Respected and well-liked Brisbane solicitors Gerry and Luke Murphy created legal history when they became the first father and son team elected as presidents of the state’s peak legal body – the almost 150-year-old Queensland Law Society.
On 1 January 2023, the dynamic duo will beat this feat when they repeat the accomplishment, but this time as heads of the nation’s peak lawyer association – the Law Council of Australia (LCA).
Gerry Murphy AM, one of the founders and current special advisor of Brisbane firm MurphySchmidt Solicitors, served as QLS president and in 1982 was LCA’s head.
2020 QLS President Luke Murphy, a solicitor with more than 30 years of service to the law, a QLS accredited specialist in personal injuries and partner of the firm his dad kicked-off, as LCA’s current President-Elect will step into his fresh role in less than a fortnight.
Arguably two of the Law Society’s hardest working, admired and professional past presidents – Luke will take office as 2023 LCA President almost 40 years after Gerry vacated the office to return to legal practice.
The LCA, in a recently published post, acknowledged Luke’s elevation to the top job, having already served as council director (2020), executive (2021) and President-Elect in November 2021.
The LCA represents the Australian legal profession on national and international issues, on federal law and the operation of federal courts and tribunals. It works for the improvement of the law and of the administration of justice.
The Council is a federal organisation representing 90,000 Australian lawyers through their bar associations and law societies and Law Firms Australia (the Constituent Bodies).
“Luke is the Queensland Law Society’s member of the Law Council’s Personal Injuries and compensation Group of the Legal Practice Section,” the post reads.
“He served as President of Queensland Law Society in 2020 and has been an integral member of Queensland Law Society’s policy committees for over two decades.
“He is the Deputy Chair of QLS’ Tort Law/Accident Compensation Committee, and has served on QLS Council, QLS Executive and QLS’ Finance and Risk Committee.
“He has also served on QLS’ Specialist Accreditation Committee, QLS’ CPD Committee, QLS’ Practice Management Committee and QLS’ Personal Injuries Conference Committees.
“For many years, Luke has been actively involved in liaising on behalf of QLS with State Government departments and statutory bodies and represented QLS at numerous Parliament Committee hearings.
“In 2016 he was appointed by the Office of Industrial Relations as one of six members of the Section 193A Review Panel under the Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003.”
Previous notable Queenslanders to serve as LCA President include current Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) Justice Jacoba Brasch (2021), retired Court of Appeal (COA) Justice Robert Gotterson (2003-04), Federal Court and COA Justice Cecil ‘Bill’ Pincus (1984) and former QLS president and current Brisbane-based FC Lawyers Managing Director Glenn Ferguson AM.
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