The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Queensland, the Honourable Helen Bowskill, needs no introduction. Before Her Honour was appointed as the Chief Justice in 2021, she was a University medallist, a successful barrister and a judge of both the Queensland District Court and the trial division of the Supreme Court. Her Honour is committed to supporting (and inspiring) a community of connected and capable lawyers. We are delighted that Chief Justice Bowskill has joined us as our final...

Joelene has worked in family law for almost 20 years and is a mediator and an Associate Director at McLaughlins Lawyers on the Gold Coast. Joelene spearheaded the Gold Coast District Law Association’s mentoring program in 2016 which is an ongoing initiative they provide today.  We talk about when Joelene was first a mentee in law and her more recent experiences as a mentor and some of the questions she is asked to answer in that role. Joelene shares her advice with us about the benefits of...

In honour of RUOK Day, our newest episode on The Callover features two special guests who offer their insights into how to manage our mental health to ensure we can sustain a long and fulfilling legal career.  Retired Magistrate David Heilpern AM, who served in the New South Wales local court from 1998 to 2020 is our first guest. In 2017 when he delivered a lecture entitled, “Lifting the judicial veil - vicarious trauma, PTSD and the judiciary”, it was one of the first times that a sitting...

If there’s anyone who knows about how to take the combat out of legal conflict, it’s Anne-Marie Rice. She’s now a Senior Judicial Registrar of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and before that she was a Director of Rice Dispute Resolution and the principal mediator at Rice Mediations. She’s been practicing in Family Law for 20 years, is an accredited specialist in family law and a nationally accredited mediator and a registered FDRP and Arbitrator. In 2018, Anne-Marie won the...

In celebration of NAIDOC Week we welcome Joshua Creamer to The Callover. Josh is a barrister specialising in human rights class actions...

After spending 20 years as a partner at a large law firm, Midja Fisher took a leap into a new career with a specific focus on building leaders with career confidence. Midja shares her insights about stepping away from a career in the law, imposter syndrome and how she uses the book, "We're Going on a Bear Hunt", to help her clients. Special thanks must go to Zoe Navarro, Ella Thomas, Rebecca Murray, Eve Anderson and Geoff McLeod, for their contributions to the production of this episode. To...

Bruce Cowley takes us on a walk through his life in the law from when he began his articles in 1981 to his retirement from the very same firm some 40 years on. Bruce's passion for the law oozes through in our conversation while he shares his insight into the changes, both positive and not so positive, that he has observed over his life in the law. If you would like to know more about the 2022 Queensland Law Society's President's Medal awardee, this article in Proctor is a wonderful...

We all make mistakes. What's important is what you do when you've discovered it. Dan Rogers is the Principal and Legal Director at Robertson O'Gorman Solicitors and regularly represents lawyers in professional discipline matters. On this episode, Dan talks about some practical steps you can take when you realise you've made a mistake to ensure you're complying with all your ethical and profession obligations and how to seek practical help if you need it. For more about the QLS Senior...

The Hon Margaret McMurdo is a trailblazer. When her Honour finished law school, she was one of a handful of women at the Bar. In 1991, she went on to become the youngest person appointed to Queensland's District Court (and the first woman ever to sit on that Bench), before becoming the first (and still only) female President of Queensland's Court of Appeal in 1998. Since her Honour's retirement from the Bench, Justice McMurdo has continued to serve the community in many ways. On this very...

Whether appearing in the Magistrates Court as duty lawyer or the Supreme Court in a high profile trial, it's fair to say the Kristy Bell spends her days on the front lines of the criminal justice system. On this episode, we discuss her experiences working for both sides of the criminal justice system and how she deals with maintaining her objectivity and professional obligations when dealing with controversial clients. Kirsty Bell has been practising in criminal law since 2011, is an...

Ann-Maree champions the idea that the law is fundamentally a service profession so the more diverse the profession, the better we can serve clients from all walks of life. We talk about how the face of the legal profession has changed since she began 40 years ago, why young lawyers should feel comfortable being themselves at work and how we can tackle that niggling imposter syndrome. Ann-Maree has worked across public and private sector roles and is now leading legal education as an...

Michael Murray wasn't sure he wanted to be a lawyer, particularly not after he failed two subjects in his first semester. But that was before he decided to buy into the university experience and give "making it as a young lawyer" all he had. We talk about what young lawyers can do to best prepare for life as a lawyer, the benefits of engaging in community law and local district law associations. Michael is now a supervising solicitor with Townsville Community Law, academic and lecturer at...

Fit & Proper is a Queensland Law Society podcast created by young lawyers, for young lawyers. The QLS Future Leaders Committee is dedicated to inspiring a generation of connected, capable and healthy young lawyers. Join us, as we invite guests to share their experiences in the law, unpack issues relevant to young lawyers and gain some insights into the future of lawyering.