Well students, thanks for joining me and today I have as my guest former federal court judge,
Shane Marshall. Shane thanks for joining me. Thank you Rob.
Well Shane, you were on the Federal Court for more than 20 years and you were at the
Victorian Bar for about 14 years before that, what led to your interest in the law in the
first place? My father was a wharf labourer and I used
to read his union magazine and so I became interested in industrial relations and then
industrial relations law and also used to enjoy watching Perry Mason on the television.
(Laughs) Well, what was the transition like from going
to, from being at the Bar to being on the Federal Court? Was it a hard transition?
It was a hard transition. I found that I had to resist the urge to enter the debate and
not to cross examine witnesses or barristers. And what sort of work do you actually do?
Can you explain to our students, as a Federal Court Judge?
As a Federal Court Judge I mainly did industrial relations work at the beginning and when the
industrial relations court was merged into the Federal Court then I had a broader remit
doing a larger area of work such as administrative law, migration law um, trade practices, environmental
law, bankruptcy law, corporations law, native title, a range of matters.
So very broad. And Shane, I guess, we have to come to this point because you have been
outspoken about your struggle with mental illness; in fact, you�ve been praised as
one of the first judicial officers to talk about your struggle with depression. When
did you realise in your career that you were having these struggles,that you were going
through depressive stages within your life? It was after I�d been at the bench a fair
while, around about 2008, I was appointed in 1995 and a medical practitioner picked
it up. And did you at the time know it was depression?
I knew I was down but I didn�t know it actually clinically was depression.
And I guess it�s a pretty well-known fact that the legal profession is over represented
when it comes to mental illness, why do you think that�s the case?
I think lawyers tend to be perfectionists. They tend to be very competitive, very hard
on themselves, and also very reluctant to seek help.
Despite your depression, you were still able to function very well, you�re highly regarded
as a Federal Court Judge, what sort of support mechanism did you put in place or were in
place for you to help you with your depression? When I was first diagnosed I saw a psychologist
for a while and I wondered why she was treating me for so long after I got off the medication,
but it was to put in place strategies to prevent relapse, but that only lasted for another
5 years or so, then I had a significant relapse in 2013, which led ultimately to me taking
long service leave in 2014 leading up to resignation in end of 2015.
And was that a difficult decision for you? It was a difficult decision, yes. It�s something
that I still struggle with now and I wonder whether I chose the right path even though
that�s a fruitless exercise because it�s something that happened and can�t be changed.
Looking back. So what changes do you think the legal profession more generally can make
to assist its members who are suffering from depression who might have mental health issues?
I think it�s important for the legal profession to let people know, especially young people
in the profession, that they�re valued, that they�re, and also to encourage them
to think of themselves as people rather than lawyers. They�re important things.
Good advice. Well there will be a lot of students watching this who may even themselves be struggling
with depression, might feel a bit anxious, a bit unsure about how they�re going to
go. Particularly at the start of their course, what tips would you give them if they�re
feeling that way? They�re a bit unsure if where or not their feelings are depression?
I think if there are support mechanisms put in place in universities, they should be availed
of. It�s very important to remember that you�re not alone. That there will be somebody
else going through exactly the same thing that you�re going through and it�s far
more courageous to put your hand up and say I need help, rather than just suffer in silence.
Well, thanks very much for talking about that Shane and thanks very much for joining me
today. Thank you Rob.
There you go students, some great advice. You�re not alone, there�s always help
out there if you need it and it�s important that you seek that support. Thanks for joining
me.