Libby Hakim LLB (Hons) | Senior Legislative Drafting Consultant

I am a senior legislative drafting consultant with more than 20 years’ legal experience, including more than 15 years specialising in Australian state and Commonwealth legislation. I spent 12 years at the NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office and currently work as an in-house legislative drafting consultant to a Commonwealth Government department, advising on and drafting complex legislation.

libby@libbyhakim.com.au | Maitland, Australia

Experience

  • Senior Legislative Drafting Consultant | Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water | Oct, 2023 – present

    Senior legislative drafting consultant working principally on legislative instruments under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit scheme—an exceptionally complex Commonwealth regulatory framework involving intricate legal, technical and policy considerations. Managing matters from initial instructions through consultation, drafting, revision and finalisation as part of a specialist team. Advising on legislative design, statutory interpretation, legal risk and implementation; resolving complex policy and drafting issues; consulting with government and external stakeholders; and mentoring and supporting other lawyers.

  • Senior Legislative Drafter | NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office | Aug, 2004 – Sep, 2016

    Drafting amending and principal instruments and Bills in areas relating to health, education, crimes, transport, utilities and more. This role involved supervision of junior drafters and working closely with various policy teams throughout NSW Government.

  • Legal Communications Consultant | NSW Office of the Registrar General | Oct, 2017 – Dec, 2021

    Drafting and producing communications collateral to explain and promote eConveyancing reforms to the general public and professional stakeholders. Providing advice and guidance on aspects of internal and external communication and stakeholder engagement.

  • Legal Writer and Editor | LexisNexis & Thomson Reuters | Various periods from Feb, 2000 – Feb, 2021

    Updating legislation and editing legal commentary. Working with legal experts to create legal feature articles. Interviewing legal experts and writing profile pieces.

  • Insurance and Litigation Lawyer | McMahons & Abbott Tout | Sep, 2002 – July, 2004 & Oct, 2001 – Sep, 2002

    General commercial and insurance litigation lawyer. Provided advice to large corporate clients. Appeared as advocate in small claims hearings in the Local Court and made regular appearances in the Supreme Court, District Court and various other courts and tribunals.

Education

LLB (Hons)
University of Newcastle

Bachelor of Science
University of Newcastle

Diploma of Legal Practice
College of Law

Skills and Attributes

- Able to work to tight/shifting parliamentary and publishing schedules and manage competing priorities.

- Organised and efficient, with a pragmatic approach to legal problem-solving.

- Consistently work well with a diverse range of people, from lawyers to academics, policy officers and IT specialists.

- Writing skills extend to copywriting and feature writing. Published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Sunday Life, body+soul and more.

- Confident using Microsoft Office applications, Canva, WordPress, and a variety of remote working tools (including Teams, Zoom, Asana, Everhour and Slack).

Get in touch

I’m currently working as a legislative drafter on a contract basis. If you’d like to discuss a role or opportunity, please email me at libby@libbyhakim.com.au.