The Law Society is committed to supporting the practitioners affected by Tropical Cyclone Alfred in any way we can. Our thoughts are with you in this challenging time. The Solicitor Wellbeing Service [1800 592 296] is a confidential dedicated psychological support service for NSW solicitors. We have alerted them that members may need to reach out due to the impacts of last week.

Encouraging a new generation to excel

Each of us, as we neared the end of our student life, pondered what lay ahead of us after admission. How would our work as lawyers make a difference to those we’d serve? Where would our talents be best deployed to help grow a successful career?

The answers to these questions were top of mind when I announced my President’s Priority, Delivering quality support for solicitors’ career success at the beginning of my term.

That’s why I’m delighted to have had the opportunity last week to chair a panel of lawyers from a wide variety of practice backgrounds at the well-received Law Students Career Summit at the International Convention Centre.

Included in the panel were Renee Thomlinson from EY’s General Counsel’s Office, the Executive Director, Criminal Law at Legal Aid NSW Rob Hoyles, and 2023 Law Society President’s Medallist Peter O’Brien. The varied perspectives these impressive lawyers brought to this lively discussion, provided much food for thought for the hundreds of emerging lawyers who attended.

As these students move into their roles as early career lawyers, the Law Society of NSW is committed to providing high quality professional education and support to ensure they’re primed to excel at any stage of their career.

That commitment was evident at the Summit, with a session led by productivity guru Mario Halouvas who gave valuable advice on time management principles and practical strategies to help students and early career lawyers adapt to the fast-paced legal environments they’ll soon experience.

To help strengthen the resilience of those who’ll soon join this profession, Anna Fischer, founder of Trauma Sensitive Law, addressed the impact and challenges of burnout, perfectionism and imposter syndrome on students’ wellbeing.

Outreach on the ground

The Law Society’s support for the profession extends not just over the course of a practitioner’s career, but also to the places you practise, and the issues affecting your work as a lawyer.

I’ve enjoyed a number of regional visits at the invitation of Regional Law Societies already during the early part of my term. This Friday, as the Law Society Councillor Pair for the Far South Coast and Monaro Law Society, I’ll be honoured to join their Conference and Dinner at Merimbula.

This Wednesday marks the first official Law Society Regional Visit, with ‘CPD by the Sea’ on the Central Coast. This full-day event will include a vital session on the incoming anti-money laundering/counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime led by one of our expert Professional Support Solicitors, Carol Prasad.

We are acutely aware that this issue is a central concern of many practitioners as AUSTRAC continues to develop its rules and guidance.

As a profession dedicated to defending the rule of law, we support effective measures to combat organised crime and terrorism. However, the regime will inevitably bring additional costs for practitioners in terms of compliance, and the Law Society is committed to working to support firms through this transition. There is also the important question of ensuring the maintenance of the bedrock principle of confidentiality and client legal privilege.

I was able to discuss these issues in a meeting last week with the Law Council of Australia, which is engaged in continuing advocacy on this issue.

The Law Society is also engaging with firms and practitioners as we continue to develop resources to assist practitioners in this state. I’ll have more to say soon about an important upcoming addition to those resources. In the meantime, I encourage you to access the wealth of material at our AML/CTF hub.

Jennifer Ball, President, Law Society of NSW