Henderson, Genevieve --- "President's page: Support for a new start" [2022] PrecedentAULA 36; (2022) 171 Precedent 3

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SUPPORT FOR A NEW START

By Genevieve Henderson

As I write this, my first president’s page, I reflect on how fortunate I am to be National President of the Australian Lawyer’s Alliance (ALA) at this time.

We have largely learned to live with COVID-19, which has dominated our lives for the last two years. At time of writing, the newly minted Federal Attorney-General has discontinued the appalling prosecution of former ACT Attorney-General and courageous lawyer Bernard Collaery. Recent ABS data has shown that more and more people are proud to identify themselves as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and there seems to be a greater genuine commitment than ever to Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up for our First Nations people, underlined by the Federal Government’s display of the three flags at public events.

I acknowledge that the land I live and work on is, and always has been, the land of First Nations Peoples. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, throughout Australia.

There are still enormous challenges – not least those discussed in this edition of Precedent – but I begin my presidency with a feeling of tremendous optimism.

In my first years in legal practice as a plaintiff personal injury lawyer, I quickly came to understand the high worth of mentorship by experts in their fields whose values I shared. I joined the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association (APLA), as the ALA then was, very early in my career and quickly Precedent and the education offered by the organisation became my go-to sources of relevant, reliable information. I joined the ALA’s NSW Committee in 2009/2010 and the National Council as NSW Director in 2018/2019.

These roles brought me into contact with extraordinary people with extraordinary values, working enormously hard for those people least able to help themselves. I acknowledge how fortunate I have been to have had the opportunity to work closely with, and be influenced by, people of this calibre. I particularly mention and thank Andrew Stone SC in this regard.

I have not yet determined my particular focus as the ALA’s current National President. I intend to reflect on the work of those who have preceded me, and make use of their guidance. I am fortunate to have worked with three former Presidents of great quality: Noor Blumer, who was a leading voice on gender issues and human rights; Andrew Christopoulos, who championed the ALA’s first Reconciliation Action Plan; and Graham Droppert SC, Immediate Past President, who steered the ALA expertly through two tumultuous years, facing all the challenges of COVID-19 and natural disasters while progressing the ALA’s work on championing First Nations issues and women’s rights.

I thank them for the work they have already done and continue to do. Big shoes indeed.

This edition of Precedent focuses on disability.

As a plaintiff personal injury lawyer, I speak daily with people who have acquired disability through accident. My communication includes recognising that I cannot reverse time and restore their condition before the accident; what I can do is use all the tools available to help them face a future living the different life they now have.

For too many, the negative socioeconomic and other consequences of living with difference are extreme and require our attention.

The articles in this edition provide insights and tools to help people who live with disability and who struggle and fall through the cracks. They also identify where society is failing the most vulnerable and where we, as legal practitioners, can do better. The articles share confronting material. I commend this edition to you.

I also encourage you to take an active interest in future editions of Precedent. This bi-monthly journal is one of your benefits as a member. If you haven’t done so already, please take the Precedent Reader’s Survey, which you can access at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VQGTWPT.

And last, I take this opportunity to remind you that the National Conference will take place on 20 to 22 October in the Barossa Valley.

I look forward to meeting as many ALA members around the country as I can in the coming months, starting with the ACT Conference in August.

Genevieve Henderson is Senior Practice Leader, Work and Road Claims NSW and ACT Central and North, at Slater and Gordon. EMAIL [e-mail] PHONE [phone]