Elizabeth Shearer is known for her dedication to access to justice, and that passion shined through her acceptance speech for the Agnes McWhinney Award at the Queensland Law Society’s Excellence In Law Gala on Saturday night.
The Director of Shearer Doyle Law was unable to accept the award, which recognises an outstanding, ground-breaking female lawyer, in person, but her video message was not simply a “thank you” – it was a call to action.
“Like Agnes McWhinney, I was a girl in regional Queensland (Toowoomba) who just wanted to do something purposeful with my life,” she said in the recorded message to an audience of about 400 at Brisbane City Hall.
“I didn’t face the barriers to joining the profession that women before me face, but women like me who joined the profession in the 1980s certainly faced barriers to staying and to progressing.
“Fortunately with the support of family, friends and colleagues, I found a way to stay and to work in roles that have let me do something purposeful with my life.
“Even more fortunately the profession has changed these last four decades, so more women can stay and progress and find their own purpose as solicitors.
“Of course, challenges remain – but so too opportunities – and I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to lend your voices to our profession’s Access to Justice For All campaign.”
Elizabeth is a member of Law Council of Australia (LCA) Executive and a long-standing member of the LCA’s Access to Justice Committee, which is driving that national campaign.
Last month, the LCA launched the campaign with an open letter to key decision makers, with the support of QLS, aimed at ensuring every member of the community can access legal support in times of need.
“Federal and State Governments will meet in September to consider the National Legal Assistance Partnership Review Report which recommends funding to legal assistance services – community legal centres, Legal Aid, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services – so that they have the resources they need to truly deliver access to justice for all,” she said.
“This includes paying the solicitors in private practice doing legal aid work the court scale, instead of rates so low that few can afford to do the work.
“Between now and September, talk to people, especially your members of parliament about how important this is. We can take pride in the operation of the rule of law in our state and in our country, but it’s flawed until there is access to justice for all.”
Elizabeth’s commitment to access to justice is also shown with her ongoing role as Chair of the QLS Access to Justice Pro Bono Law Committee. She also worked for Legal Aid in Queensland for more than 14 years and a stint in the Northern Territory.
“I’ve always felt a clear, strong sense of when something is not fair, and when it’s not fair, you should do something about it,” she said.
“So in the legal profession, the gap is people being unable to access lawyers and legal services when they need it irrespective of their means for all of those important legal issues that impact on people, particularly people in poverty.
“A lot of their life is determined by legal issues that can seem quite random and not understandable to them, so having legal assistance is very important.
“I was fortunate to work in a community legal centre in Darwin and then at Legal Aid Queensland for a long time. So I’ve had hands-on, on-the-ground experience of delivering legal service, working in domestic violence legal help in the court in Darwin, just helping women get protection orders.”
She said part of working in that sector rather than private sector, and her drive to enable access to justice, related to the Agnes McWhinney Award.
“There were no flexible roles in private practice. There was no parental leave. When I had my children, you had to resign your job and then the idea that you could be a part-time solicitor in private practice was unheard of,” Elizabeth said.
“You couldn’t do that. Clients wouldn’t allow that! You’ve got to be available all the time. So that was what also prompted me to do more flexible roles and in the legal assistance sector was where it was possible to do that.”
And after “the busy years” when Elizabeth’s children had grown up, she then found time for committee work at the Society, volunteering for about 15 years. She encourages other to do so.
“They say you can’t have it all, and it’s true you can’t have it all at once. But over the course of a career you can fit a lot in,” she said. “So I think not to feel stressed that you have to achieve everything in the first five, 10, 15 years because it is possible to fit a lot of different things in but you don’t have to do it all at once when your life is most pressured.”
Elizabeth returned to general practice about a decade ago and now works with her husband Bruce Doyle, who she wanted to thank.
“I’d like to thank my husband. We met as law students in 1981 and we are still together all these years later and in practice together. I’d like to thank him for his support,” she said.
“I’d like to thank all the people that I worked with as you learn so much from different people from the great bosses who learn how that feels and how to do that yourself, and from the not-so-great ones you learn what not to do.
“When I was at Legal Aid, I had the opportunity to do different sorts of work, and work on projects that really made a difference. That’s a great organisation.”
Elizabeth is also a Past President of the Queensland Law Society in 2021, and has presented many awards during her presidency.
Other award winners on the night were:
Access to Justice (Bond University award partner): Coby Foster – Norton Rose Fulbright
Emerging Leader (Dare Recruitment award partner): Jaya Prasad – New Hope Group
Employer of Choice (legalsuper award partner): Results Legal
First Nations Solicitor of the Year: Serrina Kenny – First Nations Women’s Legal Services Queensland
First Nations Student: Kiara Petterson – Bond University
Graduate Lawyer of the Year (College of Law award partner): Isabella Busby – Allens
In-house Counsel of the Year: Shannon O’Hara – QBE Insurance
Queensland Solicitor of the Year (Large Firm) (First Title award partner): Brett Heading – Hamilton Locke
Pride in Law Award: Christopher Peppel – Carter Newell
Pro Bono Team of the Year: HopgoodGanim Lawyers
Regional Practitioner of the Year: Mark Fenlon – National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
Queensland Solicitor of the Year (Small Firm) (Westpac award partner): Trent Wakerley – Kruger Law
Queensland Solicitor of the Year (Sole Practitioner) (pilot award partner): Anna Morgan – Take Control Legal.
Event partners for the gala were Lexus and Sovereign Brands, and platinum partner was Dare Recruitment.
Proctor will publish a series of articles on the 2024 winners.
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