Stephen’s Qualifications
Bachelor of Laws LL.B ( UTS )
Admitted to practice:
NSW, QUEENSLAND, NORTHERN TERRITORY AND A.C.T. ( however can appear in other States due to reciprocal arrangements between States).
Other interests:
- Member of Rotary International and former President of his club. Charitable local and international community projects are regularly developed and supported.
- Member of Manly Surf Club : President 2023 –
- Surfing, golf, snow skiing and travel.
What is a barrister?
In NSW, there are two types of legal practitioners: solicitors and barristers.
Barristers are legal practitioners whose principal work involves providing specialist legal advice and representing clients in court and tribunal hearings. Barristers work in private practice as independent sole practitioners. The independent role of a barrister has been described in the following way:
“ The full range of the Bar’s expertise is available to anyone who needs it. No client is disadvantaged by being unable to brief a barrister because that barrister is in partnership with the opponent’s lawyer. The ‘cab rank’ rule ensures a barrister’s independence. The individual barrister is available to be instructed on behalf of the clients as the need arises and to bring to bear the barrister’s specialist advocacy and advisory legal skills to the client’s particular and individual problems. The barrister is the ‘servant of all’.” – Sir Owen Dixon, former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia.
The independence of barristers is vital to our system of justice and ensures legal representation for everyone, without fear or favour.
In many cases people make contact with a solicitor first who will carry out the preliminary background work on a case to prepare a ‘brief’ for a barrister.
However, anyone in need of legal advice or representation can contact a barrister direct. If the case then requires the additional services of a solicitor or, if some disadvantage to the client by a solicitor not being involved is a real possibility, the barrister is required to fully advise the client of this fact.