Non-Legal Knowledge/
Judicial ethics and public confidence.

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In this half-day session, you will deepen your understanding of the ethical principles required for all who hold judicial office and grapple with ‘the grey areas’ between proper and improper conduct.

You will explore the issues through scenarios grounded in the contemporary challenges that confront members of the judiciary.

You will also cover:

  • judicial independence and how to recognise conflicts of interest 
  • judicial impartiality and bias – recognising and responding to actual and apprehended bias
  • judicial conduct and behaviour- focusing on judicial bullying and sexual harassment  

Speakers.

Former President of the Court of Appeal, Supreme Court of Victoria 
The Hon. Chris Maxwell AC
Chris Maxwell commenced practice at the Victorian Bar in 1984, after serving as Senior Private Secretary to the Commonwealth Attorney-General, Senator Gareth Evans. He became a Queen’s Counsel in 1998. In 2005, Chris was appointed President of the Victorian Court of Appeal, a position he held until his retirement in July 2022. Between 2010 and 2019, Chris was co-convenor of the Jury Directions Advisory Group, whose work led to the enactment of the Jury Directions Act 2015 (Vic). In 2012, he co-founded the Forensic Evidence Working Group, which developed Practice Notes on ‘Expert evidence in criminal trials’ (2014) and ‘Expert reports on mental functioning of offenders’ (2017). In 2015, Chris was made a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Federal Court of Australia
Justice David O’Callaghan
Justice O’Callaghan was educated at the University of Melbourne and Yale University. Between 1982 and 1983, he was Associate to the Hon. Justice Keely of the Federal Court of Australia. After a period practising in New York and Connecticut, he signed the Roll of the Victorian Bar in 1986 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2003, appearing in a broad range of matters including corporations law, mining, energy and resources law and constitutional law. He has served as the Senior Vice-President of the Victorian Bar Council, Chair of the Victorian Bar Education and Professional Development Committee, Member and Chair of the Readers’ Course Sub-Committee and a director of Barristers’ Chambers Limited. Between 1996-1998 he was a Senior Research Affiliate and Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School and he is currently a Senior Fellow at Melbourne Law School.
Supreme Court of Victoria
Justice Jacinta Forbes
Justice Jacinta Forbes was appointed in April 2019 and officially welcomed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria in May 2019. After a varied practice as a solicitor, Justice Forbes joined the Victorian Bar in 2000 and was appointed Queens Counsel in 2014. Her Honour has extensive experience and specialisation in the areas of professional negligence, personal injury, product liability and general common law matters. Her Honour is the Judge in charge of Information Technology at the Supreme Court of Victoria.
County Court of Victoria
Judge Kate Hawkins
Judge Hawkins was a Magistrate from 2001 until 2021 when she was appointed to the Criminal Division of the County Court. Her Honour co-led the Magistrates’ Court’s submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and the subsequent implementation of its’ recommendations, including the establishment of Specialist Family Violence Courts across Victoria. She held positions as Supervising Magistrate of Family Violence and Family Law; and of the Industrial Division of the Court. Before appointment as a Magistrate, Judge Hawkins was a partner of a major law firm.
Magistrates' Court of Victoria
Magistrate Meghan Hoare
Magistrate Meghan Hoare has served as Magistrate since her appointment to the Court on 1 November 2019 and commenced in the role of Supervising Magistrate of the Court’s WorkCover division in July 2021. Prior to her appointment to the Court, her Honour practised predominantly in personal injury law for over 25 years. Her Honour holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from Monash University. Her Honour has been a leader in her field, mentoring younger lawyers working in the jurisdiction and contributing to strategic policy development and legislative and regulatory changes in statutory compensation law. She was an appointee to the WorkCover Advisory Committee and a member of WorkSafe’s Legal Liaison Group for over six years.  Between 2016 and 2020, she was the elected Chair of the Law Institute’s Accident Compensation Committee.
Former judge of the Federal Court of Australia
The Hon. Raymond Finkelstein AO KC
Ray Finkelstein was appointed King’s Counsel in 1986. He was acting Solicitor General for the State of Victoria during 1992. He was appointed a judge of the Federal Court in 1997 and held additional appointments as Deputy President of the Australian Competition Tribunal and the Copyright Tribunal of Australia. In December 2008 he was appointed President of the Australian Competition Tribunal. He retired as a judge of the Federal Court and President of the Competition Tribunal in 2011 and has returned to private practice at the Victorian Bar. In 2011, he was appointed Adjunct Professor in the Law Faculty at Monash University.
Director of the Judicial Commission of Victoria
Alexis Eddy
Alexis was appointed Director in October 2019. Before commencing her role at the Commission, she was head of legal and compliance at the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission. Prior to that Alexis was with the Office of Police Integrity and the Department of Justice in criminal law policy. She has worked as a prosecuting solicitor at the Office of Public Prosecutions and as an industrial relations and equal opportunity lawyer at a major law firm. Alexis has an expert understanding of the Victorian integrity regime, best practice policies and procedures and comes with a depth of knowledge and expertise across the justice system. Alexis is passionate about wellbeing in the workplace and leading an organisation where this is prioritised.