Astute legal minds have come together in Queensland to honour one of the most prominent members of the Greek community in the state.
Alexander Christy Freeleagus, who died in 2005, was thought to be Queensland’s first lawyer of Greek descent to be admitted as a solicitor. He became a lawyer in 1952, and became a partner at Henderson Lahey the following year.
During his time as a lawyer, Mr Freeleagus was also Queensland’s Consul-General of Greece for 48 years.
Alex retired from Clayton Utz as a partner in 1993, after 39 years, over 20 of those as Queensland’s senior partner.
Travelling to give the oration at the event last weekend was Victorian Supreme Court judge Emilios Kyrou, who also presented a paper on the attributes of a good lawyer and judge.
The event was organised by the Hellenic Australian Lawyers (HAL) association and hosted by the Queensland patron of the association, Justice Anthe Philippides.
HAL was first launched in Melbourne in 2014, and has grown to South Australia and Queensland. The association expects to open a sub-branch in the Northern Territory in October.
In Melbourne, on June 16, the association will be holding an evening with the Victorian Attorney-General, Martin Pakula MP. Mr Pakula will be presenting a paper on ‘The Legal Profession in a Multicultural Society’. Justice Kyrou will also be presenting a paper on ‘The Judiciary in a Multicultural Society’.