The ambivalence of friendship

Michael Kirby's monarchist mates rarely lent a hand to help him during the great crises of his life ... Tony Abbott was a royalist chum, but did nothing to stop Heffernan's onslaught ... The High Court was paralysed ... Gleeson and Gaudron shouting match over whether to support Kirby ... Review of impressive new biography, Michael Kirby: Paradoxes and Principles

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News from the Spigeltent and other places

First days of the O'Barrell government ... True colours revealed ... Latest Sydney chambers whirligigs ... Tribute for Hodgman ... Unfounded rumours

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All the way with Miss J

Miss Gillard goes to Washington ... Trousering $500 a minute ... Lovely send-offs for Spigs ... Feds reluctant to run with RICO ... Kerry O'Brien's multiple question technique ... Evan Whitton at large

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Crime Commission shows its fangs

Struggle between the NSW Police Integrity Commission and the state Crime Commission back in court on April Fools Day ... NSWCC seeking to stop PIC investigation and media leaks ... New Police Minister vows to "sort this out" ... Crown Solicitor asked to produce pleadings relating to CC's fishing expedition for journalists' sources ... Cops and crims look on in delight

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Judicial impartiality

Barry Lane takes issues with Marilyn Warren CJ ... By being a member of VicBar and openingly spruiking its cause the CJ might be getting up the nose of the bar's competitors ... It's mostly about self-interest and repelling boarders

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USA's new found regard for international law

Batting Padilla around the federal circuit courts ... The varied meanings of habeas corpus ... "Material support for terrorism" up for review in CMCR ... The Raymond Davis case - Vienna Convention applied to CIA agent ... Roger Fitch, Our Man in Washington

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Your blindfold is slipping

The legal profession and the judges are superb at propaganda and the maintenance of a cartel ... Propagation of notions that bear no relationship to reality ... Should the statue of justice wear a blindfold or not? ... Take your pick ... Tulkinghorn reports

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Spigelman retirement opens wide field of contenders

NSW Chief Justice Jim Spigelman wraps-up on May 31 ... Personal refreshment ... "Diverse range of tasks" awaits ... Who's next? ... Judges' associate Ginger Snatch reports on possible candidates

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LSB recoups payments from defaulting casino solicitor

Vic Supremo orders hapless former solicitor to compensate the Fidelity Fund for payouts to victims ... When will the indignities cease?

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Brandis blows hard on proceeds of crime

Soapy Brandis still nagging about David Hicks ... The shadow AG's big policy gesture: confiscate the proceeds of Hicks' book ... It is far from clear that this is possible

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Chief Justice's wake-up call to the bar 'n' grill

UPDATE ... "Earl" Warren says the Victorian bar should do some deep strategic thinking about its future ... It has dropped the ball and allowed law firms to steal its turf ... Fight back ... Promote ... Get with it ... Also, the reinvigorated notion of "duty to the court"

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Chief Justice's wake-up call to the bar 'n' grill

"Earl" Warren CJ says the Victorian bar should do some deep strategic thinking ... It's dropped the ball and allowed law firms to steal its turf ... Fight back ... Promote ... Expand into new territory ... Get technological ... Get with it

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Drought breaks for Katzenjammer Kid

Brunswick solicitor has costs victory in eight year losing battle over repairs to his Toyota Camry ... Luby's Mobile Mechanic charged $705.32 to fix the engine ... Lawyers charged $46,000 for trial and appeal ... If you stick with the litigation long enough there's bound to be a break through ... Barry Lane reports from Yarraside

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Crack in glass ceiling

Increase in X chromosomes on Queensland Supreme Court ... Attorney General Dick's outgoing appointments ... Sir Terence O'Rort analyses the great social, cultural and gender shifts in the Queensland judiciary

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Meaty controversy

Protestant ascendancy struck from William Angliss' trusts ... Religious requirement for trustees no longer appropriate ... Butchers, bakers, cooks and waiters graduating from the William Angliss Institute considerably relieved ... William Collins reports from Yarraside

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Great legal affairs stuff-up at The Oz

Famous silks enraged by sudden demotion to low-rank "leading juniors" in The Australian/Chambers legal ratings ... Newspaper's lavish boast ... Egg on face difficult to remove

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The hedgehog and the fox

We need a comprehensive list of guilty beaks ... RICO legislation well overdue ... Dworkin's theory of law fails to grasp the importance of money ... Deep within the system we find the Wisners ... Evan Whitton at large

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Up and down Chancery Lane

Leverhulme goes to Chancery Lane to chat about alternative business structures with legal practice guru Stephen Mayson ... Bold new ways of running law shops take effect in October ... Parallels with NSW's structural adventures 

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More strong odours swirl around Keddies

Serious new allegations emerged from a defamation case against Russell Keddie, Tony Barakat and Scott Roulstone ... Court of Appeal did not allow trial to accommodate malice claims within time frame ... Buying off conduct complaints underscores failure of the disciplinary system

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The coronation of King Barry

The law and justice spokespeople for the main parties were put through their paces at a Community Justice forum in Sydney on the weekend ... Opposition parties want to make significant changes to the "penal colony" ... Labor is stuck with its record ... Tom Westbrook reports 

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