UNIVERSITY OF LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ACN 616 240 923

FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT – 2020

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1. OVERVIEW

This is the fourth annual report of the Law Alumni Association (UQLA).

Incorporation

The UQLA was incorporated on 2 December 2016, as a company limited by guarantee. It is the successor of the formerly unincorporated association, the University of Queensland Law Graduates Association.

Objects

Under clause 4.1 of its constitution, the objects of the UQLA are:

(a) the advancement of education at the University, including without limitation, by: (i) assisting the University in its educational purposes and in the advancement of at the TC Beirne School of Law; (ii) encouraging the involvement of the judiciary and the practising legal profession in legal education at the TC Beirne School of Law; (iii) raising and applying funds to be applied for the advancement of legal education at the TC Beirne School of Law, in particular for disadvantaged students; (iv) commissioning and publishing materials that contribute to, and further the advancement of legal education at the TC Beirne School of Law; (v) facilitating practical legal experience for the students of the TC Beirne School of Law; (vi) otherwise advancing the legal education of the staff, students and alumni of the TC Beirne School of Law; and (vii) to establish and operate/act as trustee of a public fund which is a scholarship fund to which income tax deductible gifts can be made; and (b) to undertake any other activities that are incidental or ancillary to the objects in clause 1.1(a).

Charitable Status

The UQLA was registered as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission on 2 December 2016. The UQLA was registered as a charity under the Collections Act 1966 (Qld) on 26 April 2017.

Patron

The patron of the UQLA is the Honourable Justice AC.

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Directors

The UQLA has been managed by a board of 10 directors. The composition of the board fully reflects the diversity of the law alumni community.

Membership

The membership of the UQLA increased substantially:

30 June 2017 30 June 2018 30 June 2019 30 June 2020

Honorary Life 61 66 66 66 Members

Ordinary Members 11 189 240 289

Total Membership 72 255 306 355

Operations

In the first half of the financial year, the efforts of the UQLA were largely directed to supporting the Law School in its efforts to build a scholarship endowment fund. With the benefit of the University’s matching contributions, a total of about $1.4 million was raised. The first of the UQLA scholarships was awarded in August 2020.

In the second half of the financial year, the operations of the UQLA were almost entirely suspended as a result of COVID-19.

Finance

The UQLA operates primarily through the personal efforts of its directors and members, without the need for substantial funding.

The funding which the UQLA uses comes from three main sources: (a) membership fees; (b) receipts from events; and (c) donations. The UQLA encourages donations to be made directly to the University of Queensland (rather than to the UQLA), with a request that these funds be applied to further UQLA programmes. This provides donors with the ability to seek a tax deduction for their donation, but still allows the funds to be used for programmes which the UQLA supports.

In 2020, the UQLA received: (a) $4,505 in membership fees; and (b) $8,290 from events.

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As a consequence of this improved financial position, the capital of the UQLA has risen from $10,979 (2019) to $14,571 (2020).

Future Operations

During 2020-2021, the UQLA proposes to substantially increase its membership and thereby establish a stable foundation for its ongoing operations.

It proposes to: (a) continue all existing programmes and events; (b) work with the Law School to introduce a quarterly newsletter for alumni; and (c) work with the Law School to develop its domestic LLM coursework programme.

2. DIRECTORS

The following alumni have served as directors of the UQLA during 2019-20:

President John McKenna from 2 Dec 2016 Vice-Presidents (Events) Bianca Kabel from 9 Mar 2017 Georgina Morgan from 2 Dec 2016 Vice-President (UQ Relations) James Rigby from 27 Nov 2018 Vice-President (Communications) and Secretary Shane Montgomery from 10 Mar 2017 Treasurer Christian Jennings from 2 Dec 2016 Directors Kathryn Finlayson from 27 Nov 2018 Renee Gilmore from 5 Nov 2019 Jeff Mann from 2 Dec 2016 Samuel Walpole from 25 Nov 2019

Jeff Mann will be retiring from the Board at the 2020 AGM. The Directors wish to thank him for his many years of service to the Law School, to the UQLGA and the UQLA.

3. MEMBERSHIP

As at 30 June 2020, the UQLA had 355 members, comprising 289 ordinary members and 66 honorary life members.

To maximise future participation in the UQLA, the Board continues to fix membership subscription rates at very modest levels. The annual subscription rates are $20, with a 50% discount for new graduates. To minimise loss of membership through non-payment, it is proposed to change the Constitution to make annual membership fees voluntary.

The Board has also adopted the policy of offering honorary life membership to alumni who hold judicial office or who have been particularly generous in their support of the Law School.

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4. OPERATIONS

The formal operations of the UQLA are based around a number of distinct programmes. These programmes were developed by the UQLA, in conjunction with the Law School and the University of Queensland Law Society (UQLS), to provide direct assistance to the Law School’s educational objects.

Orientation Week Programme The Orientation Week programme is open to all students who are about to commence first year at the Law School. It is conducted in the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law in and at nearby venues. It involves taking 4-6 groups of about 30 students through a series of six short sessions: (1) an overview of the legal profession; (2) a meeting with a Judge; (3) an overview of the criminal trial process; (4) a visit to a criminal trial; (5) a meeting with Barristers; and (6) a meeting with Solicitors. The UQLA’s involvement in this programme is through volunteers, at no financial cost to the UQLA.

Barristers Work Experience Programme The Barristers Work Experience Programme is offered in conjunction with the UQLS. It provides the opportunity for law students in their second or third years to spend time in a barrister’s chambers to obtain a different insight into legal practice. This programme was supported by a large number of the alumni community in numerous chambers in Brisbane. It was also supported by a number of Judges of the Supreme Court, who offered some participants the opportunity to spend a morning observing court proceedings from the Court’s perspective. Again, the UQLA’s involvement in this programme is through volunteers, at no financial cost to the UQLA.

Textbook Programme With generous support from both Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis, the UQLA has been acquiring multiple copies of key textbooks for use by students in the Law Library. The main object of this scheme is to ensure that disadvantaged students can have the benefit of ready access to all key textbooks recommended for use by the Law School. This programme is funded from the donations made to UQ.

Scholarship Programme The Scholarship Programme is operated by the Law School, with the support of the UQLA. It is designed to provide financially disadvantaged students with modest scholarships, to cover the gap between a student’s funding (from government support and part time jobs) and the cost of living (particularly for those who are obliged to live away from home). Since the end of the current financial year, this programme received a significant boost from a University initiative to provide matching funding to establish new scholarships for students in financial need. Through the generosity of many alumni, it is hoped that 10 new scholarships will be established. Details of the new scholarship arrangements should be available in early 2020.

Video Programme The Video Programme is designed to provide students with information and advice about subject and career options from a broad cross-section of alumni. It is proposed to revive this programme with the assistance of a new communications officer in the Law School.

Teaching Programme The Teaching Programme seeks to encourage alumni to participate in the teaching programme at the Law School, either for particular subjects or as guest lecturers. Alumni now participate in a wide variety of law courses offered by the Law School, including Succession, Insolvency, Planning & Environment, Family and Civil Procedure.

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Events Programme Prior to the intervention of COVID, this programme involved: (a) an annual professional breakfast, with a brief address from a notable member of the alumni community; (b) an annual alumni reunion at the Law School; and (c) a dinner to farewell UQ alumni who were leaving for postgraduate legal study overseas.

A website continues to be operated to provide information to members and facilitate the efficient management of a potentially large membership base (www.uqla.org.au). In 2021, it is proposed to work with the Law School to publish quarterly online newsletters.

Apart from the formal programmes of the UQLA, members of the Executive liaise closely with the University of Queensland, the Law School and the UQLS to ensure that the UQLA is familiar with the needs and wishes of the University and to assist wherever possible.

5. FINANCE

The UQLA’s various programmes depend largely upon personal involvement by alumni, but do require some measure of financial support.

The annual financial statements of the UQLA were prepared by the UQLA’s accountants, Moffat & Morton. They are attached to this report. There was a surplus for the year $3,598, which resulted in the UQLA’s total equity rising to $14,571.

Future operations are intended to be funded from three main sources.

The first source will be monies received from membership subscriptions. As the subscription rates are very low, this source of funds will depend upon our success in encouraging alumni participation.

The second source will be the proceeds of events. During the current membership development phase, events are being organised on a break-even basis. In the future, however, it is hoped that they will provide a modest source of funds.

The third source will be donations. The UQLA encourages alumni to make tax-deductible donations to the Law School. If the donor expresses the wish that these donations should be applied to UQLA programmes, the practice of the Law School is to keep a record of these funds and consult with the UQLA about how they can be put to best use.

6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The UQLA wishes to thank the academic and administrative staff of the UQ Law School, the staff of the UQ Law Library, Moffat & Morton, Minter Ellison, Thomson Reuters and LexisNexis for their generous support during the year.

John McKenna QC President. 3 November 2020

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