REVIEWS

defeated by a John Wren-led campaign The author has apparently never had a That Disreputable in 1949. He took a safe Labor seat in the qualm about the capitalist system until Firm ... Legislative Council and remained in he first discovered the unfailing evil of that position until his death in 1960. the corporate defendant. While admit­ The Inside Story of Slater & tedly there is not a lot to say in favour of The ‘Gordon’ of the firm name was most of the defendants involved, it is Gordon Slater’s brother-in-law, Hugh Gordon, irritating to have the author railing who became a partner in 1935. His role against those defendants who dare to by Michael Cannon, in the firm was shortlived as he was defend a claim brought against them, University Press, Melbourne, killed in action in 1943. Slater’s deci­ given that the decision to defend is 1998; 324 pp; $39.95 hardcover. *I sion to retain the firm’s name as Slater almost invariably made by the insurer. & Gordon appears prophetic. Two of In the same vein, Michael Cannon That Disreputable Firm ... is not writ­ the best known contemporary members never seriously contemplates that Slat­ ten for lawyers. Although it is fully ref­ are Peter Gordon of the Melbourne erenced and a lengthy bibliography is ers might have made the occasional office and Footscray Football Club mistake or misjudgment. The one included, it is a popular rather than an fame and John Gordon, a Perth solicitor recent case which occurred to me as in academic history. The focus through­ who joined the firm at the time of the this category is the Cheryl Harris/Ian out is on the human interest of the work asbestos cases. Neither of them is Smith case and this is hidden at the end of Slaters, rather than the law, and law­ related to the original Gordon. yers would find the absence of any dis­ of the chapter on the Christian cussion of the way in which Slaters Bill Slater’s political career enabled Brothers, a placement justified by the have been able to stretch the boundaries him to bring in several now well-known chapter title ‘Taming the sexual tiger’! of the law disappointing. names to keep the practice running. Nonetheless, despite these com­ First, Ted Hill, who joined as a law ments, the book makes for enjoyable The book falls into two halves. The clerk and became a partner in 1943, but first recounts the history of the firm of reading. It reminds us of Slaters’ long left the firm when he became secretary tradition of commitment and daring Slater & Gordon itself. The second con­ of the Victorian branch of the Commu­ sists of a survey of the more famous and provokes the thought that a legal nist Party in 1948; then Geoff Jones, text analysing the changes to the law cases in which Slaters have made their who took over Ted Hill’s share of the name. brought about by Slaters litigation partnership and managed the firm for would be really fascinating. I found the first half more interest­ 36 years from 1948 until 1984. Ted’s ing, partly because, while I have a brother, Jim, worked in the External SUE CAMPBELL vague idea of who Affairs Department after the Second Sue Campbell teaches law at Monash Uni­ was, I had no idea of the original identi­ World War, where he came under versity. ties of ‘Slater’ and ‘Gordon’, or indeed investigation for alleged Soviet con­ if such people ever existed. Secondly, tacts. He left the Public Service in 1953 Crime & Social the early chapters are set in the 1940s and was offered a job with Slaters by and 1950s when Australia was gripped Geoff Jones. He stayed with the firm Exclusion by virulent anti-left sentiment and some until his sudden death in 1973. of the early Slaters personnel featured, Edited by Catherine Jones Finer As a young solicitor practising in the and Mike Nellis; Blackwell Pub­ either centrally or peripherally, in such 1960s, I had no personal contact with events as the Petrov Royal Commission lishers Ltd, Oxford, 1998; 175 pp; Ted Hill or Geoff Jones, but I did know $39.95, softcover.______and the Communist Party referendum. Jim Hill and was opposed to him in ‘Slater’ was Bill Slater, private in many workers compensation cases. Written as a rejection of the policies the Army in World War I and elected to Whether or not he was a Soviet agent, he and beliefs that saw the Thatcher era of the Victorian Parliament as a Labor was one of the fairest and most decent British politics dismantle the welfare member for the country seat of Dundas lawyers I ever dealt with. I frequently state, Crime & Social Exclusion is a in 1918 while Slater was still serving rang him and asked him for advice on collection of essays from the left realist overseas. His legal career began with the law in cases in which he was not movement. Signalling a new direction Maurice Blackburn but he opened his involved and I knew that it would not in criminological debate, left realism own practice in Melbourne under the occur to him to exploit the opportunity emerged during the mid 1980s as a auspices of the ARU. In 1924, when the to mislead a young, female, inexperi­ response to the dominant political ide­ Labor Government of George enced solicitor acting for the enemy. ologies of the then Conservative gov­ Prendergast was elected, Slater was The second half of the book can­ ernment. These policies had the effect appointed Attorney-General, at the age vasses the major areas of litigation for of increasing blame and stigmatisation of 35. During several terms in which Slaters have become famous. of the individual as the central cause of short-lived Labor governments he pur­ The range of subject matter is impres­ crime. Preferring to explain crime as a sued typical Labor causes, such as sive: asbestos, medically acquired pathology, the source of crime and prison reform and workers compensa­ HIV, product liability from Daikon delinquency resided within the individ­ tion. In 1940 he was elected Speaker of shields to peanut butter, claims against ual, a person capable of making rational the Victorian Parliament and in 1942 the Christian Brothers for sexual abuse choices and decisions, a person deserv­ was appointed by as Aus­ of boys and of course OK Tedi. It is ing some form of cure or correction. tralia’s first ambassador to Russia. here that the book is basically unsatis­ Conservative social policy of this After the war, Slater returned to the factory for a legal reader and even the period is criticised for being unable to Victorian Parliament as Chief Secre­ lay reader might tire of the unswerv­ recognise the proper social dimensions tary under the Cain government but was ingly ‘goodies and baddies’ approach. of crime, and failing to understand the

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