Introducing the New Law Council President

The new Law Council of Australia President Catherine Gale

Catherine Gale is the Director of Resolve Conflict, Lawyers and Mediators a boutique Melbourne Law Firm specialising in alternative dispute resolution in the Family Law environment. http://www.resolveconflict.com.au/profile/

Official statement from The Law Council of Australia:

New Law Council of Australia President Catherine Gale has outlined her agenda for the coming year and identified national legal profession reform, improving practice rights for the Australian lawyers in foreign markets, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as some of the priority issues for advancing the Australian legal profession in 2012.

Ms Gale, the Director of Resolve Conflict Lawyers and Mediators in Melbourne, is the Law Council’s 60th President and succeeded Alexander Ward in the role on 1 January this year.

Ms Gale said it was an honour to be elected President of the Law Council of Australia, the nation’s peak legal body, and is looking forward to the challenges her role will offer in 2012.

“The Australian legal profession is a dynamic and constantly evolving industry and I am eager to play a role in advancing the profession both nationally and internationally,” Ms Gale said.

“In particular, 2012 will be a crucial period for the implementation of the new national regulatory legislation.

“This regulation, when introduced later this year, will create a single, uniform Legal Profession Act which will allow seamless national practice and benefit both lawyers and consumers of legal services.”

Ms Gale added she is keen to improve market access for Australian lawyers in Asia given the nation’s strong economic ties to the region.

“This work will involve improving practice rights for the Australian legal profession in foreign markets, demonstrating leadership in the region through initiatives to support the legal profession and improving coordination on international priorities with government and with the Law Council’s constituent bodies,” Ms Gale said. 

As one of Australia’s preeminent collaborative practitioners, Ms Gale viewed alternative dispute resolution as another vital issue affecting the legal profession.

“The Law Council has been committed to ADR for some time and I will work towards furthering the Law Council’s policy in this area to encourage the development of flexible practices to allow quick and easy resolution of litigation and disputes through alternative measures including mediation, collaboration, arbitration, early neutral evaluation and conciliation,” Ms Gale said.

Ms Gale also listed access to justice, recruitment and retention of lawyers in Australia and anti-discrimination policies as additional areas of importance for the Law Council in 2012.

The new President paid tribute to Mr Ward for the considerable achievements made during his term.

“Mr Ward has left the Law Council in particularly good standing and achieved a number of significant milestones during his tenure including the launch of the Law Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan and the launch of the RRR Law program which is helping bring more lawyers to rural, regional and remote areas of Australia,” Ms Gale said.

“I congratulate and thank him for his services to the Law Council and the Australian legal profession.”

Other members of the Law Council elected executive for 2012 include:

• Joe Catanzariti – President-elect

• Michael Colbran QC – Treasurer

• Duncan McConnel – Executive Member

• Leanne Topfer – Executive Member

• Stuart Westgarth – Executive Member

5 January 2012