![]() | This article includes a list of general references, but 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: | |
|
|
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 |
---|---|
|
|
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.
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching the law and giving legal opinions.
An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, in Scottish, Manx, South African, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Scandinavian, Polish, Israeli, South Asian and South American jurisdictions, "advocate" indicates a lawyer of superior classification.
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments.
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to practise there as such. For example, in England and Wales a solicitor is admitted to practise under the provisions of the Solicitors Act 1974. With some exceptions, practising solicitors must possess a practising certificate. There are many more solicitors than barristers in England; they undertake the general aspects of giving legal advice and conducting legal proceedings.
Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular jurisdiction, to provide a greater breadth of knowledge to those working in other professions such as politics or business, to provide current lawyers with advanced training or greater specialisation, or to update lawyers on recent developments in the law.
The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to the bar". "The bar" is now used as a collective noun for barristers, but literally referred to the wooden barrier in old courtrooms, which separated the often crowded public area at the rear from the space near the judges reserved for those having business with the court. Barristers would sit or stand immediately behind it, facing the judge, and could use it as a table for their briefs.
A Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subjects and jurisprudence to provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal system and its function. The LLB curriculum is designed to impart a thorough knowledge of legal principles, legal research skills, and a sound understanding of the roles and responsibilities of lawyers within society. This degree is often a prerequisite for taking bar exams or qualifying as a practising lawyer, depending on the jurisdiction. Additionally, the LLB program also serves as a foundation for further legal education, such as a Master of Laws (LLM) or other postgraduate studies in law.
A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction.
In the United Kingdom, only an authorised or licensed insolvency practitioner (IP) may be appointed in relation to formal insolvency procedures.
A licensed conveyancer is a specialist legal professional in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia or South Africa who has been trained to deal with all aspects of property law.
In the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, and certain other English common law jurisdictions, a trainee solicitor is a prospective lawyer undergoing professional training at a law firm or an in-house legal team to qualify as a full-fledged solicitor. This period of training is known as a training contract and usually lasts for two years.
Medical education in Australia includes the educational activities involved in the initial and ongoing training of Medical Practitioners. In Australia, medical education begins in Medical School; upon graduation it is followed by a period of pre-vocational training including Internship and Residency; thereafter, enrolment into a specialist-vocational training program as a Registrar eventually leads to fellowship qualification and recognition as a fully qualified Specialist Medical Practitioner. Medical education in Australia is facilitated by Medical Schools and the Medical Specialty Colleges, and is regulated by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) and Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) of which includes the Medical Board of Australia where medical practitioners are registered nationally.
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are distinct practising certificates.
The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA) is an Australian Government authority that registers migration agents and regulates the Migration Agents profession. Migration agents assist people to migrate to Australia by using their knowledge of Australian visas and immigration law to complete necessary visa applications and represent them in dealings with the Department of Home Affairs, the tribunals, the minister, federal courts and high courts of Australia.
The Law Society of New South Wales is a professional association which represents over 42,000 solicitors in Australia. The Law Society has statutory powers and regulates the practice of law in New South Wales.
The Legal profession in England and Wales is divided into two distinct branches under the legal system, those of solicitors and barristers. Other legal professions in England and Wales include acting as a judge, as the Attorney-General, as the Solicitor-General, or as the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The New South Wales Crown Solicitor's Office (CSO) is an executive government agency of the New South Wales Department of Justice in Australia that has the role of providing legal services to the government, its agencies, and its statutory authorities. The Office practices in twelve areas of law, namely administrative law, child protection law, commercial law, community law, constitutional law, coronial law and inquiries, criminal law, employment law, government law, native title law, property law, and tort law. The Office frequently instructs barristers with regard to civil matters.
A practising certificate is a licence to practise a particular profession.
Paul Joseph Hugh McDermott is an Australian politician who was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the State Member for Prospect for the Labor Party at the 2015 New South Wales state election. Prior to entering Parliament he had a career as an international lawyer and university academic. Since 2023 he has served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General in the government of Chris Minns.
The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the main process of qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales as of 2021. In order to be admitted to the roll of solicitors, a candidate must have tertiary education in any subject, pass two SQE assessments, complete qualifying work experience (QWE) for two years full-time and meet the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA)'s requirements for character and suitability. It is the solicitors' equivalent of the Bar Professional Training Course.