Tuesday, 25 November 2025
Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Confidentiality of Government Information: PII and LPP
Legal Professional Privilege (LPP) and Public Interest Immunity (PII) are of ongoing interest and concern to government as outcomes in litigation are often driven by the results of interlocutory battles in relation to accessing material. This session will focus on asserting privilege in litigation based on LPP and PII
- A review of the specific mechanisms to bring a privilege claim
- A refresher on the principles of LPP and how it is established in Court
- An introduction to PII and the balancing exercise that it involves
- A brief discussion as to the extent that LPP and PII can overlap and interact
Presented by Michael Rennie, Barrister, St James Hall
Chair
Rachel Francois, Barrister, St James’ Hall
Description
Attend and earn 1 CPD unit in Ethics and Professional Responsibility
This program is applicable to practitioners from all States & Territories
Presenters
Rachel Francois, Barrister, St James’ HallRachel Francois is a barrister practising in NSW with over 20 years' experience in government and administrative law as well as in human rights, consumer protection and commercial law. Rachel regularly appears in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Federal Court and on appeal in migration matters. Rachel is also involved in significant High Court administrative law cases including SZBEL (procedural fairness), SZMTA (materiality of jurisdictional error) and Viane (reliance on personal knowledge and unreasonableness).
Michael Rennie, Barrister, St James Hall
Michael Rennie is a barrister at 6 St James Hall Chambers, and commenced practice at the bar in May 2011. Before joining the bar, Michael had over ten years of experience as a solicitor at the Australian Government Solicitor. From 2007 Michael was the principal solicitor with the carriage of the PII concerns for the Attorney-General, ASIO and the AFP in the R v Elomar & Ors [2010] NSWSC 10 terrorism prosecution. Since 2011 Michael has appeared for both the NSW Police and the Australian Federal Police in relation to public interest immunity claims in criminal prosecutions.
