Law Award (sponsored by the Law Council of Australia)
The Law Award is awarded to an individual or an organisation with a track record in promoting and advancing human rights in Australia through the practice of law.
The finalists for 2014 are:
Stephen Kenny
For over 25 years, barrister and solicitor Stephen Kenny has demonstrated a dedication to the protection of civil liberties and human rights in Australia. Known for his legal representation of former Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks, as well as being the spokesperson for The Justice Campaign, Mr Kenny has also acted for Indigenous groups on Native Title Land Claim. He has received the Justice Award from the Law Society of South Australia and the Social Justice Award from the Knights of the Southern Cross. Mr Kenny is the former Chairperson of the South Australian Council for Civil Liberties and currently acts as a pro-bono adviser to the Foreign Prisoner Support Service as well as being one of the directors of Camatta Lempens Lawyers.
Professor Paul Redmond
Professor Paul Redmond is the Sir Gerard Brennan Professor of the Law Faculty at the University of Technology, Sydney and an Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales. His distinguished research focuses on corporations and responsibility for human rights protections and he is the Chair of independent, Australian NGO the Diplomacy Training Program, committed to advancing human rights in the Asia Pacific Region. He is a joint program director of the UTS:Law Brennan Justice and Leadership Program, which focuses on social justice and encourages its members to volunteer their time in various organisations. Professor Redmond is also a founding member of both the National Pro Bono Resource Centre and the Australian Law Schools Standards Committee and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2013 for his services to legal education and the community.
Darren Fittler
Darren Fittler is a laywer at Gilbert + Tobin, where he leads the Third Sector Advisory Group, providing legal assistance to the charity, philanthropic and not-for-profit sectors. Mr Fittler is a member of the Disability Advisory Council for the NSW Department of Justice and board members of Media Access Australia, the nation’s only not-for-profit media access organisation focused on improving media engagement for people with disabilities. He is also a member of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Professional Users Group. Mr Fittler was chosen to be part of the non-government delegation to the United Nations Ad Hoc Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disability
Allens
International law firm Allens has shown an ongoing commitment to pro bono work promoting social justice in Australia, particularly in advocating for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals. Recently this has included assisting Australian Marriage Equality with its intervention in Commonwealth v Australian Capital Territory [2013] HCA 55 and providing specialist advice in the landmark High Court case that gave legal recognition in NSW to a third ‘non-specific sex’ gender category. Allens also advances these human rights concerns through its employment practices, being the first law firm to become a member of non-for-profit workplace program Pride in Diversity and developing an internal interest group for LGBTI partners, employees and allies.
