Wikipedia

Accredited specialist solicitor (Australia)

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]

History

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Specialist accreditation was established in 1992 with aims to:[2]

  • Provide the profession and public with a reliable means of identifying a practitioner with proven expertise in their chosen area of law;
  • Contribute to and encourage continues development and improvement of standards, quality and delivery of legal services;
  • Promote the advancement of legal knowledge and skills; and
  • Provide practitioners with the opportunity to demonstrate expertise in their chosen are of law and to have this recognised.

To become an accredited specialist a solicitor needs to meet the following requirements:[2]

  • Hold a current solicitor's practising certificate;
  • Be a current solicitor member of the Law society or full solicitor member of an equivalent body in an Australian state or territory;
  • Be engaged in the practice of law full-time for at least 5 years;
  • In each of the three years immediately preceding your application, have been engaged in the area of practice of law in which you would like to become an accreditation specialist;
  • In the three years preceding this application, have practiced in the area for not less than 25% of full-time practice.

Specialist Accreditation exam

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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:

  • Submitting application for specialist accreditation before closing date
  • Take home assessments where solicitors are given a timeframe to complete
  • Formal written exams and live assessments
  • Results released

Areas of law

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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]

Accredited Specialist by State in Australia

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New South Wales Accredited Specialist

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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 Personal Injury Law
1 Ahn, Kris Joohyung Alden, Scott Dominic Andrew, Gary Jon Henderson, Genevieve
2 Ajuria, Lillian Carter, Anthony James Bazouni, Laura Nelson, Mark
3 Bollard, Peter Neil Gaynor, James Carter, Karina Elizabeth Concannon, Tim
4 Chao, Laurette Maree Hyland, Mireya Jane Chipchase, Ian Kenneth El-Jradi, Muhammad
5 Conyer, Arnold Joel O'Brien, Michelle Margaret Ettinger, Geri Masselos, Greg
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
46 Wan, Adele

Queensland Accredited Specialist

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Queensland Law Society currently recognises 10 areas of specialty.

The Specialist Accreditation program in QLD offers accreditation across 10 areas of law:
  • Family
  • Property
  • Succession
  • Taxation
  • Business
  • Criminal
  • Commercial litigation
  • Workplace relations
  • Immigration
  • Personal injuries

Victoria Accredited Specialist

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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
  • Commercial Law
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Children's Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Environment & Planning Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Wills & Estates
  • Workplace Relations
  • Administrative Law
  • Commercial Tenancy Law
  • Costs Law
  • Family Law
  • Mediation
  • Personal Injury Law
  • Property Law
  • Tax Law

South Australia Accredited Specialist

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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.

Western Australia Accredited Specialist

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The Law Society of Western Australia offers Specialist Accreditation programmes in Family Law, Mediation and Quality Practice Standard.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About the Specialist Accreditation Program | Law Society main". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Specialist Accreditation 2018 Guide" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Find a Lawyer | Law Society main". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Federal Register of Legislation – Australian Government". legislation.gov.au. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Specialist accreditation — Queensland Law Society". Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Lawyer achieves specialist accreditation | the Shepparton Adviser". Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  7. ^ Patty, Anna (22 July 2018). "New appointments to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. ^ "Find a Lawyer | Law Society main". www.lawsociety.com.au. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
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