Our lawyers are all active contributors to their local community.
Catherine Henry was the President of the Newcastle Law Society for six years from 2004 until 2009 and in this role led and implemented many significant new initiatives for the local legal profession and community of Newcastle and the Hunter. In particular, she led the campaign for a redeveloped justice precinct in Newcastle and coordinated the Hunter Courts Working Party. Catherine was, in that role, regularly interviewed in the local media as a commentator on legal issues.
She is also a member of a number of community boards in her local community. Catherine has long been active in mental health advocacy for both adults and adolescents and in 2008, was appointed to the Mental Health Review Tribunal as a Legal Member.
Catherine regularly presents to lawyers and community groups on health and medical law, and has lectured to law and psychiatry students at the University of Newcastle.
Catherine is a committed plaintiff lawyer and has worked on a number of campaigns to restore rights for the injured. She was the inaugural NSW Branch President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance (formerly the Australian Plaintiff Lawyers Association) and occupied that role for 5 years from 1995. She has maintained her commitment to the introduction of a rights based charter and has given a number of public talks in the context of the National Consultation on a Charter of Rights from 2008 onwards.
Catherine is in demand as a commentator on legal issues in local Newcastle media.
Sally Gleeson is an accomplished public speaker and for a number of years conducted information and advice sessions for health professionals whilst she practised in Sydney in suburban Sydney medical practices.
Julie Hughes has had a longstanding commitment to assisting clients of the Hunter Community Legal Centre and has volunteered at teh HCLC at different times over the years. Prior to embarking on her legal career, Julie worked in a number of community based health facilities. She has held a position recently on the Faculty of Health Human Research Ethics Committee and has lectured to mental health professionals on legal and ethical issues in mental health care. In 2008 she was appointed a Legal Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. Julie sits on the Tribunal regularly both in hearings at psychiatric facilities in the Newcastle and Gosford areas.