Law in Context
Emeritus Professors Stephen Bottomley and Stephen Parker AO introduce law in a critical way to the general public, current students and those thinking of taking up the subject. They explain the Rule of Law, the Adversarial System of Justice, where law comes from, judges, juries, lawyers and many other topics, include problem areas such as access to justice.
Law in Context
7. Lawyers
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Lawyers have a very particular role in the adversarial system, and a corresponding set of ethical requirements. In the 2000s in Victoria, Nicola Gobbo, a criminal defence barrister became a secret, registered informer with the police. She arranged for some clients to give evidence against other clients, arguably framing them. In one case, Faruk Orman served 12 years in prison, 3 of which were in solitary confinement, for a crime which he maintained throughout he did not commit. Eventually, the arrangement came to light, the High Court ordered that Ms Gobbo's identity be disclosed and a Royal Commission was immediately established to establish the facts in numerous cases. Faruk Orman's conviction was overturned by the Victorian Court of Appeal as a serious miscarriage of justice. Nicola Gobbo's conduct breached several fundamental ethical requirements. In this episode, we speak to Mr Orman's solicitor, Ruth Parker, about that case and more generally about the lawyer's role.
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