TALKING TRUE CRIME
CATHY McLENNAN in conversation with MAGISTRATE JAMES MORTON

Saltwater: A unique insight into real lives behind the newspaper reports.

Saltwater is the true story of the life of Cathy McLennan, a young Aboriginal legal service lawyer tasked with defending a murder committed by four children within days of her graduation. This memoir has been not only critically acclaimed, winning multiple literary awards, but has been on best-seller lists and was voted as the popular choice for Book of the Year by Courier Mail readers.  The book tells the real story of life behind the veil of the courtroom in North Queensland, what it’s like to work as a legal aid lawyer, the people, the criminals, and the reality behind some of the most notorious, and devastating, true crimes. James Morton, a former field officer and barrister, who worked at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service with Cathy McLennan shortly after the period the book is set in, will discuss the cases, the struggles, and the book, with Cathy.  This stimulating discussion will provide a unique opportunity to hear about life as a defense lawyer in North Queensland.

ABOUT CATHY McLENNAN: Cathy McLennan is the winner of the 2014 Queensland Literary Award for Best Emerging Author and has written for TheCourier-Mail and the Townsville Bulletin. She has more than twenty years experience in criminal law, from her early days working as a barrister for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service in North Queensland, to appearing in the High Court and deciding cases as a Queensland Magistrate. She has a Masters of Law and was the recipient of the 2015 Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Alumnus of James Cook University. Cathy is well known for her dedication to vulnerable Queenslanders. 

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