President's Message - Monday 8 April 2024 - The Law Society of New South Wales

Demystifying AI for the profession

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE | 29 JULY 2024

From stone tablets to touch screens, the legal profession has always embraced new tech. After evolving with the industrial and digital revolutions, the next challenge for us lawyers is AI.

AI has an extraordinary potential to transform the justice system and the delivery of legal services. As you might be aware, the Law Society is working to support solicitors to adapt to the complexities and challenges of AI.

Our AI Taskforce continues working to ensure we remain a trusted source of expert advice and assistance for solicitors across NSW. The Taskforce has already produced guidance for the legal profession on the responsible use of AI, and summarised the principles adopted in other jurisdictions regarding the use of AI to assist with preparing for court.

Last Friday, partnering with LexisNexis, the Law Society launched an AI Glossary. This publicly available resource will help demystify AI-related terms, particularly for those exploring the new technology and joining the continuing tech evolution.

The work we’re doing for solicitors in practice goes hand in hand with the advocacy we’re providing to government on appropriate AI regulation. I had the opportunity to provide evidence to the Legislative Council’s Inquiry on Artificial Intelligence in NSW, the report of which was published last Thursday.

I told the Inquiry that we consider that the present fragmented approach of AI law and policy across Australia presents risks of duplicated, or even conflicting regulatory obligations, as well as falling behind the rate and scale of change and failing to ensure AI is used productively.

The Law Society is calling on all governments to take a harmonised approach to AI regulation and encouraging the NSW Government to act as a role model in the adoption of ethical and responsible AI practices and to commence work on that aim as a matter of priority.

First Aid for Mental Health

The wail of an ambulance rushing to an emergency, or a hospital, is so commonplace that we might find it unremarkable. For those who need that help, it could be the worst day of their life. If they’re lucky, someone who’s done the St John’s First Aid course might be on hand, stabilising the patient until the paramedics arrive.

But what if the injury isn’t as obvious as an open wound or a broken leg? How do we recognise when a colleague might need emergency mental health care? And if we can recognise that, what can we do before they’re able to access the professional care they need?

These questions are at the heart of one of the most valuable CPD courses we offer on mental health.

Mental health first aid for the Australian legal profession teaches you how to recognise common mental health problems, how to provide initial support to a person developing a mental health problem, and how to respond in a crisis situation. The course is tailored for the legal profession, but the skills learnt can be applied by any adult.

It’s a comprehensive course, which requires a bit of e-learning homework and an in-person workshop led by our former Wellbeing Manager, senior consultant psychologist Simonette Vaja. It will provide five self-allocated units of CPD.

As the wellbeing of solicitors is one of my President’s Priorities this year I encourage members who are able to register for the next Mental health first aid workshop. Be sure to leave enough time to complete the e-learning before the in-person workshop on 11 September. Numbers are limited.

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