On 1 February 2016, ICJ Victoria hosted the 2016 Community Opening of the Legal Year. It was well attended with over 100 people joining us, from all sectors of the community.
We were pleased to present the John Gibson Award to Mr W. Guy Gilbert.
Guy has provided a remarkable amount of pro-bono, refugee and asylum seeker work. He has been a lawyer since 1975 and a barrister since 1981. He is a registered migration Agent, and over ten years was a part time member of the Mental Health Review Board and Refugee Review Tribunal. He is co-author of the “Refugee Law” chapter in the Lawyers Practice Manual. He has worked on many high profile cases, and appeared with many high profile advocates such as Debbie Mortimer. The number of cases he has done in this refugee sphere is prodigious. He is a humble man, and is content to do the most menial appearances and advice for those that need it most, and can afford it least.
W Guy Gilbert is an outstanding Victorian lawyer, and we are pleased to present him with the 2016 John Gibson award.
Thank you to all who attended the Community Opening of the Legal Year 2016. In particular, we would like to thanks the following:
- Wurundjeri Elder Colin Hunter, for providing our Welcome to Country;
- The Honourable Chief Justice James Allsop AO of the Federal Court of Australia, speaking on society and the law;
- The Skyline Foundation, and student speakers Mukul Relan and Melissa Claydon, from South Oakleigh Secondary College, speaking on the problems with the anti-vaccination lobby;
- Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Human Rights Commission, speaking on the issue of access to justice;
- The Melbourne Lawyers’ Orchestra, for providing music;
- The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, for supplying morning tea;
- The County Court of Victoria, for again allowing ICJ Victoria to use Waldron Hall for the event;
- Dever’s List, the Victoria Law Foundation, and the Law Institute of Victoria, for their support.
