The Elephant in the Courtroom

In this episode the elephants meet the NSW Bar Association President Dominic Toomey SC. They discuss his successful trip to the High Court in the seminal "Police Powers" case of New South Wales v Robinson, why theatrics in the Courtroom don't often persuade, and how a strong Bar Association is critical to upholding the rule of law.

In this episode the Elephants meet former Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull AC. It’s a feast for the mind as they talk threats to the Rule of Law in a world of lies and shifting narratives, taking on the British Government in the Spycatcher case and how he used his legal training to tackle the big issues as Kerry Packer’s lawyer and as PM. It’s a ripper so strap in!

In this episode, the Elephants talk privacy, proof and dignity as they discuss Justice Lee’s decision in Lehrmann Higgins, the Full Federal Court’s dismissal of the Ben Roberts-Smith appeal and the freshly minted statutory tort of breach of privacy. We hope you enjoy the joust.

James Allsop AC is a giant of the Australian legal fraternity. His reputation precedes him and in this episode the Elephants do a deep dive into James’ perspectives on everything from the role of the judge, judicial bullying, the Novak Djokevic legal unreasonableness case, and the learnings about right brain thinking he got from reading the book “The Master and his Emissary” by famed polymath and thinker, Dr Ian McGilchrist. And much more… 

In this their pilot episode, the elephants speak with criminal barrister Zoe Alderton about wishing the judge a good morning, the Mr Big policing technique and what she learnt about life during her time at the Aboriginal Legal Service.

Justice Peter Hamill sits as a judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeal. In this episode he speaks with a refreshing and powerful candour about the important topic of mental health issues for both judges and barristers. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

James Allsop AC is a giant of the Australian legal fraternity. His reputation precedes him and in this episode the Elephants do a deep dive into James’ perspectives on everything from the role of the judge, judicial bullying, the Novak Djokevic legal unreasonableness case, and the learnings about right brain thinking he got from reading the book “The Master and his Emissary” by famed polymath and thinker, Dr Ian McGilchrist. And much more…so let’s get started.

Famed criminal barrister, Margaret Cunneen SC is the guest and star of this episode of The Elephant in the Courtroom. She speaks about her 40 years of experience at both ends of the bar table covering everything from death threats, sexual assault, including the highly publicised trial of Bilal Skaf, and why she called her book “The Boxing Butterfly: a life of Conviction.”

In this episode the boys welcome former District Court of New South Wales judge, Stephen Walmsley SC or who Awais ambitiously likes to simply call, Stephen. They cover the things Stephen hated from barristers when he was a judge, what went through his mind when sentencing offenders, and what it was like to have Awais appear before him in a jury trial in Burke with 10 witnesses placing his client at the scene of the crime.

This is The Elephant in the Courtroom, a show about the law, its people and what goes on behind the routine appearance of the legal machine.