Most accomplished solicitors can identify a person who was crucial to their development as both a lawyer and a human being from the earliest days of their careers. This tradition of mentorship is one of the finest of our profession and it’s one the Law Society of NSW is honoured to foster.

Our 2024 Mentoring Program has just been selected as one of 18 such programs around the globe to earn a Most Impactful Mentoring Program Award from mentoring platform Mentorloop.

The platform enables early career lawyers to seek advice from a respected mentor, starting from how to begin their careers to being a bouncing board for resolving problems or issues that arise as their careers progress. But the benefits of being a mentee are not limited to those just starting out. The Law Society’s Mentorship Program is open to all career stages, right up until retirement.

By guiding young lawyers and helping them develop, mentors help to strengthen the profession. This culture of sharing and learning is at the heart of our mentoring program and supports the legal community in creating a stronger, more connected future.

This year, our program connected 300 mentors and mentees, each contributing to the mission of supporting the legal community in creating a stronger, more connected future.

I congratulate the Law Society staff who are coordinating our Mentorship Program on this Award, and encourage practitioners interested in becoming a mentor or mentee to keep an eye on updates to our website to become part of our 2025 Mentorship Program.

Consistently delivering quality CPD

Each year, the Law Society provides hundreds of CPD courses, delivered via face to face, hybrid, live online and on demand formats. These courses are known for their high quality and are generally available at a discount for members, with some offered for free. This is one of the most important services we provide for members.

Next Tuesday, 29 October, we are presenting an important CPD session for any practitioner involved in criminal law. This live, online panel, Best practice: Disclosure in indictable criminal matters will be complimentary to members and will feature experts in their field.

The panel will focus on disclosure in criminal matters that have been committed for trial to the District Court of NSW under the Early Appropriate Guilty Plea scheme.

Diane Elston, Senior Solicitor of Legal Aid’s Indictable Crime Team will moderate the panel which also includes Deputy Senior Crown Prosecutor Cecilia Curtis; Public Defender Paul Coady; Aboriginal Legal Service’s Managing Advocate Steven Rees and NSW Police Force’s (NSWPF) Senior Advocate Jason Tozer.

Disclosure is a key aspect of the conduct of a fair trial and therefore crucial to the administration of justice. The session will provide a valuable opportunity to discuss how defence solicitors, prosecutors, and the NSWPF can work constructively with each other to promote and achieve effective disclosure practices.

Brett McGrath, President, Law Society of NSW