We celebrate CLA Honorary Life President and current CLA Council member, Ron Heinrich AM from Australia, whose 50 years in practice marks an inspiring anniversary in a distinguished career

Ronald Kenneth Heinrich AM , known as Ron, is a commercial lawyer practising in Sydney, Australia. Ron's particular expertise and experience covers a wide range of areas including corporate law, competition law, administrative law (including disciplinary Tribunals, Royal Commissions and ICAC Inquiries), revenue law (he is recognised as a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) by the Tax Institute) and insurance law. Ron's diverse practise has seen him advise on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and probity, commercial litigation, defending professional indemnity claims, insurance policies, reinsurance agreements, due diligence systems and trusts and estate planning. Throughout his time as a lawyer, a career that has spanned five decades, Ron's journey has seen him influence and sustain the wider Australian legal profession; initially heading the Law Society of New South Wales and subsequently the Law Council of Australia. He is also a former Director and Chair of LawCover Pty Ltd and a Founding Member of the Lawyers Cricket World Cup. Ron's deep-seated passion for the rule of law and human rights brought him to the international stage and ultimately the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. Ron's contributions and positions held are evidence of not only an outstanding career in law, but of his unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others. Ron has led with passion, diligence and innovation. Ron was born in Temora, New South Wales, Australia, in 1948. After receiving all of his education in his early years in Temora, Ron joined Tress Cocks & Maddox (which subsequently became TressCox Lawyers), a mid-tier law firm, in 1966 and entered into articles of clerkship shortly thereafter. After completion of his articles of clerkship at only 23 years of age, Ron's skills and ambition led him to become a Partner of TressCox in 1972. At various times Ron served on the firm's Board of Management and also as Chair of the Board. In 2018, TressCox merged with HWL Ebsworth Lawyers where Ron is currently a Partner. HWL Ebsworth is a fully-integrated, national commercial law firm and the largest legal partnership in Australia. Ron was first elected to the Council of the NSW Law Society in 1991. In 1992, Ron was appointed Chair of the task force to reform the legal system. Under the guidance of Ron, the task force made wide-ranging recommendations, which were initially rejected, but were later adopted in part or in full. During the same year, Ron was also appointed to the Professional Conduct Committee of the Law Society of NSW. As Chair, he restructured it into three separate committees and streamlined its processes. These reforms helped reduce the backlogs and thereby restored the integrity of the Law Society of NSW in dealing with conduct complaints. He was also appointed as a Co-Chair with Phillip King to examine the role of the Law Society of NSW as a regulator. The report recommended a design for a co-regulatory system of the profession, which was implemented and continues to this day in NSW. In 1995, Ron was elected Treasurer of the NSW Law Society. He introduced a concept of surplus budgeting, which was accepted after initial resistance and resulted in significant surpluses for the NSW Law Society. In 1996 and 1997, Ron was junior Vice-President and Vice-President respectively and then at the end 1997, Ron became the President of the Law Society of NSW. Throughout his time with the Law Society of NSW, Ron has chaired various Committees, including importantly the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee, the Medico-Legal Liaison Committee, the Common Law Rights Committee and the Business Law Committee. In his role as President, one of Ron's first tasks was to establish an Access to Justice Task Force. This Task Force brought forward a discussion paper with numerous proposals aimed at improving access to justice, many of which at the time were subject to significant criticism but which in subsequent years were accepted by the profession and judiciary including in particular alternative dispute resolution. Whilst a Law Society Council Member, Ron authored a paper entitled 'Sad Mad or Bad' dealing with anonymous case studies of solicitors who had had complaints made against them to the Professional Conduct Committee of the NSW Law Society. This paper sought to demonstrate that a significant number of complaints arose because of stress, alcohol or drug dependence, mental health illness or other issues. Subsequently this paper was used to support the establishment of LawCare, the body that seeks to help members of the profession in distress before or when a professional conduct complaint is made against them. In December 1992, Ron was appointed a director of LawCover Pty Limited, the manager of the LawCover scheme, the provider of professional indemnity insurance cover to the solicitors of New South Wales. This was a particularly turbulent time for the LawCover scheme with insurance premiums for members of the Law Society of NSW covered by the scheme increasing more than threefold over a 3 year period. In 1995, Ron was appointed as non-executive Chair of the LawCover Pty Limited and continued to serve in that role until 1999. In his time as Chair of LawCover Pty Limited, Ron consistently proposed that the LawCover scheme should have its own authorised insurer and for many years lobbied the Law Society to approve the formation of an authorised insurer. Ultimately in the second half of 2003, the Law Society of NSW and the Attorney General approved the formation of LawCover Insurance Pty Limited which was subsequently approved as an authorised insurer by APRA. Today, LawCover Insurance Pty Limited is a well-capitalised professional indemnity insurer to the solicitors of New South Wales and to multinational firms with interstate practices. Ron retired as a director of the LawCover group of companies on 18 January 2008 after some 16 years of service to the LawCover scheme. Ron was elected to the Executive of the Law Council of Australia (LCA) in 1998 and, after serving in various capacities, including that of Treasurer, finally became its President during the years 2002-2003. Whilst on the Executive, Ron chaired the National Professional Harmonisation Committee and was a Professional Standards Working Group member. Ron also chaired the FSR Adhoc Referral Group, the Insurance Contracts Act Adhoc Referral Group, the International Law Section's Commonwealth Lawyers Association Focus Group and the Professional Indemnity Insurance Joint Working Group. As President of LCA, Ron supported the Law Council's National Profession project. He pushed for a truly national legal services market which he had as a goal from his days as President of the Law Society of NSW. Ron saw a truly national legal profession as one that established a regulatory regime for the practice of law that met the goals of public protection, economic efficiency, and maintenance of the rule of law principles across state borders throughout Australia. Ron has always taken a strong stance on the rule of law and has been a strong voice for human rights. He was active in questioning the treatment of David Hicks, Mahmoud Habib and Jack Thomas on the international scene. He pushed his focus on the need for lawyers to recognise their role in maintaining the rule of law. Not only indirectly representing people faced with the state's coercive powers but also actually advocating for change as a profession. At the Commonwealth Law Conference in Melbourne in 2003, he spoke on the need to recognise the areas of the Commonwealth that faced the collapse of civil society and the fragility of the rule of law. As the head of the Law Council, Ron also worked towards the harmonisation of laws across the nation, particularly for property, criminal and defamation laws. With his background in medical indemnity, he was very active in tort law and related insurance reform. Besides being a staunch advocate for the retention of common law rights, Ron also acknowledged the need for sensible tort reform, going hand in hand with insurance market reform, in the light of global insurance difficulties. He pushed for national consistency in approach without losing the overall objective that people injured due to others' negligence deserve fair and just recompense. Ron supported the Law Council's international strategy of opening up legal markets for Australian lawyers, promoting the rule of law and assisting less affluent societies, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. As President, Ron was singularly responsible for the incorporation of the Law Council as a company limited by guarantee, thereby giving the benefit of limited liability protection to its constituent body members and at the same time introducing an improved system of corporate governance. Ron has also contributed significantly to the not-for-profit and charities sector in Australia. Ron advised on the establishment of The Property Industry Foundation as a charity in 1995, including obtaining tax-exempt and deductible gift recipient status. He served on the Board of Advisors for over five years and continues to act for the Foundation by providing legal service on a pro bono basis. Ron also advised on the establishment of the AMA (NSW) Charitable Foundation, including obtaining tax-exempt and deductible gift recipient status. Currently, he also serves on the Board of Advisors there and continues to provide legal advice on a pro bono basis. Lastly, for over 25 years, Ron was the Honorary Solicitor for the Church of England Homes, providing legal advice on a wide range of issues on a pro bono basis. Ron was elected to the Council of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) in 2003 and served as its Honorary Secretary/Vice-President from 2005 to 2007, and became President from 2007 to 2009. Ron represented the CLA at many important legal conferences as its President, including attending the opening of the legal year for England & Wales, attendance at the Nigerian Bar Association Business Section annual conference, attending at the American Bar Association and International Bar Association annual conferences, Union Internationale des Advocates meetings and various rule of law conferences around the world including in Doha. Ron initiated several changes in the CLA, including constitutional amendments to allow for succession, changing the position of Honorary Secretary to Vice-President and establishing a nominations subcommittee. He also initiated amendments to restructure the Council to allow for the better geographical distribution of seats and encourage gender diversity. He introduced quarterly meetings of the Council and monthly Executive Committee meetings via teleconference. Ron also instituted a corporate membership drive and an increased liaison with the Secretary-General, including synchronising the budgeting process in line with income cycles. He also re-established contact with the CLA Hong Kong Trust, attended board meetings of the Trust and today continues to liaise with the Trust. Ron also introduced an annual activity report to members and facilitated regular issues of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association's newsletter Clarion by reforming its Editorial Committee. To put the association on a stronger financial footing, Ron negotiated and agreed on the appointment of a long term professional conference organiser for the CLA, including their underwriting the costs of such conferences. He promoted the introduction of regional conferences, including the first such conference being the 25th Anniversary Conference in 2008 in Montego Bay, Jamaica and the subsequent Abuja Regional Conference in Nigeria. Ron regularly spoke on and made presentations to promote the Latimer House Guidelines during his presidency. At the 25th Anniversary Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica, he initiated a debate on the death penalty and subsequently persuaded the Council at its Hong Kong Conference in May 2009 to adopt a formal policy opposing it. Following the Nairobi Conference in Kenya, Ron initiated discussion within the CLA Council on the sensitive topic of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Initially, the Council was split on this subject but subsequently, at the Hong Kong Conference, adopted a position agreeing to encourage debate on the issue throughout the Commonwealth. Alongside being a busy lawyer and participant in lawyers professional bodies, Ron also has a great involvement in sporting clubs. Ron is a life member of Dee Why Lions Rugby Club, a current board member of Tennis NSW and founded the Australian Lawyers Cricket Council as well as the Lawyers Cricket World Cup, a biennial event attracting Lawyer Cricketers from across the Commonwealth. On Australia day, January 26, 2013 Ron was honoured by being made a Member of the General Division of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the law and the legal profession.