Welcome to our first edition of our newsletter, Fighting for Justice.
This month we're giving a vibrant reflection on our journey and the compelling stories that shaped our past few months, while looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.
2023 closed on an exhilarating note as our Principal Solicitor, Peter O'Brien, clinched the Law Society President's Medal, underscoring his and our firm's dedication to justice and professional excellence. This year, we continued to champion the cause by extending our pro bono legal help to Alice Springs, providing vital legal assistance and upholding our commitment to accessibility in justice.
This newsletter not only celebrates our achievements but also dives into the heart of our mission—bringing to light the stories of those we serve, such as Professor Simon Rice, whose ordeal with unlawful arrest underscores the critical importance of robust legal representation. Join us as we recount these milestones and explore how they inspire and drive our work every day.
We hope you enjoy reading!
Advocate for disadvantaged wins NSW Law Society President's Medal.
We ended 2023 on a high.
In December, Peter O'Brien was nominated for the highly prestigious Law Society President's Medal 2023. It was a fantastic evening of celebration, recognition, and festivities.
The firm represented in true style, (if we do say so ourselves!). Once settled in for the night, we sat back and eagerly awaited the award nominees announcements. The last award of the night was Peter's category – the President's Medal.
We were on the edge of our seats. Cassandra Banks, President of the Law Society of NSW, said the winner of the annual medal has made a significant personal and prestigious contribution to the improvement of law and justice in NSW. She described the winner as a fearless advocate,
and praised their pro bono work.
If the shoe fits? It sounded like she was describing Peter!
She highlighted a recent case as a main contributing factor for the selection.
Was she referring to the Spedding case? Peter and our firm worked tirelessly to defend our client, William Spedding, after NSW police maliciously prosecuted him.
Finally, Peter was announced as the winner. Banks added:
"Mr O'Brien has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to providing access to justice to those who need it most, from representing children in the care and protection system for Legal Aid NSW, to private practice, where he represents legally aided clients and makes substantial contributions through his pro bono work."
A huge applause erupted from the room, followed by a moving speech from Peter. He expressed his shock at winning the medal and thanked his colleagues for their dedication & hard work. You can read more about the award below.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients in 2023 for their trust.
Our Lawyers Head To Alice Springs
In January, our lawyers took flight and headed to Alice Springs. Over the past few months, we have provided pro bono legal assistance to Aboriginal people by way of secondments with the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA).
NAAJA has experienced an unprecedented criminal defence lawyer shortage, resulting in many Aboriginal Australians having to appear before court without representation.
Two of our senior lawyers, Peter O'Brien and Stewart O'Connell, both have decades-long history of working for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, having previously worked with NAAJA. So, this journey was one packed with a great amount of nostalgia.
First up were two of our top Criminal Solicitors – Wilson Tighe & Timothy Rayner. They described the experience as highly rewarding and said that they thoroughly enjoyed their time in working with the community.
Since January, we have sent two different lawyers from our firm to help NAAJA with the backlog, with each pair staying for one week. This stint ended in mid-April, but we plan to remain in close ties with the community and agency in Alice Springs.
When lawyers need representation, they come to O'Brien Criminal & Civil Solicitors
We held an interview with our client, Professor of Law Simon Rice. We decided to post the interview to help spread an important message: That access to legal representation is so very important. Even legal professionals can be unlawfully arrested, detained and imprisoned.
Rice was wrongfully arrested and assaulted by police officers at a student protest. The news made headlines across Sydney, sparking interest across Australia. As a professional lawyer, Rice knew that he had been wrongfully arrested by NSW police. In the interview, Rice explained how important it was for him to stand up against the state.
He noted that not everyone has the same opportunity to receive legal representation when they need to sue the government to seek justice. However, when the time came to pick a lawyer and firm to represent him, he chose us.
