ALLA (WA) News Blog

A visit to the Francis Burt Law Education Programme was held on 21 September.  Ten people attended this fun and informative event led by the knowledgeable Dean Curtis. First we had a tour around the Supreme Court then moved across to Magistrates Court 41 where we sat and watched a Magistrate handing out justice to those accused of a variety of offences, including possession of drugs and trespass.  Then back to the Supreme Court where we were assigned roles and costumes for a re-enactment of the 1925 trial of Audrey Jacob (played by Luise Crisafulli) who shot and killed her fiancé in the Government House ballroom.  Photos were taken amid much laughter.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable morning. Jenny Lucre Librarian Department of the Attorney General

One of our members has brought to our attention that Quick on Costs (Thomson Reuters) is still referencing the Legal Practice Act 2003 (WA). Stel Podias, in his publisher liaison role, has spoken to Gregory Sarias, Editor of  Quick on Costs .  A fully-updated Quick on Costs will be relaunched in 2014.  To quote from the reply received by Stel - "...we expect that there will be some disparity in the currency between areas of the service that have been revised, and those that are yet to be, and we apologise if this causes any inconvenience. In the meantime however, I will along with the authors, check through references to the old Legal Practice Act 2003 and see where commentary needs to be updated to discuss the Legal Profession Act 2008 - especially throughout Chapters 1 and 2". Please contact Stel should you have any further concerns re this title and he will liaise with the publisher on your behalf. stel.podias@commerce.wa.gov.au

IMPORTANT NOTICES 1.               Bachelor of Laws degree - Curtin University The Chair of the Legal Practice Board, Ian Weldon, has advised that the Board has approved a Bachelor of Laws degree from Curtin University as an approved academic qualification for the purpose of admission to the legal profession in Western Australia and has resolved to amend the Legal Profession Amendment (Admission) Rules 2009 accordingly. Find out more - http://www.lawsocietywa.asn.au/visageimages/Letter%20from%20Legal%20Practice%20Board%20of%20Western%20Australia%20Amendment%20to%20Legal%20Profession%20Admission%20Rules%202009%20180912.pdf

Photos courtesy of Kirsty McPhee John Birmingham, guest speaker at the Conference Dinner Food, glorious food Yes sir, I can boogie Laser show on the Brisbane River - part of the Brisbane Festival

Good news for those tired of wrestling with obese looseleaf binders.  LexisNexis has agreed to issue a fourth volume for this title.  All subscribers will receive official notification.  The new binder is expected to be issued with an update in late October or early November.

Shane has moved to employment in the WA energy and resources sector.  We thank Shane for the support he has given to ALLA (WA) and wish him well in his new position.

John Birmingham has posted the talk he gave at the Conference Dinner on his blog Cheeseburger Gothic  - http://www.cheeseburgergothic.com/archives/4214 .

A quote from John Birmingham's column in today's Brisbane Times re the Newman Government's budget cuts in Queensland - "A law librarian with 20 years experience of ensuring that the state’s lawmakers don’t make a terrible boo-boo the next time they try to make a law? Ha! Pack your box, sweetheart, and don’t let the doorknob hit you in the arse on the way out". Read more:  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/blogs/blunt-instrument/we-didnt-want-bligh-but-we-sure-didnt-want-this-20120917-262iw.html#ixzz26mnzSRvf .

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=LIM

Kirsty McPhee was appointed National Vice-President at the ALLA AGM on 13 September.  Hence, she will become National President of the Association in September 2013. Congratulations to Kirsty on this personal achievement which is also a fillip for law librarianship in this State.  May you have a rewarding twelve months and don't forget that you have the support of your colleagues in Perth should you need it.

 Kirsty's view from the boardroom at Ashurst Australia during the National Executive Committee Meeting   Title page of Justin's prize for tweeting with inscription by John Bimingham 

Justin Booker continues to provide fodder for this blog.  At the ALLA Conference Dinner he won a prize for one of the best tweets related to the Conference.  For his efforts, he received a copy of one of guest speaker John Birmingham's books which the author graciously signed with a personal message to Justin's tweeter alter-ego.

Kirsty McPhee of Tottle Partners and Mawghan Elverd of Jackson McDonald were awarded ALLA Certificates of Appreciation on Thursday at the national AGM.  These awards are given "to a member of the Australian Law Librarians' Association who has made a significant contribution to ALLA or to the profession of law librarianship generally in 2011-12".

It is with much pleasure that we announce that Justin Booker and Larissa Pryce were married on Saturday, 1 September.  Congratulations to you both - we wish you a future filled with happy days.  This photo was taken after the wedding reception - in a sign of the times, on Justin's iPod.

Congratulations to Cindy who has been appointed Knowledge Centre Team Leader at Freehills Perth.  We wish her all the best in her new role.