Opportunities
Law Council of Australia Young Lawyer Awards
The Law Council is pleased to advise that nominations for the 2025 Australian Young Lawyer Awards opened on Monday, 14 July 2025. We would be grateful if Constituent Bodies could promote the Awards within their membership and broader networks to maximise awareness across the legal profession, noting that nominations are now open.
Background
The Awards are conducted annually by the Law Council’s Young Lawyers Committee, recognising excellence in young—or early-career—lawyers and organisations. Nominations will close on Friday, 29 August 2025 at 5.00pm AEST, with the winners expected to be announced on 21 November 2025 at the National Golden Gavel event in Brisbane.
To be eligible for the Australian Young Lawyer of the Year Award, a nominee must be a young lawyer (under 36 years) or an early-career lawyer (admitted for a period of five years or less) who has made a continuous and outstanding contribution to the profession and the community, either during the 2024–25 financial year, or over several years.
To be eligible for the Australian Young Lawyer Organisation Award, a young or early-career lawyer organisation (for example, the Young Lawyers Committee of a Constituent Body) must have substantially implemented a program relating to professional or community issues during the 2024–25 financial year.
We have published Guidelines and a Nomination Form on our website, where information is also available about the winners of the 2024 Awards. We intend to promote the Awards through our various social media platforms and fortnightly e-newsletter.
Contact
For more information about the Awards, or to submit a nomination, please contact Natalie Cooper, Senior Policy Lawyer, at natalie.cooper@lawcouncil.au or on (02) 6246 3724.
Next Gen Legal Leaders’ Summit - Be one step ahead
Following success in 2024, we’re pleased to announce Next Gen Legal Leaders’ Summit is back! The leading industry event designed for junior lawyers and ambitious law students will take place in Sydney on 22 May 2025.
Backed by Thomson Reuters, the summit provides an unparalleled opportunity for the eager law students to participate in leading conversations, and equip themselves with the most forward knowledge and thinking from legal industry experts while opening up networking and mentorship opportunities.
This event is not to be missed for those who are keen to establish their selves as leaders and change-makers in the legal industry.
More information on speakers, agenda, and content to come!
Last year, we welcomed ambitious law students from leading universities in Sydney, including Macquarie University and UNSW. We are looking forward to meeting more of you this year!
Get in now to secure your place and get a step ahead in your legal career. Attendees will gain up to 6 CPD points.
Student tickets available now!
ANU Law Students’ Society Constitutional Law Moot
The ANU Law Students’ Society is proud to host the 2025 Sir Harry Gibbs Constitutional Law Moot, Australia’s leading national constitutional law mooting competition for university students.
Registrations will open June 10th for the competition, to be held from 3rd to 6th October 2025 at the Australian National University in Canberra.
Since its inception in 2002, the Gibbs Moot has earned a reputation as a premier forum for aspiring advocates to grapple with complex and often topical questions of constitutional law.
Each year, the competition challenges participants to prepare written and oral submissions on a hypothetical case grounded in live constitutional issues. Many moot problems have been crafted by current and former High Court Justices and Solicitors-General, ensuring the moot’s continued rigour and relevance.
Named in honour of Sir Harry Talbot Gibbs GCMG AC KBE QC, who served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1970 and as Chief Justice from 1981 to 1987, the moot continues to celebrate his enduring legacy in Australian constitutional jurisprudence.
Anticipated Dates
Registration Open: 10 June 2025
Registration Closed: 10 August 2025
Problem Question Release: 18 August 2025
Written Submissions due: 18 September 2025
Have a query?
National Conference program released
We're pleased to reveal the full program for this year's National Conference.
With a broad range of national-level topics covering all four CPD areas, and up to nine points on offer, the program will empower you with enhanced knowledge for your practice and food for thought as an engaged member of the profession.
We've also got both annual and new social events for you to catch up with old friends and make new ones. If you're a golfer, join our golf tournament sponsored by Mary Technology and Medicolegal Express on Wednesday 15 October before the conference kicks off. Email us for more details and to register.
Early-bird pricing closes this Friday
ALA members should book in by 5 September to take advantage of the ALA member early-bird rate. There is a special rate available for ALA branch committee and special interest group members. Please tick ‘committee member’ on the online registration form for this price to be applied.
Not yet a member? We welcome non-members to join to receive this rate and become part of our community with all we have to offer.
Don't delay in booking in so you can secure your accommodation at the all-ages-friendly Rydges Resort Hunter Valley on Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 October.
Register here.
Don't miss the biggest governance event of the year!
If you attend just one governance event this year, the Governance and Leadership Conference is one you can't afford to miss.
Bringing together over 300 senior professionals, directors and governance leaders, our conference is the largest and most influential gathering of its kind in Australia.
In one week's time, doors open in Sydney and online for a full day of insight, strategy and practical guidance that will shape the future of governance. This is your chance to hear from leading voices, connect with peers and walk away with ideas you can immediately apply to your role.
Here is what you can expect:
Expert speakers tackling the most pressing governance and leadership challenges.
Practical sessions designed to strengthen strategy, risk and decision-making.
Opportunities to expand your professional network with industry leaders at the Nasdaq Governance Social Networking Drinks.
Reserve your spot now to ensure you don't miss the premier governance event of the year.
We look forward to welcoming you to our most exciting event of the year.
Register online here.
AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF LAW
NOTICE OF ANNUAL ESSAY PRIZE 2025
The Australian Academy of Law invites you to submit an essay for its 2025 Annual Essay Prize.
The Prize is open to anyone, wherever resident, who is studying or has studied legal subjects at a tertiary level, or who is working or has worked in a law-based occupation.
There is no limit by reference to the age or seniority or experience of, or position held by, a person who may submit an entry. Accordingly, law students, legal academics, legal practitioners and judicial officers are all eligible to submit an essay.
The amount of the Prize is $10,000.
The essay topic for the Prize in 2025 is as follows:
Where has Bird v DP [2024] HCA 41 (‘Bird’) left the law of vicarious liability in Australia? How does it differ from the law in other common law jurisdictions? Should there be a legislative response to Bird and, if so, what should be its scope?
The length of the essay to be submitted is a maximum of 8,000 words (excluding the abstract).
The deadline for the submission of an essay is 31 August 2025 and this time limit is strictly observed, as the Rules governing the Annual Essay Prize make clear.
Essays should be submitted to the Secretariat at the Australian Academy of Law aalsecretariat@academyoflaw.org.au
The Rules can be accessed on the Academy’s website:
https://www.academyoflaw.org.au/Essay-Prize-Rules
You should also refer to the Academy’s website for further information about the actual submission of an entry as well as information on previous winners.