As this message lands in your inbox, I’m preparing to meet with members of the Albury District Law Society for an Opening of Law Term Dinner featuring a speech from Chief Justice, the Honourable Andrew Bell.

This Friday, I’ll again join the Chief Justice and the practitioners of Newcastle and neighbouring regions for events including an Admission Ceremony. After being welcomed to our ranks at the ceremony, a number of these newest members of the profession will attend our Newcastle Local Practitioners and New Admittees Dinner, celebrating 200 years of the rule of law in this state.

Other regional Bicentennial related events will be held later in the year on the Far North Coast, and in my own beloved Macarthur region.

I am excited to be a part of these events, which will enable many regional members the opportunity to reflect on a foundational moment in the development of the justice system, not only of NSW, but of Australia (with apologies to the Supreme Court of Van Diemen’s Land).

The central event to mark 200 years to the day since the Supreme Court came into being will be a Ceremonial Sitting in the Banco Court on 17 May. If you are able to attend, you’ll see, just outside this grand courtroom, a new “History Wall” which chronicles the development of the Court, including “significant items of national heritage”. From this date on, the Court will provide all 2024 NSW admittees a copy of a history it is publishing. The book will also be available for sale through the Law Society.

Last Wednesday’s Opening of Law Term Dinner also provided me with the opportunity to outline my President’s Priorities and President’s Charity for my term this year. You can read the Law Society Journal story about the event here and view my speech here.

You may have seen or heard some media coverage related to my first priority, geared towards guiding the profession through the opportunities and pitfalls presented by Artificial Intelligence. The Law Society will be convening a taskforce of legal and tech experts for this purpose. We’re already gathering information from you. See below for a quick survey to get your views on technology and innovation in legal practice. Access survey.

So many members not only serve the law in the way they practise law, but also find ways to serve the broader community, whether that be through leadership roles in charities, or the thousands of hours of pro-bono work that goes unrecognised each year. It’s about time the community had a clearer picture of the role lawyers play in our communities, which is far from the image portrayed on big and small screens.

Both my predecessors, Cassandra Banks and Joanne van der Plaat before her, adopted the health and wellbeing of the profession as one of their President’s Priorities. I’m proudly carrying that baton, continuing to highlight our Staying Well in the Law series and the 24/7 crisis counselling available to all NSW solicitors, the Solicitors Outreach Service.

Adding to that, I’m encouraging members to keep in touch with their GP. If you don’t have one, get one. The value of a regular check-up on our general well-being and being open to accept help when we need it, can’t be overstated.

Access to justice in the far west

I was saddened to learn last week of the coming closure of the Far West Community Legal Centre (FWCLC). This centre is based in Broken Hill and serves an area of about the western third of the entire state’s land mass.

Community Legal Centres perform a crucial role in delivering free or very low-cost legal services to tens of thousands of the community’s most vulnerable people every year.

The challenges of finding permanent solicitors for remote areas are well known. I’m heartened that the FWCLC is working to find a ‘seamless transition’ to ensure local communities can retain access to justice.

I am looking forward to visiting Broken Hill in the coming months. There’s no substitute for speaking with practitioners on the ground in these communities to work out how the Law Society can support the delivery of legal help to those who need it most.

Brett McGrath, President, Law Society of NSW