At last year’s Specialist Accreditation Conference, our then President Brett McGrath and Chair of the Specialist Accreditation Board Jacqui Dawson announced the establishment of the ground-breaking addition of Elder Law to the prestigious Specialist Accreditation Program.

I am pleased to update you on progress with the Program. The process of selecting the inaugural Elder Law Specialist Accreditation Committee is well underway, with the formal Committee appointments to be confirmed soon.

Practitioners, with at least five years’ post admission experience, who have, for the previous three years dedicated at least 25 per cent of their practice to Elder Law can apply in December of this year to participate in the 2026 Program.

As the first program of its type in Australia, it will also be open to eligible solicitors across the nation. I repeat the hope Brett expressed last year, that a national network of recognised Elder Law experts will emerge from a collaborative approach among our counterpart organisations, covering 85 per cent of the Australian population.

As we said at the time of this well-received announcement, we are gathering the brightest legal minds already practising in Elder Law to design and deliver this new area of Accreditation. Those who undertake the Program will be challenged on their knowledge of the law and their client skills.

Even better, in anticipation of the new Elder Law Specialist Accreditation program launching in 2026, there’ll be an Elder Law, Wills & Estates stream at this year’s Specialist Accreditation Conference on 28-29 August.

Other streams to be offered are: Commercial Litigation; Family Law; Personal Injury; and Property Law. These sessions will be led by some of the most respected experts in each of these fields. We are looking forward to revealing these presenters later in the year, as well as an exciting keynote speaker you will not want to miss.

The conference provides a valuable opportunity for both Accredited Specialists and experienced practitioners to deep dive on advanced topics and network with their peers.

Day 1 of the Conference will take place in-person at the International Convention Centre, Sydney on Thursday 28 August.

Day 2 of the Conference includes a half-day of live online seminars, taking place on Friday 29 August.

Practitioners attending each session of the conference will be eligible to receive 10 CPD units.

There’s also very good reason to ‘save the date’ in your calendar now. I’m pleased to announce that Super Early Bird pricing is currently available until the end of April. Register here to take advantage of this offer. I look forward to attending what I’m confident will be the most insightful and comprehensive Specialist Accreditation Conference yet.

Jennifer Ball, President, Law Society of NSW