Albo delivers keynote
Leibler recalled joining the late Arnold Bloch as a partner in 1969 knowing "full well that being a Jewish lawyer, none of the establishment firms would have taken me on".
Praising Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL)’s “longstanding and genuine commitment to reconciliation and recognition” at its 70th anniversary event in Melbourne on Monday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said senior partner Mark Leibler and the firm have “put their values into action over such a long period of time”.
“Mark, I want to say that you’ve been involved in constitutional recognition for more than a decade. Your role has been one of insight and influence,” Albanese said.
“Thank you for your advocacy and your integrity over the decades – giving power to the powerless, and standing with the vulnerable.
“For 70 years, you’ve played your part to make our society more just and more equitable.”
Leibler recalled joining the late Arnold Bloch as a partner in 1969 knowing “full well that being a Jewish lawyer, none of the establishment firms would have taken me on”.
He told how the firm’s early clients “were mostly Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Europe … to build a better life for themselves and their families”, noting that some were in the room.
ABL’s culture “is also the reason why we are very much the firm of choice when human rights are at risk, when racism and other forms of discrimination creep out from under rocks, and when the voices of the disempowered need to be heard”, he said.
He described how advising the Yorta Yorta peoples in their struggle for native title in the 1990s led him on a journey to being present at the signing of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 and advocating for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
ABL managing partner Henry Lanzer also addressed the event, delivering a Vote of Thanks.
Attendees included senior federal and state politicians, Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon, as well as top business leaders and other dignitaries.
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