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Early Career Lawyers
How to Get Involved in Your Regional ECL Committee

Information for early career lawyers including what is involved in being a member of an ECL Committee can be found here.
An ECL committee year runs from 1 May to 30 April each year and information on who is currently on the committees and how to join is below. Information about all the Society committees can be found here.

Early Career Lawyer (ECL) Committees 2026-2027

Southern Early Career Lawyer Committee (SECL) Executive

  • Jessica Miller – Butler McIntyre & Butler (Co-President)
  • Sydney Lee – Simmons Wolfhagen (Co-President)
  • Elizabeth Arnold – Monk Lawyers (Secretary). For enquiries about joining this ECL, contact Elizabeth here.
  • Marisa Gillam – Groom Kennedy (Treasurer)
  • Phillip Bellchambers – Butler McIntyre & Butler and Hayden Goldsmith – Butler McIntyre & Butler (CPD Co-Coordinators)
  • Zoe Christensen – Simmons Wolfhagen (Social Media Coordinator)

Northern Early Career Lawyer Committee (NECL) Executive

  • Courtney Bailey – Bishops (Co-President)
  • Grace Burden – Tasmania Legal Aid (Co-President)
  • Rebecca Von Samorzewski – Douglas & Collins (Vice-President).
  • Madeleine Ballintine – Bishops (Secretary). For enquiries about joining this ECL, contact Madeleine here.
  • Kevin Toman – Tasmania Legal Aid (Treasurer)
  • Danieka Wagner – Rae & Partners (CPD Coordinator)
  • Aqielle Azhar – Tasmania Legal Aid and Sophie Elphinstone – Simmons Wolfhagen (Social Coordinators)

North-West Early Career Lawyer Committee (NWECL) Executive

  • Mitchell Sheehy – DPFEM (President)
  • Phoebe Buchwald – Everett Flight & Associates and Kelsey Lewis – Everett Flight & Associates (Co-Vice-Presidents)
  • Claire Willis – Tasmania Legal Aid (Secretary) For enquiries about joining this ECL, contact Claire here.
  • Aaron Murphy – McLean McKenzie & Topfer (Treasurer)
  • Sidney Vincent – Office of the DPP (CPD Coordinator)

ECL Membership
All members or associate members of the Law Society of Tasmania who have ten years or less post-admission experience in the legal profession within a State or Territory of Australia are deemed to be members of their regional early career lawyers ECL (known as [Southern] [Northern] [North-West] Early Career Lawyers, respectively. See the Early Career Lawyer Constitution here for more information. The ECL Committees are committees of the Law Society of Tasmania that promote the interests of early career members of the Tasmanian legal profession across Tasmania.

ECL Committee Makeup
ECLs are made up of early career lawyers from each region – southern, northern and north-western Tasmania. For example, the Southern Early Career Lawyer Committee invites membership from southern-based early career lawyers, the North-West Early Career Lawyer Committee welcomes members located from Latrobe though to Smithton and holds events in Devonport, Ulverstone and Burnie, and the Northern Early Career Lawyer Committee encourages membership from early career lawyers in Launceston and its surrounds. The Early Career Lawyer Committees classify early career lawyers as persons with up to 10 years post qualification practical experience. Lawyers from local firms and government departments volunteer for ECLs, as well as representatives from the University of Tasmania’s Law School, the Tasmanian Legal Practice Course, members of Tasmania Legal Aid, Tasmania Police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. All representatives on an ECL (and all Society committees) are to be members of the Society. Where an early career lawyer is not a Society member by virtue of their Tasmanian practising certificate, they are welcome to join the Society as an associate member (see here for details).

ECL Functions and Activities
ECLs generally meets once a month to discuss issues relevant to early career practitioners and soon to be admitted practitioners / graduates. ECLs liaise with the Society to develop initiatives that address these matters. Of particular interest to ECLs is the mental wellbeing of graduates and early career practitioners – a matter that has emerged as one of critical concern in recent years. ECLs are committed to acknowledging and addressing this matter, and does so by promoting awareness and arranging activities that encourage a positive work/life balance. In addition, ECLs engage in organising professional and social events for the wider profession. Such activities may include CPD activities, the Tasmanian Golden Gavel competition, bi-annual long lunches, end of year functions, bimonthly dinners, bi-monthly Friday night drinks and the annual quiz nights.

Regional Executive Arm of the ECLs

  • Each regional ECL is presided over by a Committee made up of members. The Committee is the executive arm of the regional ECL and is primarily responsible for conducting the business of the ECL in its region. Each regional committee is elected at the AGM in April of each year, for one ECL year (from 1 May to 30 April), by present members of the ECL and holds office until the election of a new committee at the next AGM.
  • Each regional committee executive consists, at a minimum, of a President (or Co-Presidents), Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and CPD Coordinator.
  • This executive arm of the ECL in each region comprises of no more than 10 members, or as agreed by each regional ECL committee.
  • Nominations of candidates for election as officers of the regional ECL executive are delivered to the ECL Secretary (of the respective regional ECL) before its AGM or may be made from the floor of the AGM.
  • Requests to join an ECL executive outside the AGM period are considered by the sitting executive, and where there are vacancies, new members may be able to join.