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Early Career Lawyers (ECL) – How to Get Involved in Your Regional Committee

Early Career Lawyer (ECL) regional AGMs for the new 2023-2024 committee year have now been held. An ECL committee year runs from 1 May to 30 April each year. See below to get involved in your regional committee. General information for early career lawyers including what is involved in being a member of an ECL Committee can be found here. And, for more information about these committees see here.

Early Career Lawyer (ECL) AGM outcomes for the 2023-2024 committee year are:

SECL

  • Co-Presidents – Zoey Dwyer (Butler McIntyre Butler) and Meghan Scolyer (Murdoch Clarke)
  • Secretary – Robert Holbrook (Simmons Wolfhagen)
  • Treasurer – Bernard Goh (Dobson Mitchell Allport)
  • CPD Coordinator – Audrey Clarkson (Dobson Mitchell Allport)
  • Social Media Coordinator – Hayley Crack (Simmons Wolfhagen)

NWECL

  • Co-Presidents – Amber Scott (Rae & Partners); Callum Tregurtha (North-West Community Legal Centre)
  • Secretary – Sophie Warren (Tasmanian Legal Aid)
  • Treasurer – TBA
  • CPD Coordinators – Aaron Murphy (McKenzie McLean & Topher); Kelsey Lewis (Tasmanian Legal Aid)

NECL

  • President – Timothy Drew (Rae & Partners)
  • Vice President – Claudia Thomas (Rae & Partners)
  • Secretary – Jeremy Harris (Douglas and Collins)
  • Treasurer – Shravaree Tryambake (Bishops)
  • CPD Coordinators – Courtney Bailey (Bishops); Amit Sharma (Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management)
  • Social Coordinators – Louis Benjamin (Rae & Partners); Molly Peters (Rae & Partners)

ECL Membership
All members or associate members of the Law Society of Tasmania who have ten years or less post-admission experience in the legal profession within a State or Territory of Australia are deemed to be members of their regional early career lawyers ECL (known as [Southern] [Northern] [North-West] Early Career Lawyers, respectively. See the Early Career Lawyer Constitution for more information. The ECL Committees are committees of the Law Society of Tasmania that promote the interests of early career members of the Tasmanian legal profession across Tasmania.

ECL Committee Makeup
ECLs are made up of early career lawyers from each region – southern, northern and north-western Tasmania. For example, the Southern Early Career Lawyer Committee invites membership from southern-based early career lawyers, the North-West Early Career Lawyer Committee welcomes members located from Latrobe though to Smithton and holds events in Devonport, Ulverstone and Burnie, and the Northern Early Career Lawyer Committee encourages membership from early career lawyers in Launceston and its surrounds. Early career lawyers are classified as persons with up to 10 years post qualification practical experience. Lawyers from local firms and government departments volunteer for ECLs, as well as representatives from the University of Tasmania’s Law School, the Tasmanian Legal Practice Course, members of Tasmania Legal Aid, Tasmania Police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

ECL Functions and Activities
ECLs generally meets once a month to discuss issues relevant to early career practitioners and soon to be admitted practitioners / graduates. ECLs liaise with the Society to develop initiatives that address these matters. Of particular interest to ECLs is the mental wellbeing of graduates and early career practitioners – a matter that has emerged as one of critical concern in recent years. ECLs are committed to acknowledging and addressing this matter, and does so by promoting awareness and arranging activities that encourage a positive work/life balance. In addition, ECLs engage in organising professional and social events for the wider profession. Such activities may include CPD activities, the Tasmanian Golden Gavel competition, bi-annual long lunches, end of year functions, bimonthly dinners, bi-monthly Friday night drinks and the annual quiz nights.

Regional Executive Arm of the ECLs

  • Each regional ECL is presided over by a Committee made up of members. The Committee is the executive arm of the regional ECL and is primarily responsible for conducting the business of the ECL in its region. Each regional committee is elected at the AGM in April of each year, for one ECL year, by present members of the ECL and holds office until the election of a new committee at the next AGM.
  • Each regional committee consists, at a minimum, of a President (or Co-Presidents), Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and CPD Coordinator. This executive arm of the ECL in each region comprises of no more than 10 members, or as agreed by each regional Committee.
  • Nominations of candidates for election as officers of the regional ECL Committee are delivered to the ECL Secretary (of the respective regional ECL) before its AGM or may be made from the floor of the AGM.