Legal Insights & Defence Guidance from Our Blog

23 December

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Family Violence and Australian Partner Visas

1000 Partner visa application approvals each week and a very common problem. According to statistics published by the Department of Home Affairs, in the 2019 to 2020 financial year, 52,479 Australian Partner visa applications were lodged. That is about 1000 applications each week. 96,361 applications were in the pipeline at the end of June 2020, awaiting processing. An article in the Medical Journal of Australia[1] explains that it is difficult to specify the incidence rate of family violence. The incidence rates depends upon the definition used; and whether the data comes from community crime victim surveys, community samples, or prevalence studies in...

22 December

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Ashleigh DoRozario appointed as a member of the Queensland Law Society Equity & Diversity Committee!

Posted by Potts-Lawyers

in Firm news

Congratulations to Ashleigh DoRozario who is now officially appointed as a member of the Queensland Law Society Equity & Diversity Committee! Ashleigh is a litigation lawyer at Potts Lawyers. She is also legally blind. At the beginning of this year, Ashleigh made the brave decision to speak up for disability within the legal profession. She created the social media persona @BlindLadyJustice to champion equal opportunity and inclusion of people with disability, impairment or injury within our profession and wider society. From there, Ashleigh became a founding member of the QLS Diverse Abilities Network which is a growing support network of lawyers, law students,...

10 December

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Disciplinary Matters: Common Health Service Complaints to the Office of the Health Ombudsman Queensland

Posted by Chris Korbel

in Disciplinary Law

The Health Ombudsman Act 2013 (Qld)(“the Act”) provides the Office of The Health Ombudsman (“OHO”) with statutory power to manage and deal with health service complaints. The Act provides OHO with a range of statutory powers to manage and deal with health service complaints. This can include requiring a subject of a health service complaint to provide submissions to OHO, performing its own investigation into the subject of a health service complaint, or commencing Court disciplinary proceedings against the subject of a health service complaint. Everyone and anyone can make a health service complaint to OHO about a health service practitioner or...

14 October

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Potts Lawyers Awarded Leading Criminal Law Firm

Posted by Potts-Lawyers

in Firm news

Potts Lawyers Awarded as a Leading Criminal Law Firm by Doyle’s Guide 2020 Managing director Rob Franklin is pleased to announce that Potts Lawyers has again been recognised by the prestigious Doyle’s Guide as a “first tier” leading criminal law firm in Queensland. Director Bill Potts has been named as a leading criminal lawyer whilst director Cameron Browne, Mark Williams and Erin Mitchell have been named as a recommended criminal lawyers. Andrew Hanlon has been announced the criminal law rising star and the firm has also been recognised as the Leading Traffic & DUI defence lawyers in Queensland. It is heartening to see that amongst the...

01 September

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Ashleigh DoRozario: Founding Member of the Queensland Law Society’s Diverse Abilities Network

Posted by Ashleigh DoRozario

in Firm news

At the beginning of this year, I became a founding member of the Queensland Law Society’s Diverse Abilities Network. As a solicitor with disability, being legally blind with low vision, I represent persons with disability in the Queensland legal profession. In this position, I also work collaboratively with the Queensland Law Society’s Equity and Diversity Committee. The aim of the network is to: address accessibility issues within the legal industry; seek greater diversity and inclusion within the profession; advocate equal opportunity and provide a support network for practitioners with disability accessibility, discrimination or human rights issues. With a view to destigmatising disability...

01 September

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Blue card “No Card, No Start”: New Changes To the Blue Card System

Posted by Potts-Lawyers

in Administrative Law

Blue Card “No Card, No Start” in Queensland On 31 August 2020, changes were made to the Blue Card system which all Blue Card applicants and Blue Card holders should be aware of. The “No Card, No Start” law The Blue Card system now states that applicants will be unable to work or volunteer in a position which requires a blue card until their application is approved. Previously, applicants were permitted to begin work which requires a Blue Card whilst their application was being processed. New Rules for Blue Card Expiring The new rules also state that if you do not renew your blue card...

19 August

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Ashleigh DoRozario as an inspiring woman in law, ‘Creating Visibility for Disability’

Posted by Ashleigh DoRozario

in Firm news

The Legal 500’s fivehundred magazine features Ashleigh DoRozario as an inspiring woman in law, ‘Creating Visibility for Disability’ Earlier this year, and much to my surprise, I was approached by the Head of Inclusion, Equality and Culture of The Legal 500 – a London based company assessing capabilities of law firms globally, and highlighting lawyers producing innovative advice and unrivalled experience in the legal industry. By way of background, The Legal 500 publish a monthly magazine, fivehundred, providing insight into themes affecting the legal profession internationally. I received an email from The Legal 500 pitching their upcoming March edition: celebrating Women’s History Month...

21 July

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Ashleigh DoRozario Discusses ‘The Language of Ability’ in the Queensland Law Society’s Proctor

Posted by Ashleigh DoRozario

in Firm news

Potts Lawyers’ litigation lawyer, Ashleigh DoRozario, has authored an article discussing ‘The Language of Ability’. Her article is this month’s spotlight feature of the Queensland Law Society’s online publication, Proctor. Ashleigh DoRozario is legally blind as a result of an autoimmune condition. However, she was not always blind. Ashleigh has been a valued member of our Potts Lawyers litigation team for over a decade, and we have been with her throughout the diagnostic journey to legal blindness; supporting her wellbeing, learning her remarkable capabilities despite adversity, and encouraging her professional development. Over the years Ashleigh has learnt to adapt to her disability,...

27 May

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What Does “Choking” Mean in Queensland? A New Court of Appeal Decision Provides Us with a Definition

Posted by Danielle Hanson

in Domestic Violence

What Does “Choking” Mean in Queensland? A New Court of Appeal Decision Provides Us with a Definition On 5 May 2016, an offence of choking, suffocating or strangulation in a domestic setting was introduced in Queensland following a recommendation made by the Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland (“the Taskforce”) in their Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an end to domestic and family violence in Queensland report. In order to prove an offence of choking, suffocating or strangulation, the police must prove (beyond a reasonable doubt) that: the accused choked, suffocated or strangled another person; the above act was...

06 May

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Over $2 million worth of Covid-19 fines issued in Queensland!

Posted by Erin Mitchell

in Disputing A Traffic Fine

On Saturday 2 May, Queensland’s Home Confinement, Movement and Gathering Direction was amended to ease the restrictions on staying home. The main amendment being that people are now allowed to leave their home for recreation within a 50 kilometre radius of the person’s principal place of residence. “Recreation” has been defined to mean an activity engaged in for pleasure or for mental health benefits, including: motorcycle riding, jet skiing, boating and other forms of personalised transport; driving a motor vehicle, including for a learner driver to accumulate driving hours to comply with logbook requirements for the learner driver’s practical driving test, but...

Family Violence and Australian Partner Visas

Ashleigh DoRozario appointed as a member of the Queensland Law Society Equity & Diversity Committee!

Disciplinary Matters: Common Health Service Complaints to the Office of the Health Ombudsman Queensland

Potts Lawyers Awarded Leading Criminal Law Firm

Ashleigh DoRozario: Founding Member of the Queensland Law Society’s Diverse Abilities Network

Blue card “No Card, No Start”: New Changes To the Blue Card System

Ashleigh DoRozario as an inspiring woman in law, ‘Creating Visibility for Disability’

Ashleigh DoRozario Discusses ‘The Language of Ability’ in the Queensland Law Society’s Proctor

What Does “Choking” Mean in Queensland? A New Court of Appeal Decision Provides Us with a Definition

Over $2 million worth of Covid-19 fines issued in Queensland!

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