Piper Alderman corporate partner John O’Callaghan has been elected to the Law Institute of Victoria Council to a three year term. O’Callaghan, who originally joined the council in May in order to fill a casual vacancy, says that one of the key challenges will be the push towards a national set of standards for the legal industry.
 
“I think it’s going to be an exciting time and I think the Law Institute of Victoria is playing a significant role in the national profession and it will be interesting to see how that plays out over the next 12 months, ”   O’Callaghan told ALB.

It is important to have the entire Australian legal industry singing from the same hymn sheet, he said, although it is unclear which state’s approach will win out as best practice. “What we all agree is that it’s not best practice to have six different systems,” O’Callaghan said. “I think that anyone would agree that having a united profession is better than having a divided profession.”

The Council is the peak policy making forum for LIV, shapes the direction of the organisation and promotes respect for the law and the legal profession.