1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Framebridge, a lawyer convicted of groping students at a Russell 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: McVeigh Christmas party, can now practice again. This is an 3 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: update on the story today. James Gardner Hopkins remember him 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: banned from working as a lawyer for three years after 5 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: his twenty twenty one conviction for six charges of misconduct, 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: including groping the breasts and the buttocks of three female 7 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,159 Speaker 1: law students. The Law Society has now cleared him to 8 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:28,400 Speaker 1: return to the profession. Steph Diiinberg is a lawyer who 9 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: represented the victims of James Gardner Hopkins and joins me now, Steph, 10 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: good evening. 11 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 2: Good evening. 12 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: How are your clients feeling about this? 13 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 2: I haven't spoken to them yet, I have made contact 14 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:42,400 Speaker 2: off them support. 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: How do you expect they'll take the news? 16 00:00:46,680 --> 00:00:50,440 Speaker 2: I wouldn't have thought they'd be too happy, disappointed. 17 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 1: Does everyone deserve a second chance? 18 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 2: Well, people deserve second chances, Ryan, But this is about 19 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 2: whether somebody is actually a fit and proper person under 20 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,160 Speaker 2: our regulations to hold a practicing certificate. It's really a 21 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 2: high standard. It's not like doing a sentence and then 22 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 2: you come back into the fold and maybe you do 23 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,280 Speaker 2: a spell under probation and then you know, it's sort 24 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: of you move on with your life. You actually have 25 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 2: to show that you're a fit and proper person and 26 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 2: circumstances where you've been found not to. 27 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: Be, and you're not convinced the law Society has done 28 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:30,720 Speaker 1: I mean they say they have done that and clared 29 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,920 Speaker 1: him to return to the profession. You're saying you're not 30 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: convinced by it. 31 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 2: Well, like the minority in the panel, I remain skeptical. 32 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 2: I have to say I haven't seen all of the 33 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 2: evidence they've seen, of course, but in the commentary I've seen, 34 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 2: you know, the evidence that I've seen suggests that James 35 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 2: Garden Hopkins hasn't really learned a huge amount from what 36 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 2: he's been through and what he's put other people through. 37 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 2: His behavior during his suspension yield the outcome. He appealed 38 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 2: his suspension, it got increased. Of course. He also challenged 39 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:08,520 Speaker 2: a couple of judges who wouldn't give him leave to 40 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: appear as a lay advocate in court proceedings. During his suspension. 41 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 2: He went and looked at people's profiles, women's profiles on 42 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 2: LinkedIn who was speaking up against his readmission. So none 43 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 2: of those things filled me with a great deal of 44 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 2: confidence that he's really learned a lesson he needs to learn. 45 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: Do you reckon anyone will hire him? 46 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 2: Well, he's going to be embarristers. So it's up to 47 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,239 Speaker 2: clients whether they choose to engage him for legal work. 48 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 2: And there will be I'm sure people who will not 49 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,519 Speaker 2: see this as a grave impediment to working with him. 50 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 2: There will be other people who will say, I'm not 51 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 2: really sure that this is the right person for us. 52 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 2: I'm not sure that he's got the right sort of judgment, 53 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 2: or maybe the brand isn't when we want to associate 54 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 2: with But that's entirely a matter for the public. That's 55 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 2: their choice. And that's the thing about having a practicing certificate. 56 00:02:58,080 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 2: You know, you've sort of got a brand on you 57 00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 2: from the legal profession, from the law society that you 58 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 2: are a fit and suitable person to be practicing as 59 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 2: a lawyer. So that's what that means. It's quite a 60 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 2: significant privilege, but it's also carries responsibilities. 61 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: All right, Steph, appreciate that update. Thank you. Steff Daarberg 62 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: a lawyer who represented the victims of James Gardner Hopkins 63 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: and by the way, the law society doesn't normally tell 64 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: us stuff though. When they make decisions like this, they 65 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: don't usually make the decisions public, but they said they 66 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: did so in this case because of well, the level 67 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: of public interest that they have had and the reflection 68 00:03:33,080 --> 00:03:35,839 Speaker 1: on the legal profession as a whole. For more from 69 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, Listen live to news Talks. It'd 70 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.