Home > About us > News > VLA amongst LIV award winners

VLA amongst LIV award winners

Date : 16 Nov 2009

Several VLA staff involved in Bushfire Legal Help were honoured at the Law Institute of Victoria's (LIV) annual awards, presented on Friday 6 November.

Board member Mary Anne Noone also received an award for her 'enormous contribution' to legal aid.

This year the LIV created special awards recognising individuals and organisations for their contributions to Bushfire Legal Help, the organisation that was set up in the wake of Black Saturday.

Awards were presented to the following VLA staff who were Bushfire Legal Help legal co-ordinators: Suzi Hormis, Tony D'Aquino, Camille Woodward,  Emma Aldersea, Rachna Muddagouni, Michael Wighton, Joel Townsend, Daniel Taylor and Meagan Keogh.

Other Bushfire Legal Help legal co-ordinators to receive awards were: Caroline Ratcliffe-Jones (ex-VLA), Karen Bowley, Flora Culpan, Robert Frajsman, Michael Smith, Peter Noble, and Mark Woods.

The organisations recognised for their contribution to Bushfire Legal Help were: Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), Victoria Law Foundation (VLF), the Victorian Bar, PILCH, the Federation of Community Legal Centres (FCLC), the LIV, the University of Ballarat and the Centre for eCommerce and Communications (CeCC).

Board member Mary Anne Noone won the LIV President's Access to Justice Award. Her citation read: 'Mary Anne has made a major contribution to the profession and the community as a leader in a several roles. She is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Law and Management at Latrobe University. As a director of Victoria Legal Aid for over 10 years she has made an enormous contribution to the modernisation and expansion of our legal aid system. She is on the committee of management of the West Heidelberg Legal Service and a board member of Carers Victoria.'

See 2009 LIV awards