By Henry Ea -
The Australia Day Honours List recognised several NSW lawyers, including those who pioneered the accessibility of legal information and provided crucial legal assistance to those in need.
Jennifer Ball, President of the Law Society of NSW, commended the recipients for their lasting positive impact as practitioners, judicial officers, and innovators.
AustLII founders honoured
Professors Andrew Mowbray AM and Philip Tiet Chung AM were recognised for founding the widely used legal database AustLII. Launched in 1995, AustLII provides free access to legislation, case law, and legal journals. Ball said, “There would barely be a solicitor, barrister, judge, or law student in all of Australia who has not clicked on the AustLII site while researching a case or an assignment” and commended Mowbray and Chung for democratising legal information in Australia.
Champions of disability rights
Ball said the diverse background of the lawyers honoured today demonstrates the important role lawyers have in almost all aspects of community life.
James Simpson AO and Adam Johnston AM were recognised for their service to people with disabilities. Simpson has served as a Presiding Member of the NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal and a Senior Member of the Guardianship Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and contributed to the COVID-19 response for people with disabilities.
Johnston served on the Law Society’s Government Solicitors Committee and dedicated his career to improving the lives of those with disabilities through numerous health and disability roles. He is presently working to improve the lives of people with disability on the Board of the Northern Sydney Local Health District.
Commitment to pro bono service
Phillip Cornwall AM, Chair of the Australian Pro Bono Centre, was acknowledged for his commitment to pro bono work.
Ball said she was delighted that the importance of pro bono work in the solicitor profession had been recognised.
“There’s no finer tradition of the legal profession than our obligation to provide free or low-cost legal services to the most vulnerable people in our community. Mr Cornwall’s demonstration of commitment to that principle is an example to all fellow solicitors.”
Indigenous rights advocate
Professor Robynne Quiggin AO received recognition for her service to the law, tertiary education, and Indigenous rights, particularly in consumer protection and financial services.
Ball congratulated Professor Quiggin, who began her career as a solicitor at Terri Janke and Company, one of Australia’s few wholly Aboriginal-owned and operated law firms and currently serves as Pro Vice Chancellor, Indigenous Leadership and Engagement at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Ball said Professor Quiggin’s current role “caps a remarkable career, which includes a term as Chair of the Human Rights Law Centre, and appointments by the NSW and Commonwealth Governments to the Aboriginal Trust Fund Repayment Scheme Panel and the Commonwealth Consumer Advisory Committee.”
Judicial leadership
Several current and former judicial officers were also honoured. Justice Brian Preston AO, Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court, was recognised for his leadership and contributions to legal education.
Ball congratulated and praised Justice Preston for his leadership of the court while continuing to contribute to the legal profession through academic roles at multiple universities at home and abroad and involvement with many legal education seminars hosted by the Law Society.
Justice John Basten AO, Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, was acknowledged for his long service and role in establishing the Redfern Legal Centre.
“His Honour had an active academic career and played a pivotal role in establishing the groundbreaking Redfern Legal Centre in the early 1970’s,” Ball said.
The Hon. Anne Ainslie-Wallace AO was commended for her work in various judicial roles and legal advocacy education.
“I’m grateful for her Honour’s work as a member of the Law Society’s Specialist Accreditation Board on its Advocacy Advisory Committee, which she now continues as Adjunct Professor of Law (Advocacy) at the UTS and as Chair of the Australian Advocacy Institute,” Ball said.
The Hon. Duncan Kerr SC, former Keating Government Attorney General and Justice of the Federal Court of Australia, also received an AO. Though his career was primarily centred in Tasmania, he was admitted as a solicitor in NSW and notably served as Principal Solicitor of the Aboriginal Legal Service of NSW in the mid-1980s.
Companion of the Order of Australia
Professor Megan Davis, Scientia Professor and Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of NSW, received one of just six prestigious Companions of the Order of Australia. This award recognises her significant work for Indigenous people in Australia and internationally, including her role in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Ball congratulated all recipients and recognised the depth and breadth of their experience and generosity, particularly those who served for no or little reward.
“A short statement such as this is incapable of conveying the totality of invaluable and dedicated service to the law and to the community for which these awardees have been recognised. Each of them has made an indelible contribution to strengthening our system of justice, and these honours are richly deserved.”
Ball said the significant representation of legal figures, including current and former members of the Law Society, reinforces the importance of the rule of law to the nation and those who uphold and defend it.
