Angelo Bilias
Candidate statement:
The principal of Bilias & Associates, Solicitors, I have been a Councillor for a number of years. I have extensive experience particularly in criminal law and advocacy. Over the past three years, I have become a mentor to many newly admitted practitioners entering the profession during a particularly unsettling time.
I seek to support our community and our profession, in part as a member of the pro-bono scheme, but also in advising and guiding solicitors with respect to regulatory compliance, general practice and advocacy - including vital legal and procedural aspects of appearances in all courts in the judicial hierarchy.
I have been an active member of several statutory and other committees, including the Professional Conduct, Licensing and Criminal Law Committees, and the Disclosure Committee, which I chair. I am dedicated to promoting the interests and voicing the concerns of all lawyers in NSW, and am keen to improve their profile and to garner support for a stronger, more influential Law Society - particularly in its dealings with the legislative and executive arms of government, in addition to the courts.
My goals are to advance the interests of all lawyers, to ensure that the Law Society works tirelessly for and with solicitors, and to achieve an effective and relevant Society.
I am an advocate for improvements in the interactions between solicitors and courts in an ever-changing landscape. I am a strong advocate for expansion in the use of technology to remove geographical barriers, increasing profitability by creating a more cost efficient and streamlined profession. One such example was the court appearance by email and or AVL.
I invite practitioners to contact me to express any concerns they have so that I may attend Council meetings armed with relevant, first-hand information, to adequately address issues on behalf of members, to lobby other councillors, and to alleviate the pressures faced by many members so that they may concentrate on operating viable and successful legal practices. I pride myself on being a great listener so that I can be an effective voice for solicitors.
In addition, I continue to be passionate about lobbying government through Law Society submissions with a view to protecting the community from legislative changes which erode the fundamental rights of many, most notably those from disadvantaged and underprivileged backgrounds.
If elected, my priorities are to:
• embrace the future together in making the Law Society an effective vehicle to protect the viability of suburban and small-sized firms;
• embrace and enliven the changes which brought on significant efficiencies in our workplace, including strongly advocating for solicitors to continue to be able to appear at court by way of email and conduct matters by way of AVL;
• strongly pursue an increase to the legal aid rates paid to private solicitors in criminal law, care proceedings and family law matters;
• enhance diversity and eliminate discrimination within the legal profession and the judiciary;
• establish a solicitors’ Welfare and Protection Committee within the Law Society to pursue complaints on behalf of solicitors, including, discourteous and bullying colleagues, judicial bullying, police and corrective services bullying and misbehaviour towards our colleagues;
• advocate for changes to personal injury and compensation laws to restore some measure of fairness, fight strongly against further regressive changes to compensation laws and fight for legal funding to enable individuals to pursue compensation rights;
• a review of the solicitor complaints process with a view of deterring vexatious or unsubstantiated complaints which cause great psychological and economic harm to our members;
• pursue media campaigns and strategies to raise the profile of all lawyers, particularly recognising the importance of suburban and small-sized firms.
To help ensure we have a collegiate and inclusive profession, equipped to embrace the future, I am seeking election with a group of lawyers who share these values.
To find out more about us, please visit our website at www.councilelections.com.au - where you can also find links to connect with us on Facebook and Linkedin. We welcome your questions and suggestions.
When you receive the invitation to vote by email on Tuesday 27 September, please take a moment to vote for:
• Jennifer Ball
• Angelo Bilias
• Anthony Gordon
• Ronan MacSweeney
• James Skelton
• Jade Tyrrell
If you prefer to vote using the ballot paper when it arrives over the coming days, please vote for the above using the “How to Vote” on our website.
Thank you for all you do to build our profession and support your local community!
angelo.bilias@councilelections.com.au