National Practice Area Seminar Series
50 Years of Practice and Progress
May 2026
The Federal Court is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the National Practice Area (NPA) Seminar Series, a key component to the Court’s 50th Anniversary celebrations.
Delivered across registries nationally and livestreamed, the series supports engagement and knowledge sharing across each of the Court’s National Practice Areas. The series will bring together the judiciary, the legal profession, legal scholars, students and the broader community to reflect on the Court’s contribution to law over the past five decades, and to consider the challenges and developments ahead.
Each seminar forms part of a coordinated national program, reinforcing the Court’s role as a contemporary national court. Through its coverage of emerging legal issues and areas of practice, the series reflects the Court’s ongoing responsiveness to the evolving legal landscape.
Papers presented as part of the series will be published on the Court’s 50th Anniversary website and will form part of a consolidated collection, creating an enduring institutional record.
Registration
Registrations are now open for seminars 1 and 2. Click on the link in the program below for details. Registrations for other seminars will open closer to each event date.
Program of Events
NPA | Title | Speaker/s | Time andDate | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Admiralty and Maritime | The Hon James Allsop AC Professor Martin Davies | 2 July 2026 | Sydney | |
2. Native Title | A special procedure for the just and proper ascertainment of Native Title rights and interests | The Hon Michael Barker KC Kevin Smith | 6 July 2026 | Darwin |
3. Commercial and Corporations | Statutes, common law and common method: The case of consumer protection and competition law in the Federal Court | The Hon Robert French AC | 19 August 2026 | Perth |
4. Employment and Industrial Relations | The Federal Court’s Industrial Jurisdiction (then and now) | The Hon Chris Jessup KC | 9 September 2026 | Melbourne |
5. Defamation | Federal Jurisdiction in defamation actions and related matters | The Hon Tony Besanko KC |
7 October 2026 4.30pm | Adelaide |
6. Commercial and Corporations | Fiduciaries in modern commerce | Adam Pomerenke KC |
29 October 2026 5.30pm | Brisbane |
| 7. Taxation | Perspectives of the Federal Court’s tax jurisprudence | David Bloom KC |
2 December 2026 5.00pm | Melbourne and Sydney |
| 8. Administrative and Constitutional Law and Human Rights | Environmental litigation in the Federal Court: Past, present and future | The Hon Duncan Kerr AO SC Chev LH |
11 March 2027 5.30pm | Hobart |
| 9. Commercial and Corporations | Directors’ duties since Bell | John Sheahan KC |
24 March 2027 5.30pm | Sydney |
| 10. Class Actions | Class Actions in the Federal Court of Australia: Evolution, impact and what comes next | The Hon Ray Finkelstein AO KC |
22 April 2027 5.30pm | Melbourne |
| 11. Administrative and Constitutional Law and Human Rights | 50 years of the Racial Discrimination Act in the Federal Court | Kate Eastman AM SC |
6 May 2027 5.30pm | Canberra |
| 12. Intellectual Property | Past, present and future of Intellectual Property in the Federal Court | The Hon John Middleton AM KC |
20 May 2027 5.30pm | Sydney |
