Profile
Morry Bailes AM
Senior Lawyer and Business Advisor
Locations
-
Adelaide
(08) 8212 1077 -
Darwin
(08) 7929 1000 -
Perth
(08) 9211 5800
Morry Bailes was Tindall Gask Bentley’s managing partner for 18 years until he retired from that position on 30 June 2020.
Morry continues to provide services to TGB as a senior business advisor and lawyer. He has been and remains a forward-thinking business strategist, and retains a passion for practising the law that he has held since the start of his career.
His rapport with Associations representing particular workplace groups has seen him establish a specialty practice. He has served as Principal Advisor to such organisations as the Police Association, Correctional Officers’ Legal Fund, and the South Australian State School Leaders Association, advocating for members in criminal and disciplinary matters. He has also advised associations on their own constitutional and business affairs.
In workplace matters, Morry is renowned for his balanced view of the world, a quality which has prompted both employees and employers to seek out his knowledge.
As then Managing Partner, he oversaw the firm’s significant expansion, which now takes in 13 offices across SA, WA and the NT. He has also set a different kind of legal precedent – construction of an innovative building at 76 Light Square with high environmental ratings – to serve as TGB’s home.
Morry’s achievements and influence also extend beyond TGB. He was the 2018 President of the Law Council of Australia and is current Chair of Lawguard Management. He was President of the Law Society of SA from October 2013 to December 2014.
He was the recipient of the Law Society’s Brian Withers’ Award for service to the South Australian legal profession in 2013, and he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Honours List in 2020.
Morry Bailes AM
Senior Lawyer and Business Advisor
My Qualifications
- Bachelor of Law, University of Adelaide
- Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice
- Admitted to practice 1987
Honours and Awards
- Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the law, to professional legal societies, and to the community
- Brian Withers’ Award for outstanding service to the Law Society of South Australia, its members and the profession, above and beyond the call of duty
My Areas of Expertise
- Associations Law
- Workplace Law
- Criminal and Disciplinary
- Coronial Inquests and Royal Commissions
- Defamation
- Litigation
My Professional Interests
- Past Managing Partner, Tindall Gask Bentley (2002 – 2020)
- Past President, Law Council of Australia Limited (2018)
- Past President, Law Society of South Australia (2013-14)
- Chair, Futures Committee, Law Council of Australia
- Chair, Lawguard Management Pty Ltd
- Past Member of the Council, Law Council of Australia
- Past Member of the Executive, Law Council of Australia
- Past Member of the Council, Law Society of South Australia
- Past Member of the Executive, Law Society of South Australia
- Member of the Bar Issues Commission, Trade in Legal Services Committee, International Bar Association
- Member of the Ethics and Practice Committee, Law Society of South Australia
- Past Member of the International Legal Practice Committee, Law Society of South Australia
- Member of the GDLP Committee, Law Society of South Australia and University of Adelaide
- Chair, Corporate Governance Committee, Law Society of South Australia
- Member, Risk Management Advisory Committee, Law Society of South Australia
- Past Chair, CTP Executive (Law Society of SA, Australian Lawyers Alliance and SA Bar Association)
- Member of the International Bar Association
- Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
- Legal Advisor, Police Association of South Australia
- Legal Advisor, Western Australian Police Union
- Legal Advisor, Northern Territory Police Association
- Legal Advisor, Correctional Officers’ Legal Fund
- Legal Advisor, South Australian State School Leaders Association
- Columnist, InDaily (indaily.com.au)
My Charitable Interests
- Director, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation
Media & Blog Posts
Democracy must not become a Pandemic Victim
The power of emergency executive government has legally moved beyond elected parliament, with democracy and the law the poorer for it, writes Morry Bailes. https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2021/07/22/democracy-must-not-become-a-pandemic-victim/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=InDaily%20Lunchtime%20%2022%20July%202021&utm_content=InDaily%20Lunchtime%20%2022%20July%202021+CID_2ce72580f08908078f6dd547979fa0be&utm_source=EDM&utm_term=READ%20MORE The...
Read moreFatal cycle: the rising toll of rider deaths
Cyclist deaths have risen by nearly 50 per cent since the introduction of road laws aimed at increasing their safety. Morry Bailes questions what’s gone wrong. It is not just greater publicity that has contributed to the seeming rise in cycling deaths, it’s real. The statistics make for grim reading. South Australia...
Read morePolice use of QR data reinforces privacy concerns
The use of a legal loophole to seize QR data highlights the security and trust issues of a key public health tool requiring individuals to sign in, argues Morry Bailes. https://indaily.com.au/opinion/2021/06/24/police-use-of-qr-data-reinforces-privacy-concerns/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=InDaily%20Lunchtime%20%2024%20June%202021_&utm_content=InDaily%20Lunchtime%20%2024%20June%202021_+CID_d76065906aeaef943bdfed772a7abadd&utm_source=EDM&utm_term=READ%20MORE How...
Read moreLet's talk honestly about our defamation laws
As high-profile defamation cases hit the headlines and courts, Morry Bailes asks if the existing system is fit for purpose. Is it a coincidence, or does there seem to be an uptick in defamation suits being commenced by Australian politicians? The question raises interesting considerations not only about defamation laws in...
Read morePolice cop lesson over gender balance push
An anti-corruption inquiry into an Australian police force campaign for recruitment gender balance is a warning for managers to check how results are achieved, argues Morry Bailes. Gender equality at all costs may be the catch cry of some in our community, but as the Queensland Police Service (QPS) recently discovered, it...
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