Selden Society lecture series Australia

Many leading equity texts and lawyers continue to quote Lord Eldon’s judgments. He is seen by many to be one of the most famous of the Chancery judges in equity law, as he systematised and bought certainty to its principles. Listen to Queensland barrister Andrew Stumer capture the interrelationship between Lord Eldon’s personal life, character and judgments.   

Andrew Stumer was admitted to the Bar in 2010, practicing in commercial law. He served as an Associate to the Hon Justice Atkinson, Supreme Court of Queensland, undertaking articles of clerkship with Allens before commencing extensive postgraduate study aboard. Mr Stumer then worked as a Senior Associate at Allens, prior to commencing practice at the Bar. 

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Sir Samuel Griffith was undoubtedly the instigator of some of the greatest law reform moments in Queensland history. This lecture attempts to capture the most significant pieces of law reform for which he was singularly responsible for more than a quarter of a century.  

The range of subjects include both civil and criminal law, substantive law and procedural law with a view to identifying what was innovative and, at times, audacious. 

About the speaker:
The Hon Justice David Jackson began his career in law when he was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1977. In 1990 his Honour was appointed Queen’s Counsel. Justice Jackson previously served as a member of the Supreme Court Library Committee and chaired the Queensland Law Reform Commission between 2014 and 2020. His Honour has been a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland since 2012.

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Mary Genevieve Gaudron was the first woman to be appointed a justice of the High Court of Australia. Gaudron served on the Court as one of its most influential members for 16 years (1987–2003), and her career has been described as ‘a classic example of talent and industry triumphant over limited opportunity’. 

Listen as the Hon Roslyn Atkinson AO tells the fascinating story of Gaudron’s stellar career. From being the first woman in New South Wales to be appointed as Solicitor-General and Queen’s Counsel, to her appointment as a justice of the High Court of Australia at 43, to her term as President of the International Labour Organisation’s Administrative Tribunal in Geneva.

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Has there ever really been a revolution in private law, never mind the law of obligations? Professor Hector MacQueen addresses that question by considering the relationship between law and revolution. 

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To mark our brand new exhibition, The many hats of Sir Samuel Griffith, our latest podcast features the Australian Academy of Law and Selden Society (Australia) webinar, Celebrating Samuel Griffith.  

The Hon Justice Peter Applegarth AM chairs a distinguished panel, exploring some of the interesting and important aspects of Griffith’s life: 

• The Hon Chief Justice Catherine Holmes AC on Griffith the Politician 
• Professor Carolyn Evans, Vice Chancellor and President of Griffith University on Griffith’s role in drafting the Constitution 
• John McKenna QC on Griffith the Lawyer 
• Dr Raymond Evans on Griffith’s early life 
• Professor Sarah Joseph on the Griffith Court 

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After discovering a badly decomposed snail at the bottom of a bottle of ginger ale, Mrs Donoghue became ill and then sued the manufacturer. Lord Atkin’s judgment in this case would have a lasting impact on society. Hear the Hon Justice Applegarth AM discuss this case and others that made Lord Atkin one of the most influential judges of his or any generation.   

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In the early hours of a cold Brisbane morning in 1968, David Bertram Brooks entered the unlocked front door of Queensland’s historic Supreme Court. Resentful of the police and the justice system for his frequent arrests, Brooks made his way to the judges’ chambers and set the building alight. 

In the days following the fire, judges, their associates, members of the legal profession and law students from The University of Queensland diligently searched through the charred rooms to salvage books, court records, artworks and personal effects.  

Speaker the Hon Richard Chesterman AO RFD QC was a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland (1998–2008) and Queensland Court of Appeal (2008–2012). He also served on the Mental Health Tribunal (1998–2002) and as a Commercial List judge (2002–08). In September 1968 he was a final year law student and associate to the Hon Justice Wanstall, (later Chief Justice).

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Sir Harry Talbot Gibbs PC AC GCMC QC served as a Justice of the High Court of Australia for more than 16 years (1970–87), rising to the office of Chief Justice from 1981 to 1987. As a judge of exemplary ability and integrity, with no political affiliations, Sir Harry Gibbs played a key role in maintaining public confidence in the High Court during this challenging period of controversy and change. 

Speaker David Jackson AM QC leads New Chambers in NSW. His principal areas of practice are appellate, constitutional, commercial, common, public and administrative, taxation and revenue law, equity, arbitration and mediation. 

He was an associate to Sir Harry Gibbs while he was a judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland. He was called to the Bar in 1964, appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1976 and worked in private practice in Brisbane until 1985 when he was appointed a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia (1985–87).

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In this episode Professor Warren Swain examines Lord Mansfield and his influence in developing the common law to meet the growing needs of commercial practice.

In particular, his judgments shaped the law in relation to bills of exchange, marine insurance and intellectual property and he drew upon equitable concepts to create the groundwork for the later development of doctrines of estoppel and restitution.

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Barrister, legal scholar, parliamentarian, and judge, Sir Edward Coke (1552–1634) was at the very centre of some of the most dramatic moments in England's legal history including the trials of the Earl of Essex (1600), Sir Walter Raleigh (1603) and the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot (1605).

His outspoken conduct as a Member of Parliament soon led to his arrest and imprisonment in the Tower of London on charges of treason (1622). Even in death, at the age of 82, concern about his radical views resulted in his papers being seized by the authorities.

In this insightful and entertaining episode, The Hon Justice Patrick Keane AC covers the myriad aspects of Coke's life including his early career and his appointments as Speaker of the House of Commons, Attorney-General, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.

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