About the Section

The Legal Practice Section of the Law Council of Australia was established in March 1980, initially as the 'Legal Practice Management Section', with a focus principally on legal practice management issues. In September 1986 the Section's name was changed to the 'General Practice Section', and its focus broadened to include areas of specialist practices including Superannuation, Property Law, and Consumer Law. On 7 December 2002 the Section's name was again changed, to 'Legal Practice Section', to reflect the Section's focus on a broad range of areas of specialist legal practices, as well as practice management.

The Section's objectives are to:

• Contribute to the development of the legal profession;
• Maintain high standards in the legal profession;
• Offer assistance in the development of legal and management expertise in its members through training, conferences, publications, meetings, and other activities; and 
• Provide policy advice to the Law Council, and prepare submissions on behalf of the Law Council, in the areas relating to its specialist committees.
   

Section Executive

Mr Greg McIntyre SC, Chair 

Greg McIntyre SC is the current Law Council President. His term is set to end on 31 December 2024.

Greg was also the President of the Law Society of Western Australia and a Director of the Law Council of Australia in 2019, having been on the Council of the Law Society for several years prior to that.

He has been Chair of the Australian Environment and Planning Law Group of the Legal Practice Section, and a member of the Access to Justice Committee, National Human Rights Committee and Indigenous Incarceration Working Group and Climate Change Working Group of the Law Council of Australia and recently joined the Indigenous Legal Issues Committee. He has been admitted to practice since 1976. His early experience was with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Legal Service of Queensland and as a sole practitioner in Cairns and was President of the Far North Queensland Law Association in 1987.

Greg joined the Independent Bar in Western Australia in 1993 and in 2002 was appointed as Senior Counsel. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Western Australia, having taught courses in Indigenous Peoples and the Law and Constitutional Law. His current practice includes Native Title, Aboriginal Heritage protection, Environmental Law, Racial Discrimination, Personal Injuries and Professional Conduct matters. He is also Senior Vice-President of the Australian Section and President of the Western Australian Branch of the International Commission of Jurists.

Mr Ben Slade, Deputy Chair

Ben is a barrister at William Forster Chambers in Darwin, Australia. He joined the bar in 2022 after 21 years as Managing Principal of the NSW practice of Maurice Blackburn, a national plaintiff and union law firm. Ben specialises in consumer, human rights, mass tort and commercial class actions. Ben’s first 10 years as a lawyer were at Sydney’s Redfern Legal Centre where he learnt to identify and address mass wrongs for prisoners and consumers of credit. He was Manager, General Law at Legal Aid NSW for six years before joining Maurice Blackburn in 2000.

Ben is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, he is the Deputy Chair of the Law Council’s Legal Practice Section and a member of the executive of the Federal Dispute Resolution Section. He is a Co-Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s Australian Consumer Law Committee and Co-Chair of its Class Actions Committee. Ben has held board positions of the Australian Consumer’s Association, CHOICE, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, the Consumer Credit Legal Centre, the Specialist Accreditation Board (NSW) and the Law Society of New South Wales Law Society. 

Mr Luke Barrett, Treasurer 

Executive Members
 

• Robyn Glindeeman

• Leonie Kelleher

• Maureen Peatman

• Geoff Provis

• Andrew Smyth
   

Committees of the Legal Practice Section

Australian Consumer Law 

• Mr Ben Slade & Ms Ursula Noye, Co-Chairs
   

Australian Environment and Planning Law 

• Ms Charmian Barton, Chair 

Australian Not-for-Profit and Charities

• Ms Bridgid Cowling, Chair
   

Australian Law Management 

• Ms Madeline Prior, Chair
   

Australian Property Law 

• Mr Jonathan Tisher, Chair
   

National Insurance Lawyers

• Mr Andrew Sharpe, Chair
   

Personal Injuries and Compensation

• Mr Luke Murphy, Chair

Superannuation Committee

• Joanne Dwyer, Chair
   

Contact

Ms Chelsea De Silva
Executive Officer
T. 02 6246 3722
E. chelsea.desilva@lawcouncil.au

Mr Joshua Woo
Administrative Coordinator
T. 0410 596 501
E. joshua.woo@lawcouncil.au
 

Disclaimer

The Law Council is the peak body representing the interests of the legal profession at the national level. The Law Council does not offer advice on individual cases. If you do require legal advice, please contact your local law society or legal aid.
 

Last Updated on 27/11/2024

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