This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(January 2021) |
To be given the title "accredited specialist", is the highest accreditation attainable as a solicitor in Australia. To become an accredited specialist, a solicitor must meet certain requirements and go through various examination stages, testing their skills and knowledge in the specific area of the law that they are competent in. Once a solicitor fulfils the requirements, they are entitled to use the prestigious title of accredited specialist after their name to differentiate themselves as experts in that area of law. [1]
Specialist accreditation was established in 1992 with aims to: [2]
To become an accredited specialist a solicitor needs to meet the following requirements: [2]
The Specialist Accreditation exam occurs every year but once every two years for a specific area of law. For example, there was a specialist accreditation exam for Immigration law in 2018, you'll be expecting the next exam in 2020.
The accreditation process takes approximately 6–7 months until results are released. The processes are as follow:
Only solicitors as individuals can become an accredited specialist, not firms. Specialist accreditation are offered in 18 areas of law: [3]
You can tell when a lawyer is an accredited specialist when they show the logo which is as mark of excellence. [5] When a solicitor or lawyer receives this accreditation it is usually newsworthy due to how hard it is to be obtained. [6] Solicitors that hold this accreditation are usually then appointed to high ranking roles such as the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. [7]
A list of those specialists can be found via the respective states law society to validate that an individual is actually accredited. For example, the accredited solicitors in NSW can be found via NSW LAW SOCIETY. [8]
The table below consists of Accredited Specialist in some areas of law in New South Wales. Accredited Specialists can also be found in other areas of law and can be found on the Law Society of New South Wales website.
Australian Immigration Law | Administrative Law | Dispute Resolution | |
1 | Ahn, Kris Joohyung | Alden, Scott Dominic | Andrew, Gary Jon |
2 | Ajuria, Lillian | Carter, Anthony James | Bazouni, Laura |
3 | Bollard, Peter Neil | Gaynor, James | Carter, Karina Elizabeth |
4 | Chao, Laurette Maree | Hyland, Mireya Jane | Chipchase, Ian Kenneth |
5 | Conyer, Arnold Joel | O'Brien, Michelle Margaret | Ettinger, Geri |
6 | D'Ambra, Lisa Francesca | Robinson, Kate Therese | Jadhav, Shareena |
7 | De Silva, Angela Nadine Theonie | Ross, Gregory Denis | Keyzer, Ingrid Pearl |
8 | Dobbie, Nigel James | Salem, Phillip Anthony | Kinsella, Christopher John |
9 | Duong, Vinh Quang | Taverner, Julianne | Lewis, Paul Austin |
10 | Gu, Da Wei (David) | Thompson, Stephen Gordon | McNamara, Philip James |
11 | Hardy, Richard Earl | Tipene, Chantal Louise | Mohindra, Adit |
12 | Hense, Paul Ephraim | Monnox, Christine Therese | |
13 | Hijwel, Rola | Parker, Debra Ellen | |
14 | Hildebrand, Martin | Patterson, Gary Victor | |
15 | Hugo, Etienne De Villiers | Ryan, Richard Erle | |
16 | Hunt, Sally Judith | Salkavich, Emma Kate | |
17 | Hunter, Kim Lee | Sawley, Cheree Adele | |
18 | Jeans, Simon Charles Mitchell | Snell, Jacqueline Ellen | |
19 | Johanes, Charles (Charlie) | Stipicic, Maria | |
20 | Jones, Michael Terence | Strazzeri, Gaetano (Guy) | |
21 | Kah, Michael | Styles, Evatt Charles Ashley | |
22 | Kinslor, Joanne Jennifer | Williams, Brett John Readford | |
23 | Lam, Andie Minh | Wilson, Janine Amanda | |
24 | Levingston, Christopher Hugh | Wilson, Lachlan | |
25 | Ling, Jason Eng Eu | Lethbridge, Charles | |
26 | Liu, Robert Jun-Keong | ||
27 | McCrudden, Michael Devlin | ||
28 | Murphy, Kerry Daniel | ||
29 | O'Donoghue, Anne Frances | ||
30 | Papadopoulos, Peter | ||
31 | Prince, David John | ||
32 | Rigas, Aristidis Alan | ||
33 | Skaros, Rania | ||
34 | Smith, Timothy James | ||
35 | Turner, Raymond Charles (Ray) | ||
36 | Urquijo, Marcelo | ||
37 | Varess, Farid | ||
38 | Viegas, Kathryn Rose | ||
39 | Vu, Janice Aileen | ||
40 | Wright, Cherie Anne | ||
41 | Yip, Phillip | ||
42 | Harris, Owen David | ||
43 | Lewis, Marial Assaad Shafik | ||
44 | Saunders, Alison Valerie | ||
45 | Soltan, Ayah |
Queensland Law Society currently recognises 10 areas of specialty.
The Specialist Accreditation program in QLD offers accreditation across 10 areas of law: | |
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Law Institute of Victoria recognises 16 areas of speciality but not all areas are available at the same time in a given year.
Areas of Accredited Specialisation in Victoria in 2020 vs year 2021.
Year 2020 | Year 2021 |
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The Law Society of South Australia currently has 17 Accredited Specialists in two areas of law, Family Law and Immigration Law.
The Law Society of Western Australia offers Specialist Accreditation programmes in Family Law, Mediation and Quality Practice Standard.
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