyer
of the Year award for his extracurricular
contributions to public debate in
immigration law, as well as dedication
to advancing the rights of vulnerable
communities within Australia.
The Best Community Project award
went to the Workplace and Safety
Law Committee for its Pro Bono Duty
Solicitor Scheme for the Fair Work
Commission and the Criminal Law
Committee received the Best Professional
Project Award for its A Day in the Life of
a Criminal Lawyer Program.

A new category of award was also

announced to recognise the outstanding
contributions of Thomas Spohr, a
senior solicitor at the NSW Office of
the Director of Public Prosecutions and
former President of NSW Young Lawyers,
pictured above. Spohr received the
Young Lawyer Exceptional Achievement
Award in recognition of his exceptional
contribution to NSW Young Lawyers over
the past nine years and his significant
and broad contributions to the legal
profession generally.

10

LSJ

More than 300 lawyers and judges from 28 international

jurisdictions gathered in Sydney for the 28th LAWASIA
Conference in November.

LAWASIAs main objective is to foster professional and business relations

between lawyers, businesses and government representatives in the
Asia-Pacific region. Tidball said Sydneys central location among global
connections makes the city a prime hub for legal business operations in
the region.
Key presentations at the conference included a speech by Professor
Nicholas Cowdery on the Legal Response to Terrorism and a presentation
by The Hon. Michael Kirby on why LAWASIAs lawyers have responsibilities
to help reform anti-LGBT laws. A number of forums were held to discuss
pertinent cross-border issues, looking at the growth of Asian economies
and the contemporary challenge this poses for lawyers.

Clockwise from top: Law Society of NSW and LAWASIA Chied Executive Officer Michael Tidball; lively
discussions at the forum; Akio Harada, Japan, and Christopher Leong, Malaysia; The Hon. Michael Kirby.

DECEMBER 2015

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