Disclosure and Public Interest Immunity - Some of the latest issues

1.5 CPD UNITS - Professional Skills

The vexed issue of disclosure has been dealt with by a statutory regime in England and Wales that is currently the subject of significant concerns in its use. Following the Liam Allan scandal in England and the lawyer X scandal in Victoria, this event will discuss two issues:

1. To what extent are disclosure procedures failing in Australia; and
2. When should special counsel be appointed to represent the Accused’s interests in a Public Interest Immunity (PII) procedure.

Professor Felicity Gerry QC is at Crockett Chambers, Melbourne and Carmelite Chambers, London and Professor of Legal Practice at Deakin University. She is currently on the team seeking a further appeal for Tony Mokbel and is leading a team on behalf of ICJV drafting a submission to the Royal Commission on the international perspectives arising from the use of human sources. She has also recently dealt with a special counsel application - a rare but not unknown concept in Australia.