UPDATE … New Yarraside QCs on hold … Plague stifles letters patent … In South Australia, legislation passes to permit new branding … Fluffier status … The great hurtle backwards
What fun – a Zoom welcome. But spare a thought for 2019’s batch of Victorian silks – none of who, a year later, has been rebirthed as a queenie.
The two-step jig from senior counsel to queen’s counsel has been put on hold because the executive council has other pressing matters on its plate – such as managing the plague.
There is no word from those in control as to when letters patent will be issued for the 2019 list, let alone the 2020 appointees.
Meanwhile, there is much champing of the bit by some to be fully plumed by Christmas.
Maybe the the go-slow is down to Marxist influences inside the Dan Andrews politburo. That, or the entire 2019 list has forgotten to apply for patent leather or, more improbably, they all republicans and couldn’t think of anything worse than going the full monty.
Vic’s 2019 list of senior counsel
Vic’s 2020 list of senior counsel
For good measure here’s the 2020 NSW list of new senior counsel and the applicants.
Legislation has been rubber-stamped by parliament to allow senior counsel to swap SC for QC.
The local bar and grill club had been lobbying frantically for the extra padding, which met no opposition from the Tory attorney general Vickie Chapman.
Chief Justice Chris Kourakis and the judges were unhappy about the plan, as Justinian pointed out in lurid detail.
However, settlement was reached when the legislation ensured that the appointment of senior counsel rested with the chief justice, not the attorney general.
Kourakis told the local media on September 28:
“The Act abrogates the executive’s prerogative … so that any senior counsel who requests an appointment as queen’s counsel must now be so appointed.
The legislation … addresses the primary concern of the judges that the appointment of queen’s counsel, in the discretion of the the executive, compromised the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary.
Accordingly, the judges will resume the practice of appointing senior counsel.”
The last batch of SA SCs was appointed in 2018 – now the wait is over.
The local bar was ticked pink that after “two years of difficulties and at times heated conflict” the amendment to the Legal Practitioners Act was through.
The usual guff was trotted out – that the royal gong”ensures barristers who may be appointed are recognised for their excellence in a way understood by consumers”.
It was only 12 years ago that the Rann Laborites scrapped the appointment of QCs – only to be overturned by a status-driven stampede to the past.
See also …