Meet the Law Council’s 2024 President
1 February 2024
On 1 January 2024, Mr Greg McIntyre SC commenced his term as LCA President.
Mr McIntyre has had a distinguished legal career spanning over four decades. His early experience was with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Legal Service of Queensland. He also worked as a sole practitioner in Cairns and held the position of President of the Far North Queensland Law Association in 1987.
In 1993, he joined the Independent Bar in Western Australia, and after almost a decade of relentless service and outstanding contributions, he was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2002. His current practice comprises diverse areas such as Native Title, Aboriginal heritage protection, environmental law, racial discrimination, personal injuries, and professional conduct matters.
Mr McIntyre has held high-profile leadership roles in the legal fraternity. In 2019, he served as the President of the Law Society of Western Australia and has been a Director of the Law Council of Australia since that time.
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, Indigenous Legal Issues Committee and Indigenous Incarceration Working Group and Climate Change Working Group of the Law Council of Australia.
Apart from his professional commitments, Mr McIntyre is also deeply involved in the academic side of law. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at two prestigious institutions, the University of Notre Dame Australia and the University of Western Australia – having taught courses in Indigenous Peoples and the Law and Constitutional Law, areas in which he has vast practical experience.
Mr McIntyre's influence extends beyond Australia, as evidenced by his roles in international legal bodies. He is the President of the Western Australian Branch of the International Commission of Jurists. This position highlights his commitment to upholding justice and human rights on a global scale.
Recently, the Law Council had the opportunity to interview Mr McIntyre and ask him about his aspirations for 2024.
Why do you think it’s important for the Australian legal profession to be represented by an organisation like the Law Council?
Well, the Australian legal profession of course covers the whole Australian nation and there are important issues which concern the many lawyers around the country. They need a voice to be able to represent them to the relevant agencies of Government, and to make sure that the public understands what the role of lawyers is. All those things are important in having a voice for the legal profession, which is what the Law Council of Australia is.
Why did you decide to stand for President?
I have worked my way up the ranks. I’ve been engaged with the Law Council for decades on various committees and when I became President of the Western Australia Law Society, I became a Director of the Law Council. I could see becoming President was a path available and I enjoy the idea of representing the legal profession.
What do you hope to achieve this year in your role as President?
The most important thing for me to do is to ensure the Law Council achieves its strategic plan. While doing that, it involves engagement with the international community, the international legal profession, the Constituent Bodies around the nation, and the Commonwealth Government. I’ll be trying to do all those things, but I will come to it with my background which is an interest in issues like human rights, Indigenous legal issues, environmental issues – all of those things will colour the way in which I will attempt to represent the whole legal profession.
What are some of the key policy areas you hope to address during your tenure?
Access to justice is an ongoing concern that the Law Council has had, and I have been engaged with. Indigenous legal issues is another one. I would hope that we may engage with the Government in relation to a Makarrata Commission and that we may in fact achieve a form of legal assistance funded by government which enables the vulnerable members of our community to be properly legally represented. More broadly, that we enhance the role the Law Council has with Government in communicating concerns to make sure that Australia is run with the best possible laws and the best possible polices based in regulation which works for the community.
What do you think are the biggest challenges the legal profession is currently facing?
I think it’s providing a service to middle Australia and the most disadvantaged peoples in our communities. Law is a complex and often expensive process and is fine for those who can readily afford it. There are real difficulties for many people in the community to get high quality legal representation. We do what we can in the legal profession with our pro bono work and engaging in providing legal aid. We are still not meeting the need which is out there.
Last Updated on 20/06/2024