Bar Association assists Indigenous Australians to become barristers

21 March 2001 - The President of the New South Wales Bar Association, Ruth McColl S.C., launched a strategy to help Indigenous lawyers to practice as barristers.

"Currently, there are only three Indigenous Australians practising at the New South Wales Bar", said Ms McColl. ‘Aboriginal law graduates may have viewed the Bar as a remote institution, which has no record of actively welcoming them. This strategy will, over time, change that perception and encourage more Indigenous law students to become barristers."

The three-part strategy is intended to redress some of the disadvantages experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander law graduates aiming for a career at the Bar was approved by the Bar Council last year The three components are:

* The Bar Association was committed to supporting several Indigenous law students who showed potential as barristers. They would be brought into contact with the Bar at an early stage in their careers, allowing them to network with experienced professionals and develop their approach to the Bar as a serious career option. In January 2001, the Bar Association’s Equal Opportunity Committee hosted students from the UNSW Indigenous Pre-Law Program. Students visited barristers' chambers to see how practices are run. They also observed the business Supreme Court and had the opportunity to exchang ideas over lunch.

‘The day was an outstanding success and will become a permanent part of our Indigenous lawyers strategy’, said Ms McColl.

* The second part of the strategy involves assistance with one-off expenses and special financial needs incurred by law students between graduation and entry into full-time practice as barristers. A trust fund has been set up by the Bar Association to provide financial assistance for expenses such as fees for readers’ courses and purchasing essential texts.

* The third component involves more networking to help Indigenous Australians comng to the Bar settle in and build up steady income as soon as possible. They will be introduced to a network of contacts and work support to maximise opportunities in the first two years at the Bar.

Two Sydney’s law firms, Gilbert & Tobin and Corrs Chambers Westgarth are offerng to provide employment opportunities to indigenous graduates and to supporting newly admitted indigenous barristers.

Overall the Bar Association considers that the scheme will bring small but growing numbers of Indigenous lawyers to the Bar every year. The University of New South Wales and the University of Technology, Sydney will be the initial sources of students with other universities coming on stream if the scheme is successful.

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