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The role of the Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (Part One)

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Background Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria: The Building Legislation Amendment (Consumer Protection) Act 2016 (the BLA(CP) Act) introduced significant changes to the Domestic Building Contracts Act 1995 (the Act), most notably the introduction of a new mandatory dispute resolution process for most domestic building disputes – called Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (DBDRV). DBDRV is a business unit of the Department of Justice and Regulation. It is established under Part 4 of the DBC Act. The old Part 4 provisions … Continued

Coronavirus (COVID-19); Residential and Retail Tenancy and temporary changes to Victoria’s laws on renting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in temporary changes made to Victoria’s laws on commercial and residential renting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes apply for the 6 months of 29 March 2020 to 26 September 2020. Chapter 4 of the COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Act 2020 (Vic) introduces temporary amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic). The new Victorian laws temporarily change how the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 and Retail Leases Act 2003 operate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes introduced … Continued

Beginners Guide to Legal Cost Disputes (Part One):

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The issue of costs is central to all forms of legal practice. The law of costs represents an amalgam of several areas of substantive law; namely the law of contract, law of equity and it’s principles along with a fundamental reliance on statute and statutory courts. Legislation for costs in Victoria: Supreme Court (General Civil Procedure) Rules 2005 (Order 62 And 63); Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act Legal Practitioner’s (professional costs) cost is the price for legal services and … Continued

Beginners Guide to Compulsory Acquisition (Part Two)

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  Compulsory Acquisition Hearings: There is a long standing practice of conducting conferences between valuers (Valuers Conference) initially if there is a dispute where the valuers for opposing parties meet at an early stage in the process to discuss their opinions and the evidence upon which those opinions are based. Valuers will often arrive at an opinion of value based on a particular piece of sales evidence which may have escaped the attention of an opposing valuer. The valuers’ conferences … Continued

The Conservo Story; My Road to the Victorian Bar.

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  I operated Conservo from 2005-2009; a sustainability consulting company. After working in IT in San Francisco in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s I returned to complete a law degree and start Conservo. I loved working in IT and in California however I found IT ultimately did not meet my hopes of a career nor feed my environmental interests and passion. I wanted to spend my time making an environmental difference as I had in my mid … Continued