Australian Academy of Law

The Australian Academy of Law (AAL) is a permanent, non-governmental organisation devoted to the advancement of the discipline of law. According to its Constitution,[1] the Australian Academy of Law comprises individuals of exceptional distinction from all parts of the legal community, including academia, the practising profession (including private and public sector lawyers), and the judiciary.

The Academy is registered[2] under the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 (Cth).[3] The Academy is a Deductible Gift Recipient, specifically listed in Division 30 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth).[4]

The Academy was established on 17 July 2007, following recommendations made in the Australian Law Reform Commission's report, Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Justice System.[5]

Patrons

The Foundation Patron of the Academy was Chief Justice Murray Gleeson AC, Chief Justice of Australia.

The second Patron of the Academy was Chief Justice Robert French AC, Chief Justice of Australia.

The present Patron of the Academy is The Hon Chief Justice Susan Kiefel AC, Chief Justice of Australia.

Presidents

The first President of the Academy, from 2008, was the Hon Robert Nicholson AO KCSJ.

From 2011 to 2020 the President was the Hon Kevin Lindgren AM QC.

The current President is the Hon Alan Robertson SC (with effect from 1 July 2020).

Foundation Fellows

When the Academy was founded in 2007 there were 36 Foundation Fellows, in alphabetical order:

Fellows

The Academy consists of an elected Fellowship which includes nine Life Fellows, 342 Fellows and 16 Overseas Fellows as at January 2021.[6]

The Life Fellows, in alphabetical order, are:

Directors

The current Directors are:[7]

  • The Hon Alan Robertson SC
  • The Hon Justice Anthony Besanko
  • Emeritus Professor Bee Chen Goh
  • Emeritus Professor David Barker AM
  • The Hon Kevin Lindgren AM, QC
  • The Hon G John Digby QC
  • The Hon Emeritus Professor Ralph Simmonds
  • Professor Les McCrimmon
  • Professor Melissa De Zwart
  • Professor Gino Dal Pont
  • Mr Russell Miller AM
  • Dr Nuncio D'Angelo
  • Mr Michael Murray
  • The Hon Pamela Tate SC
  • Professor Natalie Skead

Officeholders

The Academy's current officeholders are:[8]

President: The Hon Alan Robertson SC

Deputy President: The Hon Anthony Besanko

Treasurer: Emeritus Professor Bee Chen Goh

Secretary: Emeritus Professor David Barker AM

Committees

The Academy has the following Board Committees:[9]

The Prizes and Scholarships Committee

The Research and Expenditure Committee

The Events Committees

The Website and Communications Committee

The Governance Committee

The Membership Committee

The Finance Committee.

Prizes and scholarships

The Australian Academy of Law awards an annual essay prize of AU$10,000.[10] It was inaugurated in 2015.

In 2022, the essay topic is “What are one or more reforms that could be made to remedy deficiencies in the administration by Australian courts of the criminal law as it applies to minorities or disadvantaged groups? Note: The essay should not focus on funding by government.”

The deadline for the submission of an essay is 31 August 2022.

In 2021 the essay topic was "Outstanding fundamental issues for First Nations Peoples in Australia: what can lawyers contribute to the current debates and their resolution?" A note added that 'Outstanding fundamental issues' may include, but are not limited to, constitutional recognition, treaty or bijuralism.

The winning essay was by Lillian Burgess, Suvradip Maitra and Giulia Marrama. Its title was "Towards Movement Lawyering: An Old Ethos for Modern Indigenous Sovereignty".

The rules governing the Annual Essay Prize 2022 are on the AAL's website.[11]

The winning essay will be published in the Australian Law Journal.

Prize winners from 2015 to 2021 are listed on the Academy's website.[12]

As well, the Academy awards annually the Michael Coper Memorial Prize of $1,500 to the winner of the Paper Presentation Competition conducted by the Australian Law Students' Association, and a prize of $1,500 for the best presentation at the Australian and New Zealand Law Honours Conference.

In 2021, the AAL offered for the first time the Australian Academy of Law First Nations Scholarship tenable in 2021 for a First Nations final year law student. The amount of the award was $5,000. Applications were through nominations by the respective Law Deans. The closing date for nominations was 15 March 2021 at 5 PM (AEDT). The selection criteria are on the AAL's website.[13] The First Nations Scholar for 2021 was Ms Mikeyli Hendry, a student at the University of Adelaide.[14]

References
  1. "Constitution of Australian Academy of Law". Australian Academy of Law. Retrieved 2022-02-08.
  2. "Australian Academy of Law". 17 March 2021.
  3. "Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012".
  4. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2020C00404
  5. "Managing Justice: A Review of the Federal Civil Justice System (ALRC Report 89)". Australian Law Reform Commission. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  6. "Fellows".
  7. "Constitution of Australian Academy of Law".
  8. "Australian Academy of Law - Officeholders". www.academyoflaw.org.au. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  9. "Australian Academy of Law - Committees". www.academyoflaw.org.au. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  10. "Australian Academy of Law - Annual Essay Prize Rules".
  11. "Australian Academy of Law - Annual Essay Prize Rules".
  12. "Australian Academy of Law - Past Winners - Annual Essay Prize".
  13. "Australian Academy of Law - First Nations Scholarship".
  14. https://academyoflaw.org.au/resources/Documents/AAL%20First%20Nations%20Scholarship%20Media%20Release.pdf
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