our story

The Piddington Society was formed in 2010 by two Perth lawyers, Chris Bates and Nicholas van Hattem. The name comes from Albert Bathurst Piddington, a lawyer, politician and reformer.

With a belief that professional development, collegiality and supporting access to justice can go together, the Society has become a sophisticated organisation that works to further justice.

The Piddington Society is governed by a Committee. The Committee is comprised of: the Hon Kenneth Martin KC (Chair ), Shaban Azad, Thomas de Bes, Catriona Macleod, Briannen Morrow, Monty Purich, Zoe Thornton and Nicholas van Hattem.

Albert Bathurst Piddington (pictured) was appointed to the High Court in April 1913 and resigned a month later, never sitting on the bench, following criticism of court stacking in his appointment.He was, however, always well respected and appointed… — Albert Bathurst Piddington (pictured) was appointed to the High Court in March 1913 and resigned a month later, never sitting on the bench, following criticism of court stacking in his appointment.
He was, however, always well respected and appointed King’s Counsel in 1921.

Supporting Justice, seeking collegiality

We sourced our name from Albert Bathurst Piddington, Australia's shortest-serving justice High Court.

Inspired by his brevity, and commitment to justice, in 2010 we began by organising relaxed and informal professional events. It worked on the premise that lawyers were not being provided with enough quality opportunities for collegiality.

Chris and Nick wanted a way for practitioners to come together, learn and engage with each other in a social environment. From this one of our core beliefs was developed: "you don't write an angry letter to someone you've had a drink with".

In 2013, the Piddington Bali Law Conference was held for the first time. Our capstone event, held annually on the WA Day long weekend in June, is an opportunity for lawyers to come together in a collegiate way to undertake continuing professional development.

Now, our annual calendar of events

Our annual calendar of events now includes five CPD Masterclasses, three CPD lecture events, and as well as the Bali conference. We firmly believe that Piddington is for the profession - wherever practitioners are - we have held sessions in Kalgoorlie, Broome and on Rottnest, as well as online CPD.

Reconciliation action plan

From 2018 and throughout 2019, Piddington started developing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Grounded in our commitments to justice, collegiality and ethics, we did this in consultation with Indigenous leaders and lawyers, as well as non-Indigenous lawyers.

In 2019, this was formally endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

You can read our RAP here.

Our Contributions

Piddington Justice Projects

Piddington PLT Fund

The Piddington PLT Fund supports the community legal centres (CLCs) which host Piddington PLT graduates to complete their hours required for admission.

Grants are made annually to cover some of the administration and management costs associated.

Piddington PLT is a high-quality, work-ready practical legal training course that focuses on The Piddington Society’s values of access to justice, ethics and collegiality.

Piddington PLT grads are paired with CLCs and/or pro bono work throughout the course. Some grads complete their hours required for admission in CLCs, others do so while working for judicial officers or in private firms.

Piddington PLT is a unique program designed for law graduates who are committed to access to justice and want to complete their practical legal training as part of a community of peers and mentors who are committed to ethics, professional responsibility, and collegiality.

You can learn more about Piddington PLT here.

Piddington Justice Fund

The Piddington Justice Fund (PJF) is intended to support community legal centres (CLCs) in their pursuit of access to justice. PJF is intended to be ongoing and, provided our resources allow, new applications for grants will be sought each year.

CLCs face a lot of demands and pressure, so expressions of interest are brief. Funds are provided for a range of reasons, everything from administrative costs through to pilot projects.

Applications are sought annually, but enquiries are encouraged throughout the year.

An update on the PJF is available here.

Email pidsoc@pidsoc.org.au to learn more about the Piddington Justice Fund.

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Kaartdijin - A First Nations Legal Education Fund

Kaartdijin (Noongar for knowledge) is to First Nations law and pre-law students either studying in or with a connection to Western Australia to help advance their legal education and career prospects, recognising that support for the advancement of First Nations people in the legal profession begins much earlier than when they are admitted.

Kaartdijin has been deliberately created to be accessible with a fast turn-around in accessing funds.

People can request $500, $1000 or $2000 for relevant costs or opportunities. Piddington is open-minded on what to fund, but some examples of what it will cover include: Textbooks for study; Support for completing otherwise unpaid internships (eg at community legal centres), conference attendance, subscriptions to journals; and, short-courses or units.

Applications are on a rolling basis and enquiries can be made to pidsoc@pidsoc.org.au.

Other programs

To recognise the contributions of the Hon Christine Wheeler AO KC and the Hon John Chaney SC to The Piddington Society, we have established and fund the following two programs in their name.

The Christine Wheeler Scholarship for a deserving student completing Piddington PLT, who has been identified for their commitment to advancing justice and professional ethics. Applications are sought annually.

The John Chaney Award is for a law student at a Western Australian university who demonstrates a commitment to high ethical standards, access to justice and professional collegiality. Nominations are sought annually.

2023 winner: Liam Carmody

Reconciliation action plan

From 2018 and throughout 2019, Piddington started developing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

Grounded in our commitments to justice, collegiality and ethics, we did this in consultation with Indigenous leaders and lawyers, as well as non-Indigenous lawyers.

In 2019, this was formally endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

You can read our RAP here.

Our Impact

Through the Piddington Justice Projects, we are able to make financial contributions to the community legal sector, First Nations legal education and other causes that align with our aims.

We finance these projects through our activities. Every time you attend a Piddington event or otherwise engage with us financially, proceeds are directed to the Piddington Justice Projects.

Annually, we are able to make contributions in excess of $50,000 through these Projects.

We are also proud of the wider contribution we have been able to make through Piddington PLT. In 2023, we commissioned research that found that since it began in 2016, Piddington PLT has contributed more than $5 million in economic and social value to the community through the provision of legal assistance.